Good thing Scott Pruitt isn’t counting on NJ to run EPA

Scott Pruitt, Donald Trump’s pick to become the next EPA Administrator

The fossil fuel industry’s good buddy Scott Pruitt, who is President Trump’s choice to run and neuter the Environmental Protection Agency, will need almost every Republican in the U.S. Senate when his confirmation vote is taken.  Chances are he’ll get them. 


An wide majority of the members of the New Jersey Assembly would vote NO if they only they could.






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Pa. Gov. Wolf says he did not influence pipeline approval

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf

Tony Romeo reports for CBS Philly:

HARRISBURG (CBS) — Governor Wolf denies applying any political pressure in the Department of Environmental Protection’s approval of the controversial Mariner East 2 statewide pipeline project, which will run through parts of Chester and Delaware Counties.
Environmentalists immediately appealed the Department of Environmental Protection’s approval of the Sunoco Logistics Mariner East 2 pipeline, which will transport natural gas liquids through 17 Pennsylvania counties to Sunoco’s Marcus Hook facility in Delaware County.
Governor Wolf denies allegations of political pressure, but does admit that he held DEP to a timeline.
“I asked them what their timetable was and then, let’s do it. As a CEO, I was the same way,” said Wolf. “You say you’re going to do something, let’s get it done. And if you tell me you’re going to take two weeks to do it, then get it done in two weeks. If you’re going to take four weeks, do it in four weeks. That’s not political pressure, that’s actually trying to manage an organization.”
The governor says he believes DEP did its due diligence in vetting the project, which he says he supports in order to ensure that gas that comes out of the ground in Pennsylvania can be used to the advantage of the Commonwealth.

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How many cooks will be in restaurant kitchens today?

New Jersey restaurant owners are preparing for the possibility of their employees not showing up to work on Thursday to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration orders.

Monsy Alvarado reports for
The Record:


Marilou Halvorsen, president of the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, said she held a conference call on Monday with some of the members of her organization to talk about the political action. She said most of the restaurant owners who had called her understood why employees might want to participate.

“By and large a lot of our restaurants are supportive of it, they certainly hope that their staff would give them a heads-up if they are not coming in, but they do understand their need and it’s their right of freedom of speech,’’ she said.

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Halvorsen said one restaurant in Monmouth County is giving its immigrant workers a paid day off so they can participate in what is being called “A Day Without Immigrants.”

“While we understand their time away from work duties may pose some inconvenience to our customers, we appreciate their need to share their concern about President Trump’s executive orders on immigration,’’ reads the statement from the association. “The remaining staff and management will work hard to provide exceptional service while our colleagues and friends exercise their freedom of speech.” 
Restaurants in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., are also reportedly preparing for similar actions on Thursday. 
The protests are among several that have been planned or held at work sites and other places since Trump won election in November.
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Wisniewski launches Trump ‘resistance agenda’ in NJ

NJ Assemblyman and candidate for governor, John Wisniewski
Alyana Alfaro reports for Observer:
As part of his quest to earn the votes of New Jersey’s progressive voters in the June gubernatorial primary, Assemblyman John Wisniewski announced a “resistance agenda” for New Jersey Democratic legislators to fight against the policies of Republican President Donald Trump.
According to an announcement made by Wisniewski’s campaign on Wednesday, the candidate has put forward legislation to make New Jersey a “sanctuary state” for immigrants regardless of documentation status. If passed, that bill would prohibit law enforcement from using state resources to “investigate, interrogate, detain, or arrest anyone for immigration enforcement reasons.” It would also prevent New Jersey law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials and create new data retention policies at schools and hospitals to bar federal agencies from accessing individual immigration status.
“We are putting President Trump and his Administration on notice,” said Wisniewski in a statement. “New Jersey will not be a ‘willing partner’ to the unjustified and inhumane deportations of our neighbors and friends.”
Wisniewski is also a co-sponsor on legislation barring the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from using agency resources to enforce federal immigration statues. He is a primary sponsor of an Assembly resolution asking current New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to protect students enrolled in New Jersey DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) from deportation.
Additionally, Wisniewski said he supports A2604, a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to legally obtain driver’s licenses in the state of New Jersey.
Wisniewski’s ‘resistance agenda’ is part of an ongoing push from Democrats in the legislature to push back against Trump’s immigration policies before they impact New Jersey residents. While Wisniewski’s main opponent in the New Jersey gubernatorial contest, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy, is another outspoken Trump opponent, as a legislator Wisniewski has the ability to put forward legislation to bolster his stances ahead of the June primary.
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Gov. Cuomo signs bill blocking NY City’s plastic bag fee

Kenneth Lovett reports today in the NY Daily News:


ALBANY — New York City shoppers can put away their coin purses if they want to continue to use plastic bags.
Gov. Cuomo Tuesday signed a bill to impose a moratorium blocking the city from imposing a controversial 5-cent fee on plastic disposable bags.
Cuomo, who released a lengthy statement on the issue, said the city law that was due to go into effect on Wednesday was “deeply flawed” even if the intent to clean up the environment was a good one.
The governor said he’s creating a task force to come up with a uniformed statewide plan to deal with “the plastic bag problem.”
“There are a lot of complicated issues. We’re going through it and we’ll have a decision soon,” he said.
The Assembly and Senate this week overwhelmingly passed legislation that would impose a one-year moratorium on the city bag fee law that is due to go into effect Feb. 15.
Supporters of the moratorium criticized the bag fee as nothing more than a tax that would hurt lower income people.
Opponents of the delay said the fee would benefit the environment by reducing the number of plastic bags sent to landfills. They also ripped the Legislature for overruling a separately elected body — the City Council.
The NY/NJ Baykeeper responded to the news with this statement:
“We
are deeply disappointed with Governor Cuomo’s decision to nullify New York City’s bag. The bag law was
scheduled to go into effect today and would have encouraged consumers to bring
their own reusable bag to avoid a five cent fee and prevent plastic waste from
littering neighborhoods and waterways. Instead, the Council is forced to
postpone moving forward with a new bill for one year. While today’s
moratorium is a setback for local victories and our environment, New York City’s Bag It Coalition is not going away. NY/NJ Baykeeper will continue
working with coalition partners and local and state officials to address
plastic waste from entering our waterways. We hope in the near future, New York
City will join other cities who have reduced plastic waste by implementing
no-brainer carryout bag fees,” said Sandra Meola, Communications and Outreach
Associate, NY/NJ Baykeeper. 
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Giving water utilities a little push to audit their leaks



A recent study undertaken by former Philadelphia Water Company water-loss expert George Kunkel for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) suggests that New Jersey water utilities are losing as much as 130 million gallons of water each day.

The NRDC believes that more than 50 million gallons of that amount could be saved if the utilities were required to upgrade aging water lines and update faulty water meters and billing systems.

Legislation to get that process moving, sponsored by Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Chairman Tim Eustace, received significant support yesterday during a hearing in Trenton. 

Lawrence Levine, senior attorney for the NRDC and George Kunkel discuss their report and the legislation in the video above.

More: Aging and leaky water mains cost N.J. millions
written by The Record‘s James M. O’Neill.
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