________________________________________________
New Jersey’s budget troubles, overseeing chromium cleanups, sinking scallop boats, homeowners going geothermal, windmills, gas drilling, dead deer, and a former political powerhouse vanquished by a Philadelphia federal jury. Below are just a few of the environmental and political news stories for New Jersey and Pennsylvania that appeared in EnviroPolitics during the week of March 16-20, 2009.
________________________________________________
New Jersey Politics
Corzine offers a concession on N.J. taxes All New Jerseyans earning less than $150,000 will be able to deduct their property taxes on their income-tax bills, Gov. Corzine said yesterday, reversing course on one of the most politically volatile pieces of
his new budget Inquirer Star-Ledger
Corzine’s budget is rife with fee hikes Cuts to property tax rebates are getting most of the attention, but Gov. Jon Corzine’s proposed budget includes other “revenue solutions” that could
have residents and businesses paying more Star-Ledger
Corzine-Katz emails to remain secret A legal effort to force Gov. Jon Corzine to release e-mails with former girlfriend Carla Katz was turned down today by the New Jersey Supreme Court when it denied a petition filed by Tom Wilson, the chairman of New Jersey’s Republican Party Star-Ledger Full text of court order
Jerseyans: Restrict gambling to Atlantic City Poll shows most in NJ think gambling should be allowed only in the 11 Atlantic City casinos—not in other areas of the state AP
New Jersey Environment
Pretrial intervention opposed in medical waste case The Philadelphia Main Line dentist accused of dumping medical waste off the Jersey Shore in August will not be permitted to enter a pretrial intervention program if the state Attorney General’s Office has its way Inquirer
Overseer for chromium cleanup raises controversy Jersey City is asking a former deputy administrator for the U.S. EPA to oversee the cleanup of a chromium site. But while community and enviro groups praise his experience, they criticize the cleanup plan he would manage Jersey Journal
Homeowners going geothermal
Mitsu Yasukawa photo
When the air plunged to a bone-chilling 12 degrees earlier this month, the temperature a few hundred feet below ground remained a relatively balmy 54. It’s a Natural fact that should help keep the Mandel family of Teaneck, NJ comfortable in all types of weather in any season The Star-Ledger
Scallop boat sinks offshore but crew is saved “Mayday” is the one radio call a fishing boat captain never wants to receive, but when Walt Hill Sr. heard it early Tuesday morning, he knew just what to do. Aboard the 87-foot Port of Cape May scalloper Amy Marie, Hill arrived just in time to rescue the three-man crew off a North Carolina scalloper that caught fire and sank some 30 miles offshore AC Press story and Coast Guard video
Senate approves second term for BPU’s Jeanne Fox The State Senate yesterday, on a 23-13 vote, approved Board of Public Utilities President Jeanne Fox for a second six-year term as leader of New Jersey’s chief regulatory authority S-Ledger
State poised to privatize toxic cleanups Private contractors will have more authority to oversee and perform toxic waste cleanups, part of a broad overhaul of state environmental policies approved yesterday by the Legislature Star-Ledger
Editorial: On windmills and wildlife A 312-page , study by the state DEP on the potential environmental impact of 300 windmills off of the coast of NJ is s stirring some controversy and producing (pardon the expression) some spin by two enviro groups- one in favor of the project and one opposed AC Press
Pennsylvania Environment
Editorial: DEP’s leader says agency can balance drilling and environment The agency’s critics say DEP cuts business off at the knee. That may be DEP’s history, but its Acting Secretary says that’s not the DEP of today Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Penn State Names New Ag Dean Bruce A. McPheron, associate dean for research and graduate education at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and director of the PA Agricultural Experiment Station, has been appointed dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences Lancaster Farming
PA panel OKs use of gas-drilling funds Marcellus Shale revenues would be used to help plug the state budget deficit under legislation approved overwhelmingly by a Senate committee
Times-Tribune
PA deer harvest up 4 percent over previous year Hunters bagged about 336,000 deer last season in PA Inquirer
Stadium springs to life on Chester waterfront For the die-hard soccer fans who have been pilgrimaging to the site of the planned Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium in Chester on weekends to watch construction get under way, a big milestone came last week when contractors drove the first large, weight-bearing wood piles into the ground Delaware County Times
Consequences of gas drilling still unknown Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. caused natural gas to infiltrate into at least nine homes in Susquehanna County, according a letter of violation from the state DEP, but it remains unclear whether Cabot knowingly violated any regulations Times Leader
Pennsylvania Politics
Philadelphia Mayor introduces $3.84 billion budget
Daily News
Pension proposal a big test Of Philadelphia’s many fiscal challenges, none is larger – or more complicated – than the woeful state of the city’s pension fund Inquirer
Specter hints at showing his ‘independent’ side GOP senator says party switch would be a ‘last resort’ for the 2010 Pennsylvania race Morning Call
U.S. moves to seize Fumo’s properties Now that former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo is facing the prospect of a long prison term, federal prosecutors are moving quickly to go after his money Inquirer
Fumo jurors struck by ‘overwhelming evidence’ For 13 minutes, the word guilty rang out over and over in the hushed courtroom. In the end, the verdict against Vincent J. Fumo was a resounding affirmation of the federal case against the once-powerful lawmaker Inquirer
Ex-PA Senator Vincenet Fumo guilty on all 137 counts
Former PA State Senator Vincent Fumo leaves federal courthouse in Philadelphia today with girlfriend Carolyn Zinni after being found guilty on 137 counts in his federal political corruption trial Inquirer*************************************************************
Subscribe to EnviroPolitics and get access to full versions of all the top environmental and political news stories in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York every business day. PLUS: Receive alerts to environmental regulations proposed in Trenton and Harrisburg. PLUS: Track all environmental legislation in both states–from introduction to enactment!
See what you’ve been missing. Try a no-obligation, 30-day subscription: Free Trial *************************************************************
