Congressman from NJ tries again to get Trump tax return

Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-New Jersey)

Herb Jackson reports from The Record‘s Washington Bureau:

Continuing in his quest to examine President Trump’s tax returns, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. tried unsuccessfully Monday night to use a legislative maneuver to force the House to exercise powers granted in a 1924 law.

“The American people have the right to know whether or not their president is operating under conflicts of interest related to international affairs, tax reform, government contracts or otherwise,” said Pascrell, D-Paterson.

Pascrell’s “privileged resolution” tried to compel the Ways and Means Committee to use its power to obtain Trump’s tax returns and make them available to the full House, which would in effect make them public.

Pascrell used a provision of the rules that lets members raise questions of privileges affecting the entire House, and Pascrell said his measure fit that description because it involved Congress serving to check on the power of the executive branch. But Rep. Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican presiding in the chamber, ruled that Pascrell was trying to direct a committee to meet, and that did not meet the standard. Pascrell appealed, and the majority tabled his appeal in a largely party-line vote of 299-185-2.

Pascrell said he was pleased that two Republicans voted “present” rather than with the majority, and one of them, Mark Sanford of South Carolina, agreed to sign a letter Pascrell is preparing to send to the chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees seeking disclosure.

“This is going to be a slow process,” Pascrell said. “I knew it when i got in.”

Pascrell’s resolution noted that there are nearly 1.1 million signatures on a petition on a White House website calling for the immediate release of Trump’s tax returns along with necessary information to etermine whether he is violating the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which bars federal officials from receiving gifts or things of value from foreign governments.

A 1924 law used twice before in history allows the chairmen of the House and Senate committees that write tax policy to compel the Treasury Department to provide copies of any citizen’s confidential tax information. Pascrell on Feb. 1 asked the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Texas Republican Kevin Brady, to invoke the power. Brady rejected the request, and he was backed up by fellow Republicans in a party-line committee vote on Feb. 14.

In offering a privileged resolution, Pascrell argued that his measure deserved to be brought up ahead of measures posted for votes by the majority. The maneuver was used last year by House conservatives to force a vote on impeaching the director of the Internal Revenue Service, but a last-minute deal prevented an impeachment vote.

The “privileged resolution” is more often used by the minority party, currently the Democrats. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi tried to force a vote on a change to gun control policy in 2015, for example, and her effort had the same result as Pascrell’s.

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Pipeline will cross 2,000 streams, wetlands, roads in PA

Sunoco Logistics says it expects no problems through construction and beyond, though environmental groups across the state fear the worst.

Dillon Carr reports for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Freshly approved permits in hand, Sunoco Logistics is digging away on its Mariner East 2 pipeline — a project that will quadruple the volume of natural gas liquids flowing across Pennsylvania once the company navigates more than 2,000 streams, wetlands, roads and railways between Western Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia area.
The company says it expects no problems through construction and beyond, though environmental groups across the state fear the worst.
“When they get it wrong, people die or lose homes, water quality, air quality. They have long-term repercussions,” said Melissa Marshall, community advocate with the Mountain Watershed Association.
The Melcroft-based conservation group, with Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Clean Air Council, appealed a recent DEP decision to permit construction of the pipeline.
Judge Bernard A. Labuskes Jr. of the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board on Thursday rejected a request by the environmental groups to reconsider a decision he made a week earlier to not block the DEP-issued permits and thus halt pipeline construction.
A hearing is scheduled to start Wednesday before Labuskes to consider arguments from the environmental groups about whether the DEP review process was adequate.
Sunoco is awaiting final water-crossing permits from the Army Corps of Engineers. Company spokesman Jeffrey Shields declined to say where work on the Mariner East 2 pipeline is under way in Pennsylvania.
NEW MILES
Mariner East 2 will cross 36 miles and 270 properties in Westmoreland County; none of the approximately 250 oil and gas companies with production in the county are currently laying pipeline, according to the DEP.
About 580 miles of existing pipelines form an underground spider web across the county. Those include gas transmission and hazardous liquid lines, according to National Pipeline Mapping System data.
Pennsylvania has more than 12,000 miles of large-diameter oil and gas pipelines, with the miles of natural-gas gathering lines expected to at least quadruple by 2030, according to a February 2016 report from the Governor’s Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force.
The Mariner East project of Philadelphia-based Sunoco Logistics carries natural gas liquids from Marcellus and Utica shale gas wells in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia to the company’s Marcus Hook Industrial Complex in Delaware County, where it is processed, stored and distributed to market.
The initial phase involved Mariner East 1, an older gas pipeline that ran from Philadelphia to Delmont with an additional 50-mile spur to Chartiers, Washington County, that went online in 2014.
A second line — Mariner East 2 — will allow the company to ship more ethane, butane and propane to Marcus Hook.
To traverse the 306 miles from the border with the West Virginia panhandle to the facility outside Philadelphia, crews installing the Mariner East 2 will cross roughly 750 streams, 575 wetlands, 670 roads and 25 railroads.
Read the full story here
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CT governor proposes to double can and bottle deposits

 Anna Bisaro reports for the New Haven Register:





Raising the refund amount for containers recycled at redemption centers from 5 to 10 cents is expected to bring $12 million in revenue to the state, according to Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget proposal.









Further, it likely would have the added benefit of increasing the redemption rate, keeping more glass and plastic out of the waste stream, said Dennis Schain, spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Under the current bottle bill, consumers in Connecticut can return soda, water and beer bottles and cans to redemption centers for a 5-cent return on each container. Distributors give unclaimed deposits to the state. The governor’s proposal aims to increase that deposit for each container to 10 cents.
“Since its start in 1980, there has been little change in the deposit amount,” said Chris McClure, a spokesman for the state Office of Policy and Management. Michigan, which has a 10-cent deposit, “reports the highest recycling rate of any state and we would hope to match their results,” McClure said.
The Michigan Department of Treasury reported in 2014 that the state had an average redemption rate of more than 96 percent.
McClure said the provision would not go into effect until July 1, 2018, and the expected $12 million in revenue would be for fiscal 2019.
Based on data provided by DEEP, redemption rates have varied greatly since 2009, with the fourth quarter of 2013 clocking a redemption rate as high as 76.1 percent, but the second quarter of 2016 coming in at 42.3 percent.
If the provision were passed, Connecticut would join Michigan as the only other state that offers 10 cents per bottle or can deposited at a redemption center. Oregon will be going to a deposit of 10 cents per bottle or can in April, according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.
Other states with bottle-redemption bills include California, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont. Most have a 5-cent return value, though California and Vermont offer 15 cents for liquor bottles.
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Low natural gas prices have NJ nukes crying for subsidies


This needs to be fixed or the plants will close,’ according to Ralph Izzo, head of PSEG

Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:
Rizzo
Ralph Izzo, chairman, chief executive officer and president of PSEG


Public Service Enterprise Group is still talking with state lawmakers about financial incentives for its fleet of nuclear power plants, but it is not saying much about the discussions, although it is raising the prospect of the units closing.
With electricity prices depressed, the Newark company has been quietly lobbying policymakers to help its plants, much the way New York has approved subsidies to keep reactors in the state operating.
The talks have yet to produce any legislation in Trenton, but Ralph Izzo, the chairman, president, and CEO of PSEG, which owns three units in South Jersey, acknowledged Friday the company is “having extensive discussions’’ with policymakers.
Word of the discussions has alarmed consumer advocates and some environmentalists who question why the public should pay to help run those plants, which benefitted from more than a decade of ratepayer support, including just paying off so-called stranded costs associated with deregulation.
“PSEG is clearly raising the rhetoric,’’ said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “This is saber-rattling, trying to shake out subsidies for their nuclear fleet.’’
In a call with NJ Spotlight after the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Izzo repeated earlier statements that the nuclear plants were currently profitable but noted that may not be the case when the current contracts for the power they produce expire.
“That needs to be fixed or those plants will be closed,’’ Izzo said, the first time he has raised publically the possibility that some power generators have used to convince other states to subsidize the carbon-free electricity the plants produce.
New Jersey gets roughly half of the electricity it needs from nuclear plants, the only conventional power source free of greenhouse-gas emissions. The company is trying to convince officials of the benefits of nuclear, include its lack of air pollution, reliability, and importance to South Jersey’s economy, Izzo said.
In the past, Izzo has frequently called on the federal government to adopt a national policy embracing ways to reduce carbon emissions from power plants and still believes it is the best way to deal with global warming.
More recently, historically low natural gas prices have driven power prices so low that nuclear plants have found it hard competing in the deregulated energy market, causing owners to seek subsidies or get out of the business.
At its own earnings call last week, FirstEnergy repeated its intention to leave the competitive power business and close or sell its power plants, including nuclear units, unless Ohio consider reregulating the business.
Last year, Exelon agreed to buy nuclear reactors in upstate New York after the governor agreed to subsidize the plants with ratepayer payments amounting to nearly a half billion dollars a year.
The low gas prices also contributed to a decision by PSEG to close two coal-fire plants in New Jersey this June. The company reported a write-off of $555 million related to the Mercer and Hudson plants closing on its Friday earnings call.

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Degnan cites Christie’s role in ‘historic’ Port Authority plan

Degnan: When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo engaged in shameful personal attacks Gov. Christie Christie put a stop to it.. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media, for NJ.com)

















In an Op-ed today in the Star-Ledger, Port Authority chairman John Degnan writes:

Last week’s adoption by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey of a $32 billion 10-year capital plan was an historic event that could never have happened without the support of Gov. Chris Christie. 
The record amount of capital spending furthers recommendations of the 2014 Special Panel on the Future of the Port Authority and returns the agency to its core mission of transportation infrastructure with the most ambitious set of regional investments it has ever adopted.
Credit for the plan’s adoption can rightly be shared among many people.  As a witness and participant in the lengthy and challenging process, it needs to be acknowledged that Christie was pivotal and instrumental in its final adoption.  Some contend he has been “disengaged” from the Port Authority over the past few years.  In reality and to the contrary, the governor has been an effective and persistent advocate for important components of the plan behind the scenes, without public fanfare, and I believe he is entitled to credit for that.
In the face of determined and vocal opposition by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the inclusion of adequate funding for the replacement of an aging and obsolete bus terminal, Christie drove a bargain to include $3.5 billion in the capital plan for that project, an amount that virtually guarantees its completion.
When Cuomo tried to renege on that commitment, Christie was adamant about its inclusion.  When Cuomo engaged in shameful personal attacks – including a call for my removal from bus terminal matters — in an effort to assert his own control over the process, Christie put a stop to it.  
In the end, a chairman of the Port Authority rarely wins a battle with a powerful governor like Cuomo unless he or she has the firm and resolved support of the other governor, in this case Christie.
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NYC to award $3.3B barge-to-rail waste contract


Cole Rosengren reports in Waste Dive:

Waste Management has been selected by New York’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) for a new $3.3 billion contract, ensuring that landfills will continue to play a large role in the city’s long-term waste strategy as it works toward a goal of “zero waste” by 2030.

The 20-year deal involves shipping containerized waste via barges from two DSNY marine transfer stations (MTS) in Brooklyn — Hamilton Avenue and Southwest Brooklyn — to rail connection for long-distance export. Waste Management already has contracts with DSNY at three local rail transfer stations and this new contract will put them in charge of shipping a large majority of New York’s residential waste out of the city. This is part of an ongoing overhaul of DSNY’s infrastructure that will decrease the use of private transfer stations while significantly increasing export costs. 


This particular MTS contract was previously awarded to Progressive Waste Solutions in 2015, but the company withdrew in May 2016. The pending Waste Connections merger and ongoing issues with the Seneca Meadows Landfill in upstate New York were cited as the main factors.

Rather than soliciting new bids, DSNY decided to review submissions from the original 2014 request for proposals. At the time Waste Dive confirmed that Waste Management and Covanta — both current export vendors – were among these bidders. It is unclear whether any other companies were considered. Republic Services was also an existing export vendor, but did not confirm whether it submitted a bid for this contract.

In October, multiple sources told Waste Dive that Waste Management was the leading contender due to cost considerations. DSNY subsequently confirmed that it was negotiating with one vendor, but declined to disclose further details. Later that month, DSNY posted a notice in New York’s official city record stating that a hearing would be held in November to discuss a proposed contract with Waste Management. The contract was for “transport and disposal of containerized waste” from the two Brooklyn marine transfer stations. The 20-year deal, with the option of two five-year renewals, was not to exceed $3.3 billion.

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As of publication, this contract has not officially been registered with the city comptroller’s office and DSNY has not responded to a request for comment.

Based on a transcript of Waste Management’s quarterly earnings call on Feb. 16, Waste Management CEO Jim Fish cited New York among recent contract “wins” that would require capital expenditures in 2017. Later in the call, Fish went on to say that the Brooklyn MTS contract would start in July and spending had already begun on the necessary containers and other equipment required to operate the two stations. As described in the call, waste will be going to the company’s High Acres Landfill in western New York and Atlantic Waste Disposal landfill in Virginia.

According to Fish, once both marine transfer stations are operational Waste Management will be handling an estimated 1.8 million tons of material for DSNY. This includes the company’s rail export contracts at Harlem River Yards in the Bronx, Varick Street in Brooklyn and Review Avenue in Queens. DSNY currently collects more than 3 million tons of refuse from residents each year.


Big picture


This contract is a notable milestone in DSNY’s long-term waste export strategy, though it also highlights how complex New York’s system has become. Export costs have been on a steady rise since the city’s last landfill closed in 2001. Based on the latest preliminary budget figures, waste export could cost more than $392 million in FY18 and that number is projected to increase as more marine transfer stations become operational.

As envisioned in the city’s 2006 Solid Waste Management Plan, this MTS network was meant to reduce the use of private transfer stations in overburdened neighborhoods and improve operational efficiency. More than 10 years later, only the North Shore MTS in Queens is fully operational. Covanta has the contract for that facility as well as the highly contentious East 91st Street MTS in Manhattan, which is still under construction. The Hamilton Avenue MTS has been essentially finished for years and open to occasional public tours since at least 2015. Construction of the Southwest Brooklyn MTS has been beset with legal challenges and ongoing pushback from local officials.

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