NJ ag, energy, environment bills posted for votes – May 11

Fifteen agriculture, energy and environment  bills will be considered in two committees meeting in Trenton on Monday, May 11, 2015.
Here’s the lineup:


SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

5/11/15 10 AM
Committee Room 10, 3rd Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
SCR-163 (Smith, B) (pending intro and referral) – Amends Constitution to
dedicate all State moneys received from settlements and awards in cases of
environmental contamination for certain environmental purposes.
S-2690  Greenstein, L.R. (D-14); Bateman, C. (R-16)
Allows certain on-site generation facilities to deliver
electricity without utilizing electric public utility infrastructure.
    
S-2691  Greenstein, L.R. (D-14); Bateman, C. (R-16)
Establishes microgrid pilot program.
  
S-2782  Turner, S.K. (D-15)
Requires New Jersey Turnpike Authority and South Jersey
Transportation Authority to provide natural gas refueling, propane refueling,
and electric vehicle recharging stations at certain rest areas on New Jersey
Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Atlantic
Related Bill: A-1728
      
SCR-159  Whelan, J. (D-2)
Urges President and Congress to reinstate and extend
production tax credit for wind energy.
Related Bill: ACR-143
SCR-163  Smith, B. (D-17)
Amends Constitution to dedicate all State moneys
received from settlements and awards in cases of environmental contamination
for certain environmental purposes.
Related Bill: ACR-230

     
———————————————————————————————————————-


ASSEMBLY AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
5/11/15 – 2 PM
Committee Room 15, 4th Floor, State House Annex, New Jersey
Continuation: A-4382 Establishes “Jersey Frozen Foods
Program”; A-4383 Requires issue of “Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition
Program” food vouchers in multiple monetary denominations and establishes
pilot voucher program for community supported agriculture;
A-3944  Garcia, C.G. (D-33); McKeon, J.F. (D-27);
Auth, R. (R-39); Eustace, T. (D-38)
Allows cultivation of commercial shellfish species in
certain coastal and inner harbor waters for research and educational purposes.
Related Bill: S-2617
      
A-4055  Dancer, R.S. (R-12)
Prohibits NJ State Forest Nursery from undercutting
private nurseries by selling forestation stock below average market price.
     
A-4376  Burzichelli, J.J. (D-3)
Clarifies definition of agricultural deed restriction.
     
A-4377  Mazzeo, V. (D-2); Burzichelli, J.J. (D-3)
Directs State Board of Agriculture and Department of
Agriculture to develop and adopt certain terms and standards concerning local
agricultural and horticultural products.
      
A-4378  Singleton, T. (D-7); Burzichelli, J.J. (D-3)
Allows collection of seeds from wild native plants.
       
A-4379  Mazzeo, V. (D-2); Burzichelli, J.J. (D-3)
Directs DOH to issue guidance concerning food safety at
farmers markets.
      
A-4380  Andrzejczak, B. (D-1)
Establishes multi-species depredation permit.
      
A-4381  Taliaferro, A.J. (D-3); Mazzeo, V. (D-2)
Establishes “Jersey Canned Goods Program.”
      
A-4382  Taliaferro, A.J. (D-3); Mazzeo, V. (D-2)
Establishes “Jersey Frozen Foods Program.”
   
A-4383  Mazzeo, V. (D-2); Taliaferro, A.J. (D-3)
Requires issuance of food vouchers in “Senior
Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program” in multiple monetary denominations;
establishes pilot program to allow Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
participants to obtain shares of farm products from community

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Only in New Jersey political ads–‘The Shady Bunch’

Politics in NJ’s Hudson County can get downright nasty–and funny at the same time.

Witness this new ad from the incumbent North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco who is fighting a re-election challenge from Larry Wainstein.

For more on Sacco vs. Wainstein, check out: Briana Vannozzi’s NJTV story and video

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NJ Gov. Christie's latest nominations and appointments

NJ State Seal

Governor Chris Christie filed the following nominations today for positions on the
New Jersey Board of Agriculture that require Senate approval and also made
direct appointments to the Clean Air Council that are automatic

NOMINATIONS

State Board of Agriculture

Public Members
Nominate for appointment Erick K. Doyle (Readington Township, Hunterdon)
Nominate for appointment Angelo Trapani (Clarksburg, Monmouth)
Nominate for appointment Shirley Todd Kline (Bridgeton, Cumberland)

DIRECT APPOINTMENTS
Clean Air Council
New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce Representative
Reappoint Michael A. Egenton (Voorhees, Camden)
New Jersey Society of Professional Engineers, Inc. Representative
Reappoint William Hanna, III, PE (Delaware Township, Hunterdon)
New Jersey State League of Municipalities Representative
Reappoint the Honorable Pamela H. Mount (Lawrenceville, Mercer)
New Jersey Business and Industry Association Representative
Reappoint Sara C. Bluhm Gibson (Lambertville, Hunterdon)
New Jersey State AFL-CIO Representative
Appoint Robert Weber (Clark, Union)
Public Members
Reappoint Leonard Bielory, M.D. (Springfield, Union)
Reappoint Joseph A. Spatola, Ph.D. (Scotch Plains, Union)
Reappoint Nicky Sheats, Ph.D., Esq. (Trenton, Mercer)
Appoint Eric B. Svenson, Jr. (Mendham Township, Morris)
Appoint John G. Valeri, Jr., Esq. (Basking Ridge, Somerset)

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Trenton today: Two wind energy bills held, one moved

Offshore wind farm
Two bills designed to encourage the development of wind energy projects off the state’s coast were held today by the Assembly Telecommunications Committee.

A third bill, A-1697 (Wisniewski), providing tax credits for onshore wind energy support facilities in northern New Jersey, was released.

The two bills that were held—A-4128 (Mazzeo) and S-2711 (Smith)—would exempt qualified wind energy projects from the "cost-benefit analysis" that the state Board of Public Utilities has relied on to deny several applications from Fishermen’s Energy to build a wind energy demonstration project off the coast of Atlantic City.

In the audio clip below, you’ll hear Committee Chairman Wayne D’Angelo explain why the two bills were held without discussion. You’ll also hear the only testimony–from the Sierra Club’s Jeff Tittel– on A-1697, the bill that was released.



Related energy and environment news stories:
NJ bills seek to get offshore wind turbines spinning
A first for wind power rises off Rhode Island – CNBC
The Future Of Massachusetts’ Offshore Wind Farm Is Uncertain – NPR
Germany is replacing its nuclear reactors with massive offshore wind farms – Quartz mouse click - left to right  

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'Rent The Chicken'– One eggstraordinary business



Pennsylvanians Phillip and Jenn Tompkins, are crowing about their ‘Rent The Chicken’ business..

It’s one of a flock of new businesses catering to consumers who increasingly demand healthy, locally-sourced food and eggs from humanely-raised hens.

NJTV’s Brenda Flanagan reports from the suburban home of a Chesterfield, NJ chicken renter who’s so enamored of her four hens that she’s decided to buy them outright when the rental agreement ends.


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Recent Blog Posts: 
NJ bills seek to get offshore wind turbines spinning
Chris Matthews smells the blood of Christie in GWB waters   
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'Rent The Chicken'– One eggstraordinary business Read More »

NJ bills seek to get offshore wind turbines spinning


When Chris Christie ran for his first term as New Jersey’s Governor in 2009, he was a big promoter of offshore energy. Since then, his Board of Public Utilities has thwarted repeated proposals by an Atlantic City-focused wind farm developer, Fishermen’s Energy, to construct a test wind farm off the coast of the casino city.

Some of the governor’s environmental critics claim that Christie changed his tune after being invited to dine with the Koch brothers who made their billions in fossil fuel-related industries and ventures and who are major Republican Party campaign contributors.

His defenders say the fact that offshore wind energy remains stalled has more to do with fracking–the natural gas extraction technique that has drastically reduced the cost of that fuel and, with it, the cost of electricity for many NJ businesses that had been paying the highest energy costs in the nation. Wind energy, they claim, would set electric bills spinning in the wrong direction.

Several Democrats in the state legislature continue to push the BPU to sign off on wind power. Tomorrow, the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee will take up three such bills at 10 a.m. in Room 9 of the State House Annex.

They are:   


A-1697  Wisniewski, J.S. (D-19); Chivukula, U.J. (D-17); Coughlin, C.J. (D-19)
Allows tax credits for development of qualified wind energy facilities in certain portfield sites.

A-4128  Mazzeo, V. (D-2); DeAngelo, W.P. (D-14); Spencer, L.G. (D-29); Singleton, T.
Requires BPU to approve qualified wind energy project and exempts project from cost-benefit analysis –and its Senate counterpart–
 
S-2711  Smith, B. (D-17); Whelan, J. (D-2)
Requires BPU to approve qualified wind energy project and exempts project from cost-benefit analysis. This bill passed the Senate on a 21-15 vote on February 5.
 

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Recent Blog Posts:
Chris Matthews smells the blood of Christie in GWB waters  
Bill raising renewable energy targets clears NJ panel 
NJ’s Senate Environment Committee Monday – May 4  
Breaking: Bridgegate’s Wildstein to plead guilty  

NJDEP chief defends siphoning $$ from open-space fund   
  

NJ bills seek to get offshore wind turbines spinning Read More »