Below are just a few of the environmental and political news stories for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and beyond that appeared in EnviroPolitics during the week of March 22-26, 2010.
New Jersey Politics
Ex-Ocean Dem chief gets home confinement for bribes A former head of the Ocean County Democratic Party was sentenced in federal court in Trenton today to one year of home confinement for accepting bribes from FBI informant Star-Ledger
Governor’s bold moves gain national attention There’s not a
lot that’s small about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. He is a big man with a big personality and a big problem — namely, closing a nearly $11 billion deficit in a state whose residents carry the biggest property-tax burden in the country AP
Corzine lands Wall Street and Princeton jobs Former Gov. Jon Corzine is headed back to the private sector after accepting a job as chairman and chief executive officer for futures and options broker MF Global Holdings. He’s also snared a teaching gig at Princeton University Inquirer NYT NJNR AP
Christie calls for voluntary wage freezes by educators Gov. Christie says he has a way for school districts to avoid layoffs even after state and federal funding is slashed AP SHB
Gov. Christie signs pension cuts into law A package of public-employee pension and benefit cuts expected to save hundreds of millions of dollars in the coming fiscal year and billions over a longer period is signed into law by Gov. Christie, just minutes after winning legislative approval Inquirer SHB
Court documents: Dwek stashed $1M from authorities New court documents continue to flesh out the life of Solomon Dwek, the FBI informant behind last summer’s federal corruption and money-laundering sting. And with every revelation, his story becomes ever more outrageous than fiction Star-Ledger > Beldini asks judge to overturn conviction Star-Ledger
New Jersey Environment
EPA Administrator Jackson touring NJ Superfund sites
Former New Jersey DEP commissioner and current federal EPA administrator Lisa Jackson returns to New Jersey today to talk with residents in Pompton Lakes and Ringwood who have had to live with the health and other effects of contaminated sites in their towns
The Record Star-Ledger
Merlino relatives given A.C. reprieve Family ties to notorious mob figures are not enough to bar Joseph N. Merlino, his mother, and their construction company from working on Atlantic City casino construction sites, a hearing examiner for the NJ Casino Control Commission has ruled Inquirer AC Press New Jersey a nest for many new eagles Fifty-six pairs of eagles are incubating eggs and six nests have hatched in New Jersey. Larissa Smith, assistant biologist with the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, has released an update made possible by the efforts of numerous nest monitors who keep watch over the nests during breeding season Today’s Sunbeam Furor over Revel casino project’s China connection The planned Revel casino in Atlantic City, whose developers are seeking $300 million in state tax breaks, would be built with a "significant" amount of materials from China and could get its final piece of financing from there as well Inquirer
Hotel owner pleads guilty to discharging sewage The owners of the Crowne Plaza in Secaucus pleaded guilty Monday to discharging sewage into the Hackensack River and will pay $75,000 to an environmental advocacy group that alerted authorities to the illegal dumping The Record Jersey Journal
Rutgers’ research subs taking aim at worlds’ oceans Fresh from piloting a remote submarine across the Atlantic Ocean from Little Egg Harbor, NJ to Spain, oceanographers at Rutgers University are taking their unmanned torpedoes to the poles to study climate change and the world’s oceans AC Press
Christie rescinds freeze on NJ affordable housing Gov. Chris Christie Friday rescinded a contested executive order halting the work of a state Council on Affordable Housing, saying the task force he set up to review housing policies had finished its work and submitted its report SHB NJNR Jersey Journal
Pennsylvania Politics
Bonusgate defendants’ lawyer accuses Corbett A lawyer for two defendants in the Bonusgate corruption scandal is attempting to turn the tables on Attorney General Tom Corbett, accusing him in court documents, of the activities he is prosecuting Inquirer
Hoeffel backs spending more on transportation Even though Pennsylvania needs to close a big budget gap for the next fiscal year, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Hoeffel proposes to double the $2.3 billion the state contributes to PennDot for highways and bridges Inquirer
Pennsylvania, other states sue to block health overhaul As promised, within minutes of President Obama’s signing the health-care bill, 13 state attorneys general – among them Pennsylvania’s Tom Corbett – joined a suit to block the law on constitutional grounds Inquirer
Split Bonusgate verdicts for Veon, 2 others Former Rep. Michael R. Veon, once among the most powerful politicians in the state, was convicted last night of masterminding a scheme to have public funds underwrite the campaigns of House Democrats Inquirer
Bonusgate verdicts a relief for Corbett backers Republicans backing Attorney General Tom Corbett for governor had been growing more nervous every day that the deliberations dragged on Inquirer
Nutter wants to pitch waterfront vision to Wynn? Las Vegas gaming chief Steve Wynn will get a special tutorial on Philadelphia’s civic vision for the central Delaware River waterfront from someone who cares deeply about the issue: Mayor Nutter Inquirer
Pennsylvania Environment
DEP won’t seek injunction to shut down Erie Coke The state Department of Environmental Protection has decided not to seek a court injunction to shut down Erie Coke Corp. in the wake of a large emission of coke particles March 10 Erie-Times
Gas drilling moratorium advances in Harrisburg The full House approves an initial $29 billion state budget bill for fiscal 2010-11, reflecting Gov. Rendell’s spending priorities with a big exception: using $180 million in oil and gas fund revenues to balance the budget Citizens Voice
Shale’s $$ impact on area unknown With most of the nearby Marcellus Shale natural gas production occurring north and west of Luzerne County, the question is whether Greater Wilkes-Barre will benefit or be bypassed Times Leader
Opinion: Natural Gas tax: still a bad idea Wayne Independent
Council opts to explore tax on natural gas Wellsboro Borough Council decided Monday night not to adopt a resolution opposing a severance tax on natural gas as suggested by the Tioga County Association of Boroughs Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Editorial: Gas drilling watchdog process in place A week ago the gas drilling industry was called out by the state Department of Environmental Protection for discoloring and distorting the texture of spring water running off a Cummings Township hillside Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Northern Tier hoping for more gas drilling jobs Times Leader
Gas company seeks alternative Lake Twp. drilling site Although permits are already in place for a specific site, natural gas companies planning to drill an experimental well are seeking a new, larger township location Citizens Voice
Editorial: The risks of fracking The rush to drill for natural gas in Pennsylvania has put state officials in the unsettling position of playing catch-up with environmental regulations Inquirer
New York Nation World
State regulators reject Entergy plan to spin off reactors
State regulators say that the plan would be indebted from the start and financially unstable in the long run LoHud News
Ulster exec presses NYC officials on reservoirs County Executive says he hopes recent meetings with city officials will accomplish what years of legal cases have been unable to resolve in disputes over upstate reservoirs Kingston Freeman
3 Senators subpoenaed on Aqueduct casino deal NY Times
Outcry as Transit Board readies service cuts NY Times
Former chief inspector admits taking bribes for lies NYT
11 firms plan wind farms in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie D&C
Marcellus shale controversy leads to EPA study D&C
Paying the price for fancy packaging An emerging concept called "product stewardship" is the keystone of a draft report to be released soon by the state DEP Times Union
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