U.S. Green Building Council of NJ Seeks Executive Director


The U.S. Green Building Council’s New Jersey Chapter is seeking an executive director to fill the vacancy created by the death of Florence Block in September. 


Here’s how the non-profit describes itself:

The USGBC NJ is a non-profit organization focused solely on advancing green building and sustainable communities. The mission of USGBC NJ is to transform NJ’s built environment to become ecologically sustainable, profitable, and healthy. We accomplish our mission through education, advocacy, and collaboration.
USGBC NJ is at the forefront of changing the way buildings in our state are designed, built and operated. We are a diverse group of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofits, teachers and students, lawmakers and citizens that share the same vision of a sustainable built environment for all within the next generation.

As New Jersey’s green building advocate and education resource, USGBC NJ provides over 150 educational programs, events, green building tours, research studies, and advocacy initiatives each year, through its three-branch, state-wide network.

For over 14 years USGBC NJ has served as the meeting ground, catalyst, and propeller for sustainability-minded individuals in building-related professions. Through the NJ Chapter, LEED® and green building in general, have found fertile ground in New Jersey. The New Jersey Chapter’s 1,500+ members represent the entire spectrum of New Jersey’s green building community.
For information about the position, click here.
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Longtime NJ legislator and mayor Leonard Conners, 87

Len Connors, longtime NJ legislator and mayor


Patricia A. Miller of Brick Patch writes:


Many Surf City residents cannot remember a time when Leonard T. Connors was not mayor of this small town on Long Beach Island.
And many cannot remember a time when he wasn’t their 9th District legislator.
Len Connors, who survived the Great Atlantic Storm of 1962 and Superstorm Sandy, died at home last night at 87, surrounded by his family, according to a statement from his son, current 9th District state Senator Christopher J. Connors Jr.
“Words cannot express adequately how profoundly saddened I am by the loss of my father, mentor and best friend,” Connors said. “My father was a man of large stature, both physically, but more importantly in the minds of those who knew him, who possessed a sharp intellect, a tireless work ethic, sound judgment and an unwavering sense of obligation to those who put their trust in him.” 
Connors served as mayor of Surf City for nearly 50 years, from 1966 to 2015.
“At the same time, I take comfort in the knowledge that my father led a remarkable and fulfilled life and left this world with absolutely no regrets,” his son said. “He was a tremendously successful businessman and highly effective public servant who earned the respect of almost all who knew him. My father will be terribly missed by those who knew him and he will be remembered for who he was: a great man.”
Connors served two terms on the Ocean County Board of Freeholders. He was a former director of the National Association of Coastal Mayors and served as a director for the United Way Campaign.
He was first elected to the State Senate in 1981 and served until 2007.
9th District Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, who served with Senator Connors in the State Legislature, said Connors never failed to buck party lines if he had to.
“Always, Len was guided by a moral compass that put people before politics, Rumpf said. “He, therefore, never hesitated to cross party lines or disagree with his own party when it meant acting in the best interest of his constituents.”
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NJ drinking water problems: Easy to find, costly to fix


Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:

Here’s why it will cost billions of dollars to overhaul the state’s aging drinking-water infrastructure:


At least 20 percent of the system is more than 100 years old. Between 20 percent and 30 percent of treated water leaks from the system before it ever gets to the faucet. At least 137 public schools in New Jersey tested positive for lead in at least one drinking-water outlet this year.
No wonder a legislative task force yesterday began delving into what improvements are needed in the system delivering drinking water to customers. The lawmakers heard plenty about the problems, but few answers on where to get the money to solve them.
“The hardest part is where will the money come from,’’ conceded Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-Mercer), co-chair of the Joint Legislative Task Force on Drinking Water Infrastructure.

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Do not pin your hopes on the federal government, warned the other co-chair, Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex). The federal government has shaved funding for drinking water projects by 75 percent in recent years, he said.
All of which likely means that if investments are to be made in the future, it will translate into higher bills for customers, who now pay roughly a penny a gallon for drinking water, according to Andrew Hendry, president of the New Jersey Utilities Association. His group represents six investor-owned water companies, serving about 40 percent of the state’s population.
There may not be a consensus yet on how to pay for the needed upgrades, but there was wide agreement that the state’s economic future and much more depends upon a clean and affordable supply of water.
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Tracks-to-trails movement gains speed in North Jersey


Deena Yellin writes for The Record:


Several Northern Valley towns may be on track to join the growing crop of  municipalities converting abandoned railroad tracks into recreational trails for walkers, bikers and runners.


Similar trails, following a nationwide trend, have been created across New Jersey in places like Ramsey, Verona, Mountain Lakes, Chester and Morristown. Efforts are also under way for one in East Rutherford.


Enthusiasts are aiming for local towns to hop aboard the trend by re-purposing the unused rails of CSX’s Northern Branch Line from Tenafly eight miles up to the New York state line as a pedestrian trail. A recent online petition at change.org in favor of the project gathered  more than 1,000 signatures in only a few days.


At one time, trains were considered the most efficient way to transport large quantities of people and freight.


“At the peak of the railroad bonanza in the 1920s, there were 300,000 miles of railroad in operation –now we have half that left nationwide,” said Tom Sexton, director of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy based in Camp Hill, Pa.


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Guadagno planning her break from Christie’s servitude?

NJ Gov. Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in happier times

Charlie Stile, political columnist at The Record  writes of
New Jersey’s Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno:


“Guadagno, who has been joined at Christie’s hip for years, is now attempting to cast herself as a thorn in his side. It’s part of a calculated evolution into a cautious dissident, an attempt to distance herself from Christie’s legacy and dismal 19 percent job approval rating as she ponders her own campaign to succeed him next year.”


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Bills in NJ Senate Environment Committee – Monday 12/5


SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
12/05/16 10:00 AM
Committee Room 10, 3rd Floor
State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
For consideration:

S-874  Greenstein, L.R. (D-14); Turner, S.K. (D-15)
Directs installation of electric vehicle charging
stations at service areas on State’s toll roads.
Related Bill: A-404
      
S-881  Greenstein, L.R. (D-14); Bateman, C. (R-16)
Establishes microgrid pilot program.
      
S-2076  Bateman, C. (R-16); Smith, B. (D-17)
Requires pesticide applicator to notify beekeeper when
applying pesticide within three miles of registered honey or native beehive or
beeyard.
Related Bill: A-3398
     
S-2490  Smith, B. (D-17); Bateman, C. (R-16)
Provides for protection of public’s rights under public
trust doctrine.
Related Bill: A-4092
       
For discussion only:

S-2369  Whelan, J. (D-2); Van Drew, J. (D-1);
Connors, C.J. (R-9)
Limits application of DEP shellfish habitat rules for
certain dredging activities.
Related Bill: A-4152
     
S-2507  Lesniak, R.J. (D-20)
Establishes DEP program to reduce heavy-duty diesel
truck emissions from trucks operating in the ports of Bayonne, Elizabeth,
Jersey City, and Newark.
Related Bill: A-4120
     

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