Energy and environment legislation in Trenton this week

Here are the energy and environment bills that will be considered
in committees of the New Jersey Legislature this week:   

 
MONDAY

ASSEMBLY TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND UTILITIES
3/2/15 10:00 AM
Committee Room 9, 3rd Floor, State House Annex, Trenton NJ

For consideration:
A-3862  Pintor Marin, E. (D-29); Wilson, G.L. (D-5); DeAngelo, W.P. (D-14)
Requires State to use certain energy-efficient outdoor lighting fixtures.
     
ACR-143  Mazzeo, V. (D-2); Chivukula, U.J. (D-17)
Urges President and Congress to reinstate and extend production tax credit for wind energy.
    
AR-209  Mazzeo, V. (D-2); DeAngelo, W.P. (D-14); Spencer, L.G. (D-29)
Urges BPU to expeditiously adopt regulations needed to facilitate construction of offshore wind energy projects and to establish energy efficiency portfolio standards.
                       ________________________________________________________________________

THURSDAY

ASSEMBLY TRANSPORTATION AND INDEPENDENT AUTHORITIES
3/5/15 10 AM
Committee Room 11, 4th Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
The committee will take testimony concerning the current status and health of the Transportation Trust Fund.
 
For discussion only:
A-4151  Wisniewski, J.S. (D-19); Singleton, T. (D-7)
Establishes State Transportation Infrastructure Bank Fund within New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust.   
_____________________________________________________________________

ASSEMBLY AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
3/5/15  2 PM
Committee Room 15, 4th Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
 
For consideration:
A-2780  Andrzejczak, B. (D-1)
Prohibits DEP from reducing fishing quotas established by federal or regional entities, unless authorized by law.
      
A-2786  Andrzejczak, B. (D-1)
Creates striped bass license plates.
     
 A-3897  Andrzejczak, B. (D-1)
Allows nonprofit organizations to serve food made from wild game animals at charity and fundraising events and meetings.
Related Bill: S-2580
     
A-4025  Mazzeo, V. (D-2); Andrzejczak, B. (D-1); Space, P. (R-24); McHose, A.L. (R-24)
Creates "Fishing Buddy License."
Related Bill: S-2567
     
AR-151  Singleton, T. (D-7)
Urges Congress to pass "Summer Meals Act of 2014," which ensures children across America have access to quality meals during summer months.   
______________________________________________________________________

ASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT AND SOLID WASTE
03/5/15  2 PM
Committee Room 9, 3rd Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
 
For consideration:
A-1738  Eustace, T. (D-38); Wimberly, B.E. (D-35); Gusciora, R. (D-15)
Establishes Capture, Control, and Conserve Reward Rebate Program in DEP to encourage property owners to implement certain techniques to conserve water or control stormwater runoff.
      
A-1782  McKeon, J.F. (D-27)
Establishes criteria and requirements for shore protection project priority list and funding from Shore Protection Fund.
Related Bill: S-183
     
A-3954  Conaway, H. (D-7); Singleton, T. (D-7); Spencer, L.G. (D-29)
Requires maximum contaminant level to be established for 1,2,3-trichloropropane in drinking water.    

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Slicing up the NJ open-space funding pie could get bloody

The Christie administration is proposing how New Jersey should allocate money to open-space preservation projects in its new budget, but its plan differs in significant respects from how lawmakers want to divvy up the funds, which could trigger a fight, Tom Johnson reports today in NJ Spotlight.


“The good news, however, is that the administration is anticipating a slight boost in revenue collected from corporate business taxes, which could mean the program has $80 million to spend rather than previous projections of $71 million. That depends on whether those projections hold up, a recurring failure with the administration’s past budgets.


“With less money available than in previous years for such projects, however, the differences could create deep divisions among the many groups, towns, counties and others seeking to obtain a share of the funding — as well as legislators. Some key lawmakers have their own priorities as to how the money should be spent, including more money for farmland preservation.


“The issue will be played out in budget negotiations that could drag on until the end of June, when the state needs to adopt a fiscal plan for the upcoming year. The debate follows approval of a ballot question last November by voters that would divert corporate business taxes to preserve open space and farmland, as well as fund other programs.”


Full story: Administration, Lawmakers Could Clash Over Who Gets Open-Space Funding 


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More coverage of NJ Senate panel’s Pinelands vote

MICHAEL S. WIRTZ / Inquirer Staff Photographer

Yesterday afternoon, we reported on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s split approval
of Robert Barr, Gov. Chris Christie’s controversial nominee to the New Jersey Pinelands Commission. Our post included the first-out-of-the-gate news story on the action reported by Chase Brush of PolitickerNJ: Judiciary quietly approves Christie’s Pinelands Commission nominee  

A number of additional stories appeared later in the day and today. Here are a few:

Panel pushes controversial nomination for Pinelands Commission to Senate –NJ Spotlight 
With foe absent, Pinelands nominee advances in N.J. Senate – Philly.com
Ocean City man moves closer to Pinelands Commission post – Press of Atlantic City
Pipeline sparks debate at committee meeting – Shore News Today
Christie’s nomination for Pinelands Commission OK’d as pipeline project looms – NJ.com‎
Sweeney and Christie-Crats throw Pinelands legacy under the bus – Wolfe Notes.com 

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Three energy, environment bills advance in Pa Senate

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee yesterday released bills to:

  • Extend natural gas service into un-served or underserved areas
    (    SB 214 -Yaw, R-Lycoming);
  • Allow municipalities to use public funds for the improvement, extension, repair or rehabilitation of private lateral sewage lines connected to public sewer systems where the municipality or municipal authority determines that such activities will benefit the public sewer system (SB 289 – Fontana, D-Allegheny); and
  • Provide for an independent counsel for the Environmental Quality Board
    (SB 307 – Yudichak, D-Luzerne)

 

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Controversial NJ Pinelands nominee out of committee

New Jersey dome - between office buildings The third time proved to be the charm today for Robert Barr, Gov. Chris Christie’s
contested nominee to serve on the NJ Pinelands Commission.

The Senate Judiciary Committee early this afternoon released the nomination for a floor
vote despite a wall of opposition mounted by environmental organizations, all fearing that Barr’s replacement of a sitting commissioner, who had voted against a proposed natural
gas pipeline, would insure Commission approval for the South Jersey Gas project.

PolitickerNJ’s Chase Brush quickly filed the following story recapping the action:
Judiciary quietly approves Christie’s Pinelands Commission nominee 

Barr’s nomination had been scheduled for a vote on two previous committee agendas but failed to obtain enough support at either session for the vote to be taken. Today, Senator Raymond Lesniak, who had opposed the nomination, was away. Lesniak’s meeting replacement was Senator Jeff Van Drew, a vocal supporter of both Barr and of the
proposed pipeline.    

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Can Wolf’s DEP meet gas drilling rules rewrite deadline?


David Conti reported yesterday in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

New faces in the governor’s office, changes in the makeup of two advisory boards and a series of delayed meetings will not derail Pennsylvania’s largest rewrite of environmental rules for gas and oil drilling since the shale era began, the industry’s top state regulator promises.

“That is a failure. That is bad government,” Scott Perry, deputy secretary for oil and gas at the Department of Environmental Protection, said about the potential of missing a March 2016 deadline, which would require starting over. “We are not going to fail.”

Recent moves by the DEP and changes to proposed rules that will require a new round of public comment don’t inspire the same confidence among the industries targeted by the rules, though.

“I do have some concerns. I think it will be tough to hit that deadline,” said Lou D’Amico, president of the Marshall-based Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association.

The DEP last week moved to replace the five long-serving members of its Technical Advisory Board, which helps the department review oil and gas regulations, when it sent names of candidates to Gov. Tom Wolf for his consideration. Perry declined to identify the nominees.

Current members were waiting to be told whether their service is still wanted.

“No other administration has really touched the makeup of the board,” said Gary Slagel, the government relations coordinator at the Cecil office of the law firm Steptoe & Johnson who has served on the board since 1989.

Perry said the department wants new members focused solely on shale drilling since it announced last week the formation of a board for advice on rules for conventional oil and gas drilling.


Read the full story here  



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