Busy afternoon Thursday for enviro and Ag bills in Trenton

Two New Jersey Assembly committees, both meeting  at 2 p.m. Thursday (5/19) in the State House Annex in Trenton, will take up 16 environment, energy and agriculture bills.  


Here are the agendas: 

ASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT AND SOLID WASTE
5/19/16  2:00 PM
Aide: (609) 847-3855
Committee Room 9, 3rd Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
For consideration:
A-1804  Conaway, H. (D-7); Singleton, T. (D-7)
Requires DEP to conduct vibration analysis along routes
for disposal of dredged material from Delaware River.
     Jan 7, 2016     – Proposed for Assembly introduction
     Jan 27, 2016   – Introduced in Assembly
     Jan 27, 2016   – Referred: Assembly
Environment and Solid Waste
     May 19, 2016 –  Posted:
Assembly Environment and Solid Waste
A-2416  Eustace, T. (D-38)
Expands One-Call Damage Prevention System to include
underground contamination with engineering or institutional controls.
     Jan 27, 2016   – Proposed for Assembly
introduction
     Feb 4, 2016    – Introduced in Assembly
     Feb 4, 2016    – Referred: Assembly Environment and Solid Waste
     May 19, 2016 – Posted:
Assembly Environment and Solid Waste
A-3669  Coughlin, C.J. (D-19)
Provides gross income tax deduction for certain home
elevation expenses.
     Apr 7, 2016    – Proposed for Assembly introduction
     May 19, 2016 – Posted:
Assembly Environment and Solid Waste
A-3670  Coughlin, C.J. (D-19)
Allows State-owned, municipally-managed Blue Acres
lands to be used for freshwater wetlands mitigation projects.
     Apr 7, 2016    – Proposed for Assembly introduction
     May 19, 2016– Posted:
Assembly Environment and Solid Waste
A-3671  Spencer, L.G. (D-29); Vainieri Huttle, V.
(D-37); Eustace, T. (D-38)
Establishes incremental fee, and ban beginning in 2025,
on use of non-compostable
plastic bags by certain stores.
     Apr 7, 2016    – Proposed for Assembly introduction
     May 19, 2016 – Posted:
Assembly Environment and Solid Waste
AJR-25  Andrzejczak, R.B. (D-1)
Recognizes Delaware Bayshore as region of special
significance in NJ.
Related Bill: SJR-14
     Dec 21, 2015  – Proposed for Assembly
introduction
     Jan 27, 2016   – Introduced in Assembly
     Jan 27, 2016   – Referred: Assembly
Environment and Solid Waste
     May 19, 2016   –  Posted:
Assembly Environment and Solid Waste

——————————————————————————————-

ASSEMBLY AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
05/19/16  2:00 PM
Aide: (609) 847-3855
Committee Room 15, 4th Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
For consideration:
A-308  Singleton, T. (D-7); Conaway, H. (D-7)
Prohibits persons convicted of criminal animal cruelty
offenses from owning domestic companion animals and from working or
volunteering at animal-related enterprises; designated as “Moose’s
Law.”
     Jan 27, 2016   – Introduced in Assembly
     Jan 27, 2016   – Referred: Assembly
Agriculture and Natural Resources
     May 19, 2016  –  Posted:
Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources
A-1387  Phoebus, G. (R-24); Space, P. (R-24)
Requires voter registration forms be made available
when applying for hunting, fishing, or trapping license.
     Jan 5, 2016     – Proposed for Assembly introduction
     Jan 27, 2016   – Introduced in Assembly
     Jan 27, 2016   – Referred: Assembly
Agriculture and Natural Resources
     May 19, 2016 –  Posted:
Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources
A-1564  Webber, J. (R-26)
Establishes procedure for notification to, and review
by, municipalities of certain grant and loan applications for acquisition or
development of lands for recreation and conservation purposes.
     Jan 6, 2016     – Proposed for Assembly introduction
     Jan 27, 2016   – Introduced in Assembly
     Jan 27, 2016   – Referred: Assembly
Agriculture and Natural Resources
     May 19, 2016  – Posted:
Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources
A-2171  Taliaferro, A.J. (D-3); Andrzejczak, R.B.
(D-1)
Permits wineries to produce hard cider.
     Jan 8, 2016     – Proposed for Assembly introduction
     Jan 27, 2016   – Introduced in Assembly
     Jan 27, 2016   – Referred: Assembly
Agriculture and Natural Resources
     May 19, 2016 –  Posted:
Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources
A-3056 
Requires Dept. of Agriculture to develop voluntary
guidelines to encourage school districts and institutions of higher education
to donate excess food; extends “Food Bank Good Samaritan Act”
protections to school districts.
     Feb 8, 2016    – Proposed for Assembly introduction
     Feb 16, 2016  – Introduced in Assembly
     Feb 16, 2016  – Referred: Assembly
Agriculture and Natural Resources
     May 19, 2016 – Posted:
Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources
A-3342  Diegnan, P.J. (D-18)
Designates striped bass (Morone saxatilis) as New
Jersey saltwater fish.
Related Bill: S-1808
     Feb 18, 2016  – Proposed for Assembly
introduction
     Feb 22, 2016  – Introduced in Assembly
     Feb 22, 2016  – Referred: Assembly
Agriculture and Natural Resources
     May 19, 2016 – Posted:
Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources
A-3351  Lampitt, P.R. (D-6); Andrzejczak, R.B. (D-1)
Creates license to produce and sell mead; allows
wineries to produce and sell mead.
     Feb 18, 2016  – Proposed for Assembly
introduction
     Feb 22, 2016  – Introduced in Assembly
     Feb 22, 2016  – Referred: Assembly
Agriculture and Natural Resources
     May 19, 2016 – Posted:
Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources
A-3414  McKnight, A.V. (D-31)
Requires Dept. of Agriculture to create clearinghouse
website for vendors to provide surplus food to charities in State.
     Mar 3, 2016   – Proposed for Assembly introduction
     Mar 7, 2016   – Introduced in Assembly
     Mar 7, 2016   – Referred: Assembly Agriculture and Natural
Resources
     May 19, 2016– Posted:
Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources
A-3421  Singleton, T. (D-7); Lampitt, P.R. (D-6)
Establishes an animal abuser registry.
     Mar 3, 2016   – Proposed for Assembly introduction
     Mar 7, 2016   – Introduced in Assembly
     Mar 7, 2016   – Referred: Assembly Agriculture and Natural
Resources
     May 19, 2016– Posted:
Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources


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Pa agencies differ on changes to net metering rules

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has joined an array of alternative energy advocates in urging a state review board to reject pending rules that would limit payments to utility customers who sell excess power they generate from renewable sources back to the grid.
Laura Legere reports for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 
The DEP argues that by restricting financial incentives, the proposed limits would hinder a successful policy that has driven clean energy development at a time when the sector is otherwise stagnating in the commonwealth.
Those comments put the department at odds with another state agency, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, that drafted the new limits and voted 3-2 in February to adopt them.
The Independent Regulatory Review Commission is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether the rules are in the public interest.
The PUC says it is acting out of concern that energy merchants can masquerade as the law’s intended beneficiaries — owners of homes, businesses or public buildings that use renewable energy for their own electricity needs and then get reimbursed by the utility at the end of the year for any extra they send back to the grid. The practice is known as net metering.
Pennsylvania’s 2004 Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act limited the capacity size of alternative energy systems that qualify for net-metering payments to 50 kilowatts for residential generators and 3 megawatts for commercial generators.
Now, the PUC is proposing an additional cap, defining eligible systems as those designed to produce no more than 200 percent of the electricity used on site in a year. The PUC says the limits would apply to new or expanding systems, not existing ones.
Without such a cap, the PUC says, merchant-scale alternative energy suppliers could take advantage of the law’s generous payment standards that require utilities to reimburse customers for their extra electricity at full retail prices. Those costs would ultimately translate to higher rates for other electricity customers.
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NJ Senate Environment Panel takes up DEP water rules

The Senate Environment and Energy Committee will meet at 10 a.m., Monday, May 16, 

in Room 10, third floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ.

The committee has invited representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection to discuss the proposed revisions to the Flood Hazard Area Control Act Rules, Coastal Zone Management Rules, and Stormwater Management Rules.

Legislation scheduled for committee action:

S-580 Doherty, M.J. (R-23)
Establishes NJ Water Supply and Pharmaceutical Product Study Commission.

S-885 Greenstein, L.R. (D-14) Requires maximum contaminant level to be established for 1,2,3-trichloropropane in drinking water.Allows tax credits for development of qualified wind energy facilities in certain portfield sites

S-1251  Vitale, J.F. (D-19) Allows tax credits for development of qualified wind
energy facilities in certain portfield sites. Related Bill: A-3501 

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Free NJDEP Hazardous Waste Seminar May 26

Who would benefit from attending the NJDEP’s free hazardous waste training/outreach event?

DEP lists:

  1. Hazardous Waste Generators
  2. Transporters
  3. Treatment Storage and Disposal Facilities
  4. Regulated Medical Waste Generators, and 
  5. Environmental Consultants and others who would find it beneficial to maintain compliance with the Hazardous Waste regulations.

In the morning, several DEP Compliance and Enforcement staff will take part in a lengthy Q&A session. In the
afternoon. attendees will be provided with information on the Licensed Site Remediation Professional
(LSRP) Program and general information on Hazardous Waste and Universal Waste management
practices.


When and where will this event take place?
The Department’s Compliance and Enforcement Program is providing this free seminar from 8:45
a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 26, 2016 in the auditorium at the:
New Jersey Forensic Science Technology Cente,r
1200 Negron Drive, Hamilton, NJ 08691
(Directions)


Seats are limited. Please reserve your seat by completing the online registration


Questions? Contact Bret Reburn, Bureau of Hazardous Waste Compliance and Enforcement, 9 Ewing Street
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 292-3949
Bret.Reburn@dep.nj.gov

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Opposition kills NJDEP plan to develop Liberty State Park


The state is dropping its widely opposed plans to privatize portions of Liberty State Park, which had included proposals to build an amusement park, indoor sports arena, and hotel.
Tom Johnson reports today in NJ Spotlight:
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin dropped the bombshell near the end of a mostly routine hearing before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee yesterday.
“The bottom line is this: We are going to do nothing with the park,’’ he said, when questioned about a much criticized report released last fall on how to commercialize the Jersey City park, the most popular in the state system with more than 4 million visitors annually.
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“We are done with Liberty State Park,’’ Martin said, blaming the decision on opposition from the Jersey City mayor, Senate President, Friends of Liberty State Park.
The surprise announcement comes after months of controversy over the Christie administration’s plans for the park, which had been kept under wraps. With the state park system strapped for funds — an issue that came up earlier in the hearing — the administration is developing efforts to add private amenities and events at state-run facilities to make them more self-supporting.
Those plans have come under fire, but most heatedly over proposals at Liberty State Park, an urban facility offering sparse open space to Hudson County residents with awesome views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Its annual budget is $3.5 million, but only $1.5 million in revenue is now generated by concessions.
“I hope this is the final nail in the coffin for the commercialization of the park,’’ said Sam Pesin, president of Friends of Liberty State Park. “It was a major threat to the park.’
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Wind energy project faces headwinds in the Poconos

PENN FOREST TOWNSHIP, PA — Wind turbines would soar hundreds of feet above a breezy, forested Pocono Mountain ridge in Penn Forest Township as part of a Bethlehem Authority watershed plan that promises $100,000 each year plus the satisfaction of producing green energy.

Nicole Radzievich reports for The Morning Call:

But for residents mobilizing against the project, the turbines represent a noisy, backyard blight that would fragment an ecosystem the authority has spent decades protecting. Dozens of turbines, and roads to reach them, are proposed amid mature hardwoods that attract bald eagles, and next to a development where the homeowners association requires a permit to remove trees more than 4 inches thick.
Planting turbines, residents fret, would chase away raptors, black bears and other frequent guests of the neighborhood. Some people fear birds would be chopped down by turbine blades located not far from a migratory raptor route.
“That’s unacceptable. The Bethlehem Authority is going to profit from this. No one up here is,” said Fran Scheetz, who sold her Emmaus home and moved to Penn Forest Township in Carbon County little more than a year ago for the wooded beauty. “It’s going to destroy natural habitat and be disruptive for so many below in the development.”
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Chris Mangold, who lives near the proposed turbine development, said he fears the effects of the turbines on the residents’ hearing, especially his young grandchildren who live with him.

“We’re concerned about our health and welfare, especially the young children and elderly,” said Mangold, who has consulted an attorney and is circulating a petition. “We’re worried we won’t be able to live in our homes.”

Mangold and his neighbors have found an ally in state Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, who posted his opposition to the project on his Web page Monday. Others are circulating petitions against the project, which would come within a half-mile of several homes.

The public showdown is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at Penn Forest Fire Company No. 1, where the township Zoning Hearing Board will decide whether the project meets the legal criteria for a special exception.
The project calls for 40 turbines across as much as 292 acres north and south of Hatchery Road. Thirty-seven turbines would be on property of the Bethlehem Authority, the financial arm of city water operations. Three other alternate turbines are proposed on the nearby property of the Lehighton Water Authority.
A subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables, an Oregon company that bills itself as the second-largest wind energy provider, doesn’t have an agreement with Lehighton yet.
The Bethlehem agency signed a lease agreement three years ago, allowing Iberdrola to test the wind and ultimately construct the project. The lease calls for Iberdrola to pay the authority 3 percent of gross revenue or $100,000 per year, whichever is greater.

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