Guess what popped up in New Jersey? Christie’s cell phone

Gov. Chris Christie. Lawyers for two of Mr. Christie’s former allies believe his cellphone
contains clues about others’ involvement in the George Washington Bridge case.
Photo credit; Win Mcnamee/Getty Images

Well, what do you know. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s missing cell phone that’s dragged the embarrassment of Bridgegate back into the headlines at a time when Donald Trump is considering Christie as a vise presidential running mate — has been found! 


Reporting the details of this only-in-New Jersey political
story in the New York Times is Patrick McGeehan:

NEWARK — After weeks of shrugs and head-scratching, one of the more perplexing mysteries of the investigation into the infamous traffic jam at the George Washington Bridge has been solved: Gov. Chris Christie’s lawyer has the governor’s cellphone.

The whereabouts of Mr. Christie’s cellphone had been the subject of much deliberation as lawyers prepared for the Sept. 12 trial of two of Mr. Christie’s former allies for their roles in an alleged scheme to tie up traffic at the bridge. Mr. Christie has said that he turned the phone over to lawyers who conducted an internal investigation into the plot and that he never got it back.

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On Thursday, a federal judge in Newark quashed the efforts of lawyers for the defendants to obtain the phone or its contents. The hearing, before Judge Susan D. Wigenton of United States District Court, lasted more than two hours and shed no light on who had the phone, leaving defense lawyers scrambling to locate it.

Michael Baldassare, a lawyer defending Bill Baroni, a former executive of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said he believed the phone might contain clues about the involvement of others in the scheme. One of Mr. Baroni’s associates at the Port Authority, David Wildstein, pleaded guilty to conspiring to tie up traffic in Fort Lee, N.J., to punish that town’s Democratic mayor for not endorsing Mr. Christie, a Republican, for re-election in 2013.

The only other people who have been charged in connection with the scheme are Mr. Baroni — whom Mr. Christie had appointed to a top executive position at the Port Authority — and Bridget Anne Kelly, who was one of the governor’s aides in Trenton.

“The harder they fight to not let us see it, the more I think is on it,” Mr. Baldassare said after the hearing, referring to Mr. Christie’s phone. “I think it’s more likely I will be dead of old age before anybody willingly lets me see the governor’s cellphone.”

Mr. Baldassare said he would issue subpoenas to the governor’s personal lawyers and some of his former aides, demanding that they produce their cellphones at trial. Christopher Wray, a partner at King & Spalding and a former federal prosecutor, has represented Mr. Christie in the case.

Randy M. Mastro, right, a partner at the firm representing Mr. Christie, outside the federal courthouse in Newark on Thursday. Photo Credit: Julio Cortez/Associated Press 

A spokesman for the governor replied “yes” when asked on Thursday evening if Mr. Wray had the cellphone. Mr. Wray did not respond to requests for confirmation.

The riddle of what had become of Mr. Christie’s phone swirled just as supporters of Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, awaited his decision on a running mate. Mr. Christie is believed to be on a short list of candidates whom Mr. Trump is considering.

Read the full story here


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Golf, hotel, water slide coming to state park near you?

Screw the birds, bears and trees, these Pa lawmakers want
to liven things up and maybe rake in some dough.

Don Hopey reports for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Pennsylvania’s award-winning parks could be better if golf courses, hotels. inns, restaurants,
amusement parks, water slides and other outdoor sports facilities were available inside the
parks, according to two Republican state representatives who have introduced legislation
that would open the tent flap to such development.
“Fore”
Rep. Brian Ellis, R-Butler, has proposed amending the 1995
Conservation and Natural Resources Act to allow development of all
of those recreational and lodging amenities, along with the establishment
of a new politically appointed Public-Private State Park Partnership Board
to propose and oversee development projects.
And Rep. Jim Christiana, R-Beaver, introduced legislation Monday that
would create the Arnold Palmer Trails Program to obtain a license for the
use of the Latrobe golfer’s name and oversee construction of four in-park
golf courses that reflect “the golf course design philosophy of Arnold
Palmer.”
Mr. Ellis’ proposal, H.B. 2013, which was referred to the Committee
on Tourism and Recreational Development Tuesday and could be rushed
to a vote by the full house, drew strong opposition from environmental organizations,
which said the park development proposals do not support the conservation and outdoor
recreation mission of the parks and could usurp the professional judgement of park managers.
A letter to the house committee members sent Monday by the Pennsylvania Environmental
Council and the Nature Conservancy Pennsylvania Chapter, noted that the state’s 121 parks
are “an incredibly valuable asset” providing a multitude of affordable, healthful outdoor
recreation opportunities, while “conserving important natural, scenic, aesthetic and historical values.”
The letter noted that the state park system, which attracts 40 million visitors a year,
generates more than $1 billion in local expenditures annually, and won a National
Gold Medal for recreation and management excellence in 2009-11 from the American
Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association.
Asked if Gov. Tom Wolf supports the parks development legislation, his spokesman,
Jeffrey Sheridan, issued a statement saying, “The administration is engaged in productive
conversations with Rep. Ellis regarding this legislation. We will continue working with him to
reach agreement on the language.”
Mr. Sheridan declined to respond to specific questions about whether the legislation is part
of a budget deal to sell off development rights in state parks and create a new revenue stream,
or the widespread opposition to the proposal by environmental organizations.
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Three NJ govs. hope to join suit to block Pinelands pipeline

In a rare step, three former governors who opposed a controversial pipeline in the Pinelands are now trying to block the project by joining litigation against the agency that approved it.

Tom Johnson reports today in NJ Spotlight:

The governors — Brendan Byrne, Jim Florio and Christine Todd Whitman — have filed an amicus brief in support of environmental groups that have challenged the state Board of Public Utilities approval of the 22-mile natural-gas pipeline through parts of the 1 million-acre preserve.
The filing is perhaps unprecedented. The former governors’ attempt to join a a legal action against a sitting administration demonstrating the unique regard they hold for the expanse of forest, cedar swamps, and groundwater reserves that has been called “one of the nation’s premier environmental treasures.’’
It is still unclear whether the appellate court hearing the case will allow the governors to intervene, but the state — the defendant — is taking no stand on their filing. As former officials, the governors argued that each played a key role in trying to protect the Pinelands and “the forces that threaten the success of the Pinelands program.’’ Byne signed the law establishing the Pinelands; Florio, then a congressman, wrote the bill that created the Pinelands National Reserve.
The project is one of the most controversial of more than a dozen gas pipelines either approved or pending in the state. South Jersey Gas would build the pipeline to enable the old B.L. England coal plant in Beesley’s Point to be converted to natural gas.
Backed by labor and business groups, the project reflects policies adopted by the Christie administration, which has aggressively supported expanding the infrastructure of gas pipelines, a strategy its says has reaped economic benefits to consumers and reduced air pollution.
In their 36-page brief, the governors acknowledged the importance of a secure and reliable source of energy for the state’s residents. They concluded, however, if the current decision by the BPU is allowed to stand, ‘’the result will compromise the integrity of the Pinelands program and contravene the balance of interests established by the federal and state’’ laws.

Read the full NJ Spotlight story here 

David Giambusso reports in Politico New Jersey:

Pipeline opponents, such as the New Jersey Sierra Club and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, claim a series of moves by Nancy Wittenberg, the executive director of the Pinelands Commission — working in concert with the BPU and the developer, South Jersey Gas — resulted in the pipeline’s approval without a vote ever being cast by the Pinelands Commission, the state-appointed body that exists to protect the preserve.

Last August, Wittenberg, through a certificate of filing, designated the project a private development, which the BPU says gave it the authority to determine the pipeline was needed. That meant the BPU could vote to give itself the power to overrule municipal zoning boards and local commissions on siting the pipeline. One of those boards was the Pinelands Commission.

“If state agencies are permitted to approve major development in the Pinelands based solely on the opinion of the Pinelands Commission’s Executive Director, without formal review and findings by members of the Commission, it would negate the careful balance of interests built into the structure of the Commission to ensure the agency’s independence over time,” the governors wrote.

While he did not sign the amicus brief, former Republican Gov. Tom Kean has publicly expressed discomfort with the pipeline as well.


Read the full Politico story here 

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Why solar panels frustrate firefighters

Atlantic City Press staff writer Thomas Barlas reports:

New Jersey’s growing solar energy industry is creating some new hazards for firefighters and prompting the firefighting community and solar industry officials to develop new safety measures.

Firefighters say rooftop solar panel systems are in many cases limiting their ability to vent smoke from burning buildings, and firefighters must contend with panels that produce electrical current and can’t be shut down as long as the sun is shining.
“It changes the way we fight a fire,” said Atlantic County Fire Training Director Michael Corbo. “It’s a safety issue.”
Solar industry officials acknowledge the concerns and say they’re involved in research to limit the potential danger firefighters and other first responders face from live solar panels. They also said recently enacted fire code regulations in New Jersey require access aisles through the rows of solar panels that often cover the expansive flat roofs of everything from industrial buildings to schools.
Dan Whitten, spokesman for the Solar Energy Industries Association in Washington, D.C., said the organization continues to support better building, fire and electrical codes and technological advances to improve safety for first responders.

Read the full story here

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Construction workers worry, NJ lawmakers vacation

With state legislative leaders on vacation, construction workers are concerned about their salaries and mortgage payments. 


Gov. Chris Christie has ordered a halt to most highway projects until lawmakers and he can agree on a balance of tax hikes and tax cuts to replenish New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund. 

Michael Aaron has the story for NJTV News.
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How can power utilities stay healthy as customers buy less

Tom Johnson of NJ Spotlight reported yesterday:


The (New Jersey)Legislature may tackle one of the more contentious issues confronting the energy sector: How do utilities thrive when their customers are using less gas and electricity, and sometimes generating their own power?

The move is driven by increased energy conservation due to high prices and a growing reliance on producing electricity from other than conventional power plants, many of which are among the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to global climate change.
Good new for consumers, but not for utilities, if the trend continues as most expect it will. For utilities, it raises concerns about whether they will have the money to invest in maintaining their infrastructure at a time when they are under pressure from regulators to improve the resilience of the power grid.
One possible answer is to revamp the more than century-old business model that rewards utilities according to how much energy customers use. Instead, it would incent utilities to invest in energy conservation and renewable energy by adjusting ratepayers’ bills — even if sales fall.
Dubbed “decoupling,” it is a strategy adopted by more than two dozen other states with varying degrees of success, but a concept that has failed to win strong backing in New Jersey. But legislators seem inclined to try again.
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