EnviroPolitics Blog

NJ energy & environment bills in committee this week

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:47:40 PST

The New Jersey Senate's Economic Growth Committee is scheduled to take up a bill today that would require recycling operations and their key officials, salespeople and consultants to be licensed under the same regulatory framework currently required of persons operating solid waste companies in the state.

S-1351, which won't be formally introduced until today, is sponsored by the committee's chairman, Raymond Lesniak (D-Middlesex). It is based on the findings of a report issued in December, 2011 by the State Commission of Investigation alleging that organized crime has re-established a foothold in New Jersey’s garbage industry and also was making inroads into recycling.

The committee, which will be meeting at 10:30 a.m. in Room 1 of the Statehouse Annex, also will consider two other bills. They are:

S-658 (Stack) Prohibits imposition of sewerage service connection fee by regional sewerage authorities and public utilities upon certain municipalities and boards of education; and

S-1209 (Whelan) Permits NJ boat manufacturers to qualify for EDA loans for renewable energy technology, equipment, or systems.

[UPDATED at 12:50 p.m. -- The committee took testimony this morning on S-1351 but postponed a vote until its next meeting which currently is scheduled for February 16]

More energy and environment legislation in committee on Thursday

On Thursday (February 9), the Senate Environment and Energy Committee will consider the following energy and environment bills:

S-178 (Connors) Establishes Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs Program in DEP and appropriates $200,000 therefor from Drug Enforcement and Demand Reduction Fund. Related Bill: A-638

S-246 (Gordon) Prohibits drilling technique of hydraulic fracturing. [See related story below]

Related Bill: A-567

S-822 (Smith) Revises "Electronic Waste Management Act."

Related Bill: A-1459

S-831 (Smith) Establishes notification requirements for combined sewer overflows.

S-1083 (Smith) Establishes certain apprentice hunting licenses.

Related Bill: A-1544

S-1177 (Smith) Prohibits the use of certain fishing gear on artificial reefs.

Related Bill: A-1343

S-1460 (Sweeney) Requires deposit of property tax refunds for certain industrial sites under federal or State orders for remediation with commissioner of environmental protection to help ensure compliance.

Our most recent posts:
NY Supreme Court rules on 'how clean is clean' question

NJ Senator challenges critics to fix his state forest bill
NJDEP releases revamped guidance on vapor intrusion
If you missed yesterday's seminar on NJ's LSRP program

Interest high as new NJDEP site-cleanup program nears

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NY Supreme Court rules on 'how clean is clean' question

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:48:00 PST

The New York Supreme court recently ruled in a case brought by a group of companies challenging state regulations that require contaminated sites to be cleaned up to “predisposal conditions.”

What was the ruling?

See Cole Schotz environmental attorney Gerard M. Giordano's concise summary in
How Clean is Clean in New York.

The NY Times adds details in Court of Appeals Rules That State Can Seek Full Cleanup of Superfund Sites

Related:
Agencies to Develop Renewable Energy on Contaminated Sites
2011 Hazardous Waste Report - Due to NYSDEC by March 1, 2012

Our most recent posts:
NJ Senator challenges critics to fix his state forest bill
NJDEP releases revamped guidance on vapor intrusion
If you missed yesterday's seminar on NJ's LSRP program

Interest high as new NJDEP site-cleanup program nears
Combined NJ agriculture shows opening in Atlantic City

NJ Senator challenges critics to fix his state forest bill

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:26:06 PST

Bob Smith, sponsor of a bill aimed at improving the health of New Jersey's state forests, has taken heat for months from the leaders of several environmental groups who object to provisions in the legislation that encourage a more active role for logging in managing the forests.

Today, he turned the tables on them with an interesting maneuver.

At the beginning of this morning's meeting of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee (Energy & environmental bills in committee today in NJ) Smith, the panel's chairman, allowed testimony on his bill but limited it to address a single question:

"What do you believe to be the state of the state's forests?"

Supporters and critics alike agreed that it was pretty bad.

With that established, he announced that the committee would vote to release the bill, S-1085, at its upcoming March 8 meeting. In the interim, he counseled all "stakeholder groups" to work together to develop a unified set of recommendations.

In other words, if you don't like my bill, take your best shot at fixing it.

A herd of feral cats

Among those testifying today were the State Forester and representatives from the NJ Highlands Coalition, NJ Conservation Foundation, NJ Forestry Association, NJ Sierra Club, Sourland Planning Council, Old Bridge Shade Tree Commission, NJ Farm Bureau, NJ Audubon Society, the Pinelands Preservation Alliance (although the Pinelands are exempt from the bill), Central Jersey Rife and Pistol Club, NJ Outdoors Alliance, NJ PEER, and the NJ Littoral Society.

A few of the organizations supported the bill last session when it passed the Senate but failed to be posted at the Assembly's last voting session. Most did not, and some of their criticism was pretty sharp, suggesting that Smith was selling out to logging interests and/or claiming that his bill would decimate ancient stands of trees.

It's easy to criticize. Far tougher to reach a compromise

But now that all of the major groups are on record agreeing that the forests are hurting, they'll need to come up with a plan that can help--or face some criticism themselves.

Can these often competing interests, which Smith today jokingly labeled a "herd of feral cats," structure a compromise? Stay tuned.

Our most recent blog posts:
NJDEP releases revamped guidance on vapor intrusion
If you missed yesterday's seminar on NJ's LSRP program

Interest high as new NJDEP site-cleanup program nears
Combined NJ agriculture shows opening in Atlantic City
Recycling company mines NJDEP for management talent