Delaware still concerned by lower-price transmission line


Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:


First PJM grid upgrade to be competitively bid out still too rich for Delaware’s blood

transmission

The regional operator of the power grid is reviving a controversial transmission project involving the complex of nuclear plants operated by PSEG Power in South Jersey.
The staff of PJM Interconnection is recommending a slimmed-down version of the project, which has generated heated debate because costs have increased significantly since it was initially announced back in 2015. That led to the project being put on hold and a new review undertaken this past August.
Most of the dispute has revolved around allocation of costs among ratepayers in the region, a particular concern in Delaware — and one apparently not allayed by changes detailed by the staff on Friday. The project is viewed as upgrading the reliability of the power grid by PJM.
In a statement issued late Friday, Delaware Gov. John Carney said the project, as currently financed, would place an unjust burden on residential and industrial ratepayers in the state. “Delaware businesses and families would see higher monthly electric bills and receive next to nothing in return in the way of direct benefit,’’ the governor said.
The proposal is being closely watched by the industry and energy analysts because it is the first transmission project to be bid out competitively, instead of being awarded automatically to the incumbent utility (in this case, Atlantic City Electric).
The latest recommendation, which goes to the full PJM board, trims the total project cost that had escalated to $418 million to a cap of $278 million. The staff recommended a new transmission line from the nuclear power plant be built by LS Power, instead of one proposed by Public Service Electric & Gas, which, like PSEG Power, is a subsidiary of Newark- based Public Service Enterprise Group.
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In the latest version, the interconnection point would change from the Salem unit to Hope Creek plant. It also determined that previously suggested upgrades were unnecessary, and an alternative transmission route proposed by PSE&G would provide less cost certainty than the one proposed by LS Power.
The abandonment of the PSE&G route also eliminates the line going through the Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in South Jersey, a route that raised concerns among regulators at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. PSE&G had sought to address those concerns by altering its original route on a new right-of-way outside of Supawna.
In its comments, PSE&G insisted its route provided more stability for the power grid and greater reliability than the proposal submitted by LS Power.
Transmission work is increasingly lucrative for electric utilities. In this instance, if the recommendation is adopted, PSE&G’s project slice would be $132 million. The utility now gets 44 percent of its rate base from transmission, according to a disclosure during its earnings call last week.
The recommendations are scheduled to be taken up by the PJM Board at a meeting on April 6. The issue of cost allocations remains to be determined by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which currently lacks a quorum.
The PJM staff recommendation revised the project in-service date to June 1, 2020.

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Changes needed to keep Cape May, NJ safe for surfers?

Cape May surf – Phil Gregory photo

Diane Stopyra writes for newsworks:


The beaches in Cape May — at the tip of New Jersey’s tide-washed peninsula — are pretty and clean. They’re dotted with pastel cabanas and frequented by migrating shore birds. And they’re guarded by a diligent lifeguard patrol, one that hasn’t had a single drowning in its 106-year history. By all vacation standards, the beaches here are an excellent place to plant a canvas chair or take in a sunset.
But recently, Cape May’s beaches have come under fire. Beneath the breaking waves, critics say, is a seafloor that drops off too severely, creating dangerous conditions for surfers and bodysurfers.
I love Cape May so much, I moved here six years ago. But I understand the concern. In the nearly two decades I’ve been a surfer, I’ve paddled into many waves, from Desperations break in Fiji (which lives up to its name) to Snapper Rocks in Australia. I’ve suffered a concussion in the water, and I’ve wiped out into beds of coral reef and sea urchin. But it’s the swell in Cape May that has spooked me out of the ocean and left me driving up the parkway in search of gentler conditions. It’s not wave size that’s the problem — it’s that these waves break into shallow water, sometimes ankle deep, heightening the risk of cervical spine injury.
Addressing the problem has been tricky for the city, a place whose economy depends on not scaring tourists away. But with a new mayor who ran on a platform of beach safety — things could be changing for Cape May’s seascape.

























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How the environmental pros stay ahead in NJ, PA, NY & DE

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Environment bills in committee in Trenton-March 6, 2017


SENATE LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY
3/06/17 10:30 AM
Aide: (609) 847-3870
Committee Room 10, 3rd Floor, State House Annex
S-2874  Greenstein, L.R. (D-14); Cunningham, S.B.
(D-31)
Authorizes use of electric school buses.
Related Bill: A-4538
     Dec 19, 2016   – Proposed for Senate
introduction
     Jan 9, 2017     – Introduced in Senate
     Jan 9, 2017     – Referred: Senate Transportation
     Mar 6, 2017   – Posted: Senate Law and
Public Safety
_____________________________________________

ASSEMBLY AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
3/06/17  1:00 PM
Aide: (609) 847-3855
Committee Room 15, 4th Floor, State House Annex,

A-1069  Bramnick, J.M. (R-21); Burzichelli, J.J.
(D-3); Munoz, N.F. (R-21)
Requires DEP to establish “private wildlife
habitat certification program”; creates affirmative defense against
municipal nuisance ordinances for properties certified under the program. Related Bill: S-1151
      
A-1351  Spencer, L.G. (D-29)
Amends law concerning application, sale, and use of
fertilizer to exempt organic fertilizer from certain requirements.
      
A-1698  Dancer, R.S. (R-12)
Establishes certain requirements for a State entity
planting vegetation in certain circumstances; provides for preferences for NJ
businesses providing such vegetation.
      
A-3031  Dancer, R.S. (R-12)
Prohibits NJ State Forest Nursery from undercutting
private nurseries by selling forestation stock below average market price.
     
A-3403  Dancer, R.S. (R-12); Taliaferro, A.J. (D-3);
Space, P. (R-24); Andrzejczak, B. (D-1)
Designates Common Eastern Bumble Bee as New Jersey
State Native Pollinator.
      
A-4265  Schaer, G.S. (D-36); Houghtaling, E. (D-11)
Requires certain notification prior to mosquito
spraying applications.
      
A-4606  Dancer, R.S. (R-12)
Directs DEP to designate native bee nesting habitat
areas in each State park and forest.
     
AJR-144  Taliaferro, A.J. (D-3); Andrzejczak, B. (D-1)
Establishes “Healthy Pollinators Task Force.”
     
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Groups Rally to Support NY Investigation of ExxonMobil


Activists say holding the fossil-fuel industry accountable is critical to combating climate change. (NYPIRG)
Activists say holding the fossil-fuel industry accountable is critical to combating climate change. (NYPIRG)
Andrea Sears reports
for Public News Service:

A letter signed by more than 350 groups was delivered on Wednesday to New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, urging him to continue his investigation of Exxon Mobil. Scheiderman has subpoenaed the oil giant, asking for documents showing it committed fraud by hiding what it knows about climate change from investors. But the oil company is fighting back, accusing Schneiderman and other attorneys general of engaging in a conspiracy.

Megan Ahearn, the program director for NYPIRG, says with resistance to the investigation from Exxon and its allies in Congress growing, groups such as 350.org and Food and Water Watch are urging Schneiderman to keep going.

“We wanted to make sure that Attorney General Schneiderman knew that the environmental community, that community groups, that individuals, voters and taxpayers have his back, supporting moving this investigation forward,” she said.

Earlier this month, Exxon Mobil filed a brief in a Texas court accusing Schneiderman and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey of infringing on the corporation’s free-speech rights.

Texas Congressman Lamar Smith has accused the attorneys general of trying to criminalize corporations that hold alternative views on climate science.

According to NYPIRG staff attorney Robert Kornblum, last year Smith even demanded that they turn over documents from their investigations.

“Both Attorney General Healey in Massachusetts and Attorney General Schneiderman refused to comply with those subpoenas because attorneys general are allowed to investigate fraud,” he said. “In fact, that’s their job.”

Last week the House Science Committee again subpoenaed documents from the attorneys general.

The activists say the evidence suggests Exxon Mobil’s own research linked fossil fuels to climate change 40 years ago. But Ahearn notes the company has actively sought to suppress and deny that connection.

“The attorney general’s investigation is absolutely critical to hold them accountable and to move forward on climate action that can start to roll back climate chaos,” she added.


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Would milk by any other name taste just as sweet?

Anahad O’Connor
reports in
The New York Times:

If milk comes from a plant, can you still call it milk?
Not according to the dairy industry. Facing growing competition from dairy alternatives like almond, soy and coconut milk, the nation’s dairy farmers are fighting back, with an assist from Congress. Their goal: to stop companies from calling their plant-based products yogurt, milk or cheese.
Dairy farmers say the practice misleads consumers into thinking that nondairy milk is nutritionally similar to cow’s milk.
A bipartisan group of 32 members of Congress is asking the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on companies that call plant-based beverages “milk.” They say FDA regulations define milk as a “lacteal secretion” obtained by milking “one or more healthy cows.” Proposed legislation from Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., a state known for its cheese, suggests a slightly broader definition. Their bill would require the FDA to target milk, yogurt and cheese products that do not contain milk from “hooved mammals.”
“The bottom line for us is that milk is defined by the FDA, and we’re saying to the FDA: Enforce your definition,” Welch said.
But critics say consumers know exactly what they are buying when they choose almond or soy milk instead of dairy milk.
“There’s no cow on any of these containers of almond milk or soy milk,” said Michele Simon, executive director of the Plant Based Foods Association, a trade group representing 70 companies. “No one is trying to fool consumers.”
And what about other nondairy products with dairy names? Will milk of magnesia, cocoa butter, cream of wheat and peanut butter have to change their names as well?
Plants over animals
Cow’s milk was once one of America’s most iconic beverages. But Americans drink 37 percent less of it today than they did in 1970, according to the Department of Agriculture. Mintel, a market research firm, found that negative health perceptions were driving the decline in sales of cow’s milk.
Meanwhile, dairy milk alternatives made from almonds, soy, cashews and coconuts have exploded in popularity in recent years. Plant-based milks, with brand names like Almond Breeze and Silk, are sold in the dairy aisle and still represent a fraction of the beverage market, but sales continue to grow.
Much of the growth in plant-based milk sales has come from the rising popularity of almond milk. Last year, Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee chain, announced that it would begin offering almond milk to lighten its espresso drinks, to meet customer demand. The chain said it was one of the most-requested customer suggestions of all time.
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