EnviroPolitics Blog

Enviros (and business) split over climate bill

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:41:24 PST

Both the environmental and business communities are undergoing internal disputes over climate-change legislation.

Washington Post environmental writer David A. Fahrenthold
reports today that a " curious debate has broken out among American environmental groups, as the Senate balkily starts
to focus on the threat of climate change."

Some groups like the Environmental Defense Fund, he says, are no loner using scare tactics in their ads. Instead, they're trying to win votes for the legislation by talking about how it would create "green jobs" and lessen the need for oil imports.

This approach isn't sitting well with other, smaller environmental groups, he says. They fear that the new approach "might send the signal that a weaker bill is acceptable."

Meanwhile, monolithic business opposition to climate change legislation continues to crumble.

A new group of businesses - including retail giant Gap Inc. and several large utility companies - joined the lobbying fray over climate change on Wednesday, arguing that Congress must pass legislation to limit greenhouse gases as soon as possible.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that "American Businesses for Clean Energy will push for passage at the same time that other business groups, most notably the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, try to block or change global warming bills wending their way through Congress.

"We're way behind in taking action, and we need to go now," said Tom King, president of National Grid U.S., a utility serving parts of New England and New York."

In the latest change of lobbying tactics, if not intent, the Chamber of Commerce, which has suffered the defections of several large members who object to the group's opposition to climate change legislation, apparently now is modifying its position.

Have an opinion you'd like to share on the climate change bill or the lobbying positions or tactics of the environmental or business communities? Use the opinion box below. If one isn't open, click on the tiny 'comments' line below to activate it. You can remain anonymous, if you'd like, but signed comments are appreciated.

Related:
Democrats move on climate bill
Senate panel approves climate change bill despite GOP boycott
Republicans Boycott Climate Bill Debate
Will the GOP win or lose on opposing climate bill?
Chamber pushes 'bipartisan' climate bill
US puts climate debate on hold for five weeks despite plea by Merkel

Our latest posts:
Politics by the pound in New Jersey
NY/NJ Port shippers see wolf in 'green' costume
Forbes takes a look at burying carbon at sea
Will NRG save Bluewater's wind projects?
Like to fish & float? Have we got a gig for you

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Politics by the pound in New Jersey

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:30:50 PST

David Gewirtz weighed in as a guest contributor to Anderson Cooper's blog today with the following observations on the just-concluded New Jersey governor's race:

Jon Corzine lost by 4.4 percent to Chris Christie, a man who is by any measure big-boned. Corzine lost to Christie by just about 101,659 votes. In other words, he lost by the population of a mid-sized New Jersey town.

Corzine has made something of a campaign issue over Christie's weight, even to the point of running a campaign commercial accusing the heavier candidate of "throwing his weight around".

The dig was lost on nobody and was a matter of heavy press coverage for quite some time during the election process.

The thing is, we New Jersey folk don't take being insulted lightly. I'm a big guy and so are a lot of New Jersey citizens. Sure, there's some svelt former bankers running around the Garden State, eating up all those yummy Jersey-grown organic veggies, but New Jersey also has its fair share of rotund (and proud of it, you gonna make something of it?) citizens.

So here you have a fat cat picking on a fat dude. Out of the 2.2 million or so New Jersey residents, could there possibly have been 100,000 or so who didn't vote on issues and didn't vote on party, but voted because they were simply pissed off about the fat ads?

New Jerseyians who vote because they're pissed off? If New Jerseyians do one thing really well (and we do a lot really well), we do "pissed off" with panache. Give us something to get righteously indignant about and we're happier than a pig in a poke.

And that's what I think happened to Jon Corzine. I don't think it was a resurgence of the GOP's reach and influence. I just can't see the helicopter-hunting Sarah Palin
carrying New Jersey in any way, shape, or form.

I just think some New Jersey residents remembered how much they hated bankers like Goldman Sachs and remembered that Corzine was the banker at Goldman Sachs. And I think some other New Jersey residents simply voted an "Oh, no, he didn't" about the weight thing.

I'm telling you. Don't piss off New Jersey. You'll regret it.

NY/NJ Port shippers see wolf in 'green' costume

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:49:33 PST

A broad group of retailers and other shippers are calling on the mayors of New York and Newark to withdraw their support for changes in federal law that they say would allow local regulators to bar independent owner-operators from harbor trucking.

The Journal of Commerce reported yesterday that "The 29 organizations, including the National Retail Federation and the National Industrial Transportation League, said they had “grave disappointment” with support the mayors announced Oct. 19 for the effort led by the Port of Los Angeles, which has targeted independent operators as part of its effort to limit truck pollution at the port. "

In a letter to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, the organizations say they "fully support efforts by the ports, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, to improve their air quality."

The organizations argue that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (and the NRDC) have been claiming that port trucking services should be exempted from federal preemption in order to improve air quality but that the union's real goal is "to eliminate competition from small independent businesses in favor of companies that the Teamsters believe could be more easily organized."

Among the organizations signing the letter were the New Jersey Motor Truck Association, the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, the New York State Motor Truck Association, and the New York Shipping Association.

Related:
Clean Trucks Settlement a Boon for Clean Air
CRT Sets the Record Straight on Port Air Quality
LA Ports Meet Clean Air Goals Years Ahead of Schedule

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Offshore Rhode Island wind power at a dead calm

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Forbes takes a look at burying carbon at sea

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:21:16 PST

Forbes has found a place capacious enough to store several hundred billion tons of CO2, enough to take on all the power plants within 155 miles of the coast from Maryland to Massachusetts for the next 100 years. Can you guess where it is?

Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey have participated in national surveys to locate potential underground locations for the disposal of carbon dioxide emissions produced in the generation of electricity from coal-burning power plants.

New Jersey is even reviewing plans for a new coal-burning power plant in the city of Linden. The plan calls for the burial of the plant's CO2 byproduct beneath the ocean floor off the state's coast.

And the federal government is throwing a lot of money into research to test whether so the so-called 'carbon capture and sequestration' technology, which has been successful in small scale projects can be ramped up for industrial-sized applications.

In a new article on the subject, appearing yesterday in Forbes, writer Bruce Upbin tells us that:

"Geologic cavities in the U.S. alone could hold between 2,020 and 14,220 billion tons of CO2, enough to soak up three to 36 months of national output. Doing so would cost $200 or so per ton of carbon. It would require permits from local, state and federal agencies and would generate a good deal of anxiety for those living above the gas. In 1986, a volcano crater in Cameroon released a CO2 bubble large enough to kill 1,800
people while they slept."

But what, he asks, "If you could put the carbon where nobody lives?"

Guess where that turns out to be?

"There is a perfect place 70 miles off the eastern U.S. seaboard and two miles below the ocean floor. It's a porous sandstone formation, trapped under a mile of hard shale, that stretches from New Jersey to Georgia. The section off the Jersey shore alone is capacious enough to store several hundred billion tons of CO2, enough to take on all the power plants within 155 miles of the coast from Maryland to Massachusetts for the next 100 years."

If you get the feeling that this topic isn't going away anytime soon, you're right. So we suggest that you might want to read the entire Forbes piece, which you'll find here.

Related:
British emissary says carbon capture is crucial
Prioritise project diversity says carbon capture institute
Carbon capture shows major potential in China
Is carbon capture the political key to climate bill?
Feds' $2.4B to 'stimulate' carbon capture projects
For carbon sequestration, it's test time

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Will NRG save Bluewater's wind projects?

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:08:40 PST

Princeton-based NRG Energy Inc. is reported to be discussing the financial rescue of Bluewater Wind, the company that hopes to build the nation's first wind-energy farm off the coast of Delaware and has similar plans for New Jersey.

Bluewater has been mostly dead in the water since its primary Australian financier, Babcock and Brown, was waylaid by the international economic tailspin triggered by the U.S. banking industry implosion.

Bluewater's president Peter Mandelstam said in September that he was confident that a deal with a new ownership investor would be completed within 60 days and that Babcock and Brown will be out
of the project by the end of the year.

The (Wilmington) News Journal reports today that unnamed sources familiar with the plan say that Bluewater is in serious negotiations to sell to NRG Energy Inc.

Rob Propes, Bluewater's project director for its planned Delaware wind farm, declined to comment about the identity of companies the firm is talking to about the sale of a "fully controlled interest," reports the News Journal's Aaron Nathans.

"A sale would include all of the projects in Bluewater's development pipeline, among them the planned wind farm off Rehoboth Beach, a similar venture planned in New Jersey and proposals in other states, he said. Propes said Bluewater expects to announce a deal in the coming weeks."

There are two ironic twists to the story. Nathans notes that:

"Such a deal, if culminated, would pair Delaware's most prominent clean energy project with one of the state's most prominent polluters. NRG...owns the coal-fired Indian River Power Plant, which long has ranked among the state's major air-pollution sources.

But he also reports that NRG earlier this month received "final approval for the largest air-pollution control effort in state history. The $500 million project will cut some smog-forming and toxic emissions at Indian River by 75 to 90 percent. The effort includes shutting down the two oldest units at the four-unit facility."

The second irony is that NRG and Bluewater were competitors at one point and NRG did its best at that time to denigrate Bluewater's Delaware wind plans.

Nathan explains:

"The Bluewater project was a response to a 2006 state request for proposals for new, in-state generation to stabilize electricity prices and increase reliability on the Delmarva Peninsula. At the time, few Americans had given much thought to offshore wind farms, which made the Bluewater proposal novel. It picked up substantial public support as company officials toured the state.

"But Bluewater had competition from NRG, which was proposing a coal gasification plant, known in some circles as "clean coal," and many believed NRG had the inside track. A third competitor, Conectiv, proposed a natural gas-fired plant.

"During the competition, NRG officials were critical of the Bluewater project, raising questions about the wind company's ability to provide electricity during the hottest summer days, when winds are light. Bluewater ultimately won the competition, and state agencies, lawmakers and eventually Delmarva agreed on a power purchase agreement."

Bluewater's offshore Delaware project envisions the installation of least 79 turbines about 14 miles off the coast of Rehoboth Beach. They are expected to generate enough electricity to power 55,000 homes

In New Jersey, Bluewater has received a $4 million state grant for an offshore meteorological tower and hopes eventually to develop a 350 MW wind project some 16 miles off the coast of Atlantic City.

The U.S. Department of the Interior recently released rules governing offshore wind farms, which developers say will speed construction of such projects.

Related:
TOMMYWONK Blog: Will NRG Buy Bluewater Wind?
Offshore Rhode Island wind power at a dead calm
Wind energy out to hook fishing industry support
We should all be in the solar and wind business
Will TX beat NJ and NY to offshore wind energy?
New York plans U.S.'s largest offshore wind farm
NJ's offshore wind energy pick is lobbying large

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Like to fish & float? Have we got a gig for you

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:57:11 PDT

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is searching for a new executive director to replace Douglas Austen, a man the commission has been trying to cast overboard for the last 18 months.

Commission members voted in January 2008 to fire Austen but the Patriot-News reports that they reversed themselves a week later "under threat of removal as commissioners by Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration."

Apparently, the 10-member group now has a green light from the front office. It announced on Monday that it was conducting a nationwide search for Austen's replacement. The commission's news release described the move as “a transition in leadership of the organization.”

Required qualifications include "upper level management or policy-making experience in a fisheries, wildlife, conservation, or natural resources organization and minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a college or university.”

In addition to directing the operations and activities of the agency, the executive director serves as the agency’s chief law enforcement officer, and is a member of the Environmental Quality Board, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Mid-Atlantic States Fisheries Management Council and an ex-officio member of the PFBC Boating Advisory Board.

Interested individuals should submit a résumé by Dec. 1, 2009 to: Executive Director - Search Committee, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, C/O Human Resource Office, 1601 Elmerton Ave., P.O. Box 67000, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000

Related:
Search is on for new head of Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Fish and Boat Commission Launches Search for Executive Director
PA Fish and Boat Commission search within agency

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Will NJDEP's new water quality plan wipe out your development?

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:25:21 PDT

NJBIZ reports that "the value and development potential of some real estate properties in New Jersey could take a hit as county and municipal governments prepare new wastewater management plans and redraw sewer service area boundaries.

"And despite the potentially devastating impact of such changes, many property owners are unaware they may be affected."

The business publication's Evelyn Lee explains:

"Last year, the state Department of Environmental Protection amended its Water Quality Management Planning rule, making county and municipal governments responsible for updating their wastewater management plans.

"The amended rule removes environmentally sensitive features — such as wetlands and endangered species — from sewer service areas, which encompass properties served by wastewater treatment systems. In amending the rule, the department came up with a draft map of sewer service areas to reflect the rule change, and guide counties and municipalities in developing their own sewer service area maps.

"The new maps could reassign properties currently within a sewer service area to a non-service area, said Ellen Radow Sadat, a partner at the Princeton office of law firm Drinker, Biddle & Reath LLP.

This could significantly reduce the value of the site by eliminating future development, she said, as “without sewer service, it’s very difficult for development to occur.”

Radow Sadat is calling for projects already underway to be grandfathered into the state’s new sewer service areas: “People have invested their money in the land, with the prospect of potentially growing and expanding in New Jersey.”

See the entire NJBIZ story here.

Care to share your knowledge or opinion on this topic? Use the comment box below. If one isn't visible, activate it by clicking
on the tiny 'comments' line below.

NJDEP Water Quallity Management Plan website

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EPA developing remediation goals for dioxin

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:24:00 PDT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment on a plan to develop interim preliminary remediation goals (PRGs) for dioxin in soil at contaminated sites.

The plan includes a review of current dioxin cleanup guidance that has been established by the EPA, states and other countries, including the latest fully peer-reviewed dioxin toxicity assessments.

EPA will release the draft interim PRGs for public comment in December 2009, and anticipates issuing the final interim PRGs in June 2010.

The agency is currently undertaking a reassessment of dioxin, the results of which are expected to be released by the end of 2010.

More information on the plan and how to comment: www.epa.gov/superfund/policy/remedy/sfremedy/remedies/dioxininterimplan.html

Our most recent posts:
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Offshore Rhode Island wind power at a dead calm

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:46:23 PDT

Plans to build the first offshore wind farm in Rhode Island have suffered a setback after the developer, Hoboken, New Jersey-based Deepwater Wind, failed to reach an agreement to sell electricity to the state’s largest electric utility, National Grid.

The Providence Journal reports: "National Grid this week rejected a proposal to purchase energy from a small wind farm that Deepwater Wind plans to build off Block Island. In documents filed with the state Public Utilities Commission Thursday, National Grid says that negotiations with Deepwater have so far failed to yield a “commercially reasonable” power-purchase agreement, mainly because the projected cost of electricity generated by the wind farm would be three times the price of energy from traditional sources.

“The [agreement], in pure financial terms, is uneconomic by a significant margin for Rhode Island customers for the entire term,” wrote National Grid attorney Ronald T. Gerwatowski.

The filing, submitted late Thursday afternoon to meet a deadline set by a new state law, does not signal an end to talks between the two sides. It is, however, a blow to Deepwater, which until now had encountered no significant obstacles in its race with other companies to install the first offshore wind turbines in the United States.

The New Jersey-based start-up company needs a contract not just because it would guarantee a buyer for its electricity, but also because such an agreement would help attract additional financing for its two projects in Rhode Island that will cost a total of $1.5 billion.

Deepwater first plans to install up to eight turbines three miles off the Block Island coast by 2012 and would follow that demonstration project with a much larger wind farm consisting of approximately 100 turbines at least 15 miles from the Rhode Island shore.

There is more to the story which continues here

Related:
With little precedent, cost of wind power up in the air
Maine pulls in $8M for floating offshore wind farm
DOE Awards $24 Million for Wind Energy Research
America's Offshore Wind Race is On
New York plans U.S.'s largest offshore wind farm
NJ's offshore wind energy pick is lobbying large

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NJ's Governor Candidates on 'Smart Growth'

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:14:24 PDT

New Jersey Future asked the state's three leading candidates for governor to respond to a questionnaire about smart growth.

The organization reports today that the responses given to six questions posed offered "many similarities-along with some nuanced differences."

Here's how New Jersey Future summarized the answers:

Democrat Gov. Jon Corzine, the incumbent, emphasizes steps his administration has taken, from the Global Warming Response Act to the Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant Program, as evidence of his commitment to promote both a strong economy and a healthy environment. In a second term, he pledges that his Policy Office "will convene a State Plan cabinet working group to align state agency actions with State Plan objectives."

Republican Christopher Christie criticizes the Governor's failure in his first term "to coordinate and focus the efforts of multiple departments" in redevelopment activities and land-use management. He touts his own "Bringing Back Our Cities" plan, which includes tax incentives aimed at revitalizing urban areas, adding, "The Office of State Planning needs to be restored to a leadership role" in carrying out the State Plan.

Independent Christopher Daggett proposes to promote smart growth by expanding transfer-of-development-rights (TDR) programs statewide and restoring Regional Contribution Agreements (RCA) as a tool for producing new affordable-housing units in receiving municipalities. He also pledges to "reconvene state and local government officials, builders, environmentalists, business leaders and housing advocates to re-examine the State Plan."

Read the candidates' full answers to all six questions here.

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Independent shaking up Jersey's Governor's race

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:13:46 PDT

In New Jersey, races for governor run the same predictable course.

Democrats and Republicans each choose a candidate. The Democrat gets the support of the teachers, construction unions and enviro groups. The Republican wins the blessing of major business organizations and each gets the editorial endorsements of some of the state's daily newspapers.

Sure, there are other candidates on the ballot but they represent groups so far out on the fringe that even their relatives have a tough time pulling their lever.

This year is different. Voters will get to select from three credible candidates--Democrat Jon Corzine, Republican Chris Christie, and the Independent Chris Daggett.

And this time, the Independent is not some guy in a tin foil hat. Mr. Daggett has solid experience in government--both at the state and federal level--and has not only won the support of one of the state's largest environmental organizations, the Sierra Club, but, in a real shocker, also was endorsed over the weekend by the state's largest newspaper--the Star-Ledger.

An Independent endorsed by the Star-Ledger? Whoa, now that's big.

Why? Because Independents don't have a chance of winning.

Why? Because:

1. Voters are most influenced by television ad campaigns.

2. Television ad campaigns are very, very expensive.

3. Independents can't rely on interest groups to fund ad buys.

The Star-Ledger understands all this, so why would they back the Independent?

Here's their explanation:

The newspaper’s decision is less a rejection of Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican Chris Christie than a repudiation of the parties they represent, both of which have forfeited any claim to the trust and confidence of the people of New Jersey. They share responsibility for the state’s current plight.

Only by breaking the hold of the Democratic and Republican mandarins on the governor’s office and putting a rein on their power will the state have any hope for the kind of change needed to halt its downward economic, political and ethical spiral.

New Jersey needs radical change in Trenton. Neither of the major parties is likely to provide it. Daggett’s election would send shock waves through New Jersey’s ossified political system and, we believe, provide a start in a new direction.

It would signal the entrenched leadership of both parties — and the interest groups they regularly represent — that an ill-served and angry electorate demands something better.

The lamentable fact is that the two parties are, themselves, little more than narrow special interests. Their competition for short-term political and/or monetary gain has jeopardized the state’s long-term economic health and left it with a tarnished national reputation.

Where the major parties have differed, their differences have been inconsequential. Where they’ve been the same, their similarities have been destructive.

They have contributed equally to gross overspending in Trenton by consistently pandering to the pay, pension and retirement policies demanded by powerful public employee unions. Democrats have financed the spree with tax hikes, Republicans with borrowed money, and both with pension-fund raids.

How do we now signal them that this has got to stop if not by rejecting their anointed candidates? How if not by electing Chris Daggett?

Agree? Disagree? Tell us what do you think in the comment box below. If you don't see one, click on the tiny 'comments' line to open it.

Related:
Voters are starting to listen to the independent candidate for governor
Independent Candidate Stirs Up the Governor’s Race in New Jersey
Star-Ledger endorses independent Chris Daggett for N.J. governor

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NJ governor hopefuls on key environmental issues

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:46:45 PDT

The (Newark) Star-Ledger got the the state's three gubernatorial candidates to answer questions on a number of important environmental issues today--from open-space funding and site cleanups to nuclear energy and bear hunts.

Several of the answers are refreshingly specific. You might even find a surprise or two. For example, Republican Chris Christie is the only one of the three to dismiss nuclear energy as a part of New Jersey's energy-growth picture.

You'll find the entire Star-Ledger interview here.

As always, we encourage you to share your point of view. Use the comment box below. If one doesn't appear, click the tiny 'comments' line to activate it.

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Hate development surprises? Read this.

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:11:31 PDT

"Does your project development due diligence checklist include a review of resolutions passed by the Council on Affordable Housing ("COAH")? If not, your project might be at risk, and you may not discover it until you are ready to start construction."

That's the alarm-bell opening paragraph in a bulletin sent by the Gibbons law firm to clients in New Jersey--especially those who have projects in the state's Highlands region.

The alert, authored by attorneys Douglas J. Janacek and Michael Miceli, both of the firm's Real Property & Environment practice, goes on to explain:

"Last year, Governor Corzine signed an Executive Order, which required the Highlands Council to cooperate with COAH, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Department of Community Affairs to, among other things, ensure that municipalities in the Highlands maximize affordable housing opportunities while preserving critical environmental resources, including scarce land, water, and sewer resources, by dedicating those resources on a priority basis to the production of affordable housing.

"In response, the Highlands Council and COAH entered into a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") to "develop a cooperative planning process that will enable each agency to carry out their respective" responsibilities. Regarding the preservation of scarce resources, the MOU required COAH to issue a "scarce resource order" for all Highlands municipalities under COAH's jurisdiction.

"Outside the rubric of formal rulemaking (and thus, subject to little if any public scrutiny), COAH adopted a resolution implementing a scarce resource restraint on the 51 Highlands municipalities under its jurisdiction (since then, COAH has lifted the restraint on 12 Highlands municipalities that submitted third round housing element and fair share plans; it extended the deadline to submit for certification for the remaining municipalities, but kept the restraint in place for them). The restraint, which impacts developments in the Planning Area and Preservation Area of the Highlands, reserves scarce resources that may be essential to fulfill a municipality's fair share obligation. It applies to municipal actions associated with development approvals, water allocation, and wastewater allocation.

"What does that mean to you? Essentially, in the affected Highlands municipalities, the restraint becomes an unfulfilled condition precedent to any development approval or construction activity unless the application is exempt or is formally granted a waiver."

Interested in reading more? You'll find the entire IN-SITES newsletter article here.

Other COAH news:
Township to split architectural plans for COAH project
COAH obligation may be reduced
COAH is a four letter word in the suburbs

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NJ enviro group backs Christie for governor

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:39:17 PDT

No that's not a typo in the headline.

The New Jersey Environmental Federation (NJEF), one of the largest enviro-activist organizations in the state has endorsed not only a (gulp) Republican for governor but (double-gulp) one who served in the federal government under Bush/Cheney.

Yes, we're talking about Chris Christie.

Surprised? Amazed? And maybe a bit baffled?
We are, too.

It was one thing for the Sierra Club to endorse former NJDEP Commissioner Chris Daggett's independent campaign for governor. But it's another for the NJEF, which had originally announced it would make no endorsement in the race, to come out for Christie.

What's going on? We don't know. But here's a theory.

The state's other big enviro group, the Sierra Club, didn't just stop with their endorsement of Daggett. Its leader went on, in press release after press release, to rip incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine's environmental record.

The pounding culminated in the astonishing claim that Corzine is
the worst environmental governor in history.

Whoa! Did they forget all about Christie (Honey, I shrunk the DEP) Whitman and Jim "fast track development" McGreevey?

Is this the same Jon Corzine who the rest of us have seen signing one environmental bill after another? The governor who got out ahead of virtually all other states in setting aggressive goals for greenhouse gas reductions. The guy who has backed cap-and-trade, solar-energy incentives and offshore wind power development?

And, even if the Sierra Club wasn't satisfied with Corzine's record, it's one thing to back another candidate to display your convictions but totally another to flay a sitting governor who just might win re-election. That, we submit, is just plain dumb.

So, our theory continues, rather than risk seeing the governor's office door slammed on the environmental community for the next four years, it might be a good idea for the other big green group to back the other major candidate...even if he is a Republican friend of Karl Rove.

There's one tiny weakness to the strategy. Corzine could win.

Then what happens?

The enviros may be counting on the fact that Jon can't seem to repress a single "progressive" reflex. They may have good reason to suspect that, after a decent interval for sulking, he'll succumb to let's kiss and make up.

But what if the governor has been in New Jersey long enough now to adopt a more native political reaction? You know, the one called: Piss me off and see who wins.

Time will tell. In the meanwhile, we thought you might enjoy the Star-Ledger video below.

Even after today's NJEF announcement, is still a pretty good summary of the New Jersey environmental community's current political quandry.

Want to participate in the next RGGI auction?

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:59:56 PDT

Interested in learning about the procedures
and qualifications necessary to participate in the next Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Region RGGI auction to be held on December 2, 2009?

You'll get a chance to learn all you need in a free webinar that will be presented by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc (RGGI) from 2 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, October 8.

The on-line seminar, which is open to all, will review the auction format, forms that need to be submitted, and bidder qualification processes. No registration is required. To access the webinar audio, dial the teleconference access number: (888) 875-4624 and enter
the participant code, 555661#.

For more information on the webinar and on RGGI, visit our
Enviro-Business News page.

While you're there, sign up for free email alerts and consider submitting your own news releases for publication.

Our most recent posts:
'60 Minutes' on the problems with coal waste
Week's top environmental news: Sep. 28 - Oct. 2, 2009
New York proposes Marcellus Shale drilling rules
EPA expanding drinking water contaminant list

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'60 Minutes' on the problems with coal waste

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:34:59 PDT

Lesley Stahl yesterday on 60 Minutes focused on the environmental and human health threats posed by the 130-million tons of ash and other wastes produced annually in the U.S. in the process of burning coal to make electricity.

Environmentalists and others have been pressing to have the material declared a hazardous waste because it contains arsenic,
lead and other toxic materials.

The coal and power industries say such a designation would force disposal costs to skyrocket.

They argue, instead, for other "beneficial uses" of the material, for example, as fill material under golf courses.

In an interview with Stahl, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson says her agency is reviewing a number of factors including "the toxicity of the material and how it is currently managed."

Jackson said her agency "will make a regulatory proposal no later than December."

Read the entire story here or watch it below.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Use the comment box below to share your views on the issue.
If it's not visible, click on the tiny "comment" line below.

Related:
Alabama: Coal Ash Cleanup Advances
EPA Promoting Coal Ash for Consumer Use

Our most recent posts:
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New York proposes Marcellus Shale drilling rules
EPA expanding drinking water contaminant list
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Week's top environmental news in NJ, PA & NY: Sep. 28 - Oct. 2, 2009

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:11:46 PDT

Below are just a few of the environmental and political news stories for New Jersey, Pennsylvania and beyond that appeared in EnviroPolitics during the week of Sep. 28 to Oct 2, 2009.

New Jersey Environment

Popular oyster program nearly out of money
Federal funding has hit a predetermined $5M cap, and now the Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Project can't go for more AC Press

NJ utility CEO fights for climate bill A new Senate bill putting limits on carbon dioxide emissions will raise the cost of electricity, but national regulation is needed and could makeNew Jersey more competitive, the head of the state’s largest utility said Wednesday The Record

Campaign seeks support for open space bond issue A coalition of 135 conservation, environmental and historic preservation groups launched a campaign today to win voter support for a $400 million referendum to replenish state funds for open space preservation Star-Ledger

Regulators want limit on weakfish by 2010 After a brief, dismal 2009 season for weakfish, recreational anglers may be limited to catching one or two weakfish on their 2010 trips — or not fishing for the species at all AP Press

Enviros, developers disagree over state plan's shape Enviro activists charged Thursday that an influential coalition of developers and their allies are hiding behind smart growth, economic recovery, and the election, to push a series of bills though the Legislature that the activists see as proposals that would undermine environmental protections NJ Newsroom Star-Ledger NJBIZ Gannett

New Jersey Politics

Governor candidates clash in first TV debate In the first televised debate of the hotly contested New Jersey governor's race, the three leading candidates last night focused on the economy, property taxes, health care, and education, with each arguing that he would be the best person to lead the state through difficult financial times Inquirer Star-Ledger Debate Excerpts

Former Irvington mayor admits corruption Former Irvington Mayor Michael Steele will serve at least five years in prison for accepting thousands of dollars in kickbacks while working as the school business administrator Star-Ledger NJNR
> Opinion: The political culture must change Bob Villare

Sweeney says he has the votes to unseat Codey Key senators from all regions said to endorse him PolitickerNJ
> Codey accuses Norcross of underhanded campaign As he wages the fight of his life to hold on to his Senate presidency, Dick Codey sees work of his arch enemy everywhere Star-Ledger

Ex-Bergen Democratic counsel Oury pleads guilty Dennis Oury pleads guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and failing to file a tax return for 2006; plea comes two days before trial The Record

Poll: Property taxes top Jerseyans’ concerns Half the residents say they’d like to move out of state NJ Newsroom

Pennsylvania Environment

Enviros fight gas leasing in PA forests
A buried treasure of natural gas under Pennsylvania's state forests and hills has a lot of people hoping for a big payoff: rural landowners, big energy companies and, now, the state's politicians Inquirer Towanda Daily Review Editorial: Fools Gold

Pennsylvania farm pollution - from bad to worse? A PA environmental group is warning that pollution from large-scale livestock farms in that state is worsening, and it's calling for stricter government regulations and enforcement to help restore the Chesapeake Bay Baltimore Sun blog

Environmental compliance and safety promised by natural gas driller Nearly 200 people listened Monday night to remarks from a principal of Rice Energy LP, a company that plans to drill for natural gas beneath Farragut in the Marcellus Shale layer, and most of the queries were about how waste water is managed Sun-Gazette

Editorial: Sales-tax insanity The legislature might not be scrounging to pay for schools and roads if the statewide 6 percent sales tax were applied more fairly and were updated to reflect changes in the economy Inquirer

Opinion: Budget targets environment The state budget agreement being finalized by Gov. Rendell and legislative leaders would have a devastating impact on Pennsylvania's environment Inquirer

Pennsylvania Politics

State budget deal appears jeopardized The tenuous bipartisan budget deal that Gov. Rendell and legislative leaders announced two weeks ago appeared to be in jeopardy last night Inquirer
> Behind the budgetary chaos Inquirer

11th-hour gas pains cloud state budget deal Battle lines are drawn in the House over whether Pennsylvania should expand natural gas drilling in state-owned forests, raising $60 million a year, or join more than three-dozen other states and impose a ''severance tax'' on the extraction of natural resources Morning Call

New York/ Nation/ World

Mob infiltration seen in New York City Agency The latest indictment to hit the New York City Buildings Department taps into the usual themes of bribery, corruption and compromised inspections. But it also introduces a new criminal element into the agency: the mob New York Times

Study warns of mercury near site Elevated levels of toxic mercury and other heavy metals are in neighborhoods around the Lafarge cement plant in Ravena Albany Times Union

Experts advise re-licensing for Indian Point Independent experts advising federal regulators on nuclear safety say Indian Point should be granted a 20-year extension LoHud. News

US bans sea bass fishing in its waters The federal government is banning black sea bass angling, beginning Monday, for 180 days because the year's catch is already over the 2009 quota AC Press

Invasive species threaten New York's natural order As a threat, invasives have been judged second only to habitat loss when it comes to a region's biodiversity LoHud Journal

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New York proposes Marcellus Shale drilling rules

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:19:05 PDT

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) yesterday released its eagerly awaited draft environmental impact statement which, after public comment and final adoption, will guide the state in issuing permits for drilling in the natural-gas-rich Marcellus Shale region.

In developing the 500-page document, the DEC said it studied the potential impacts of :

(1) water withdrawals
(2) transportation of water to the site
(3) the use of additives in the water to enhance the hydraulic fracturing process
(4) space and facilities required at the well site to ensure proper handling of water and additives
(5) removal of spent fracturing fluid from the well site and its ultimate disposition, and
(6) potential impacts at well sites where multiple wells will be drilled during a three-year period.

Here's where you can view the entire Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement On The Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program

The public comment period will end on November 30, 2009.

There are three ways to submit comments:

1. By using an on line submission system which allows for written comments and attachments
2. By submitting e-mail comments (include your name, e-mail or return mail address to ensure you will receive notice of the Final SGEIS when it is available)
3. By submitting written comments to:
Attn: dSGEIS Comments
Bureau of Oil & Gas Regulation
NYSDEC Division of Mineral Resources
625 Broadway, Third Floor
Albany, NY 12233-6500.

Related:
NY regulators release gas drilling rules
NY regulators propose pre-emptive checks of gas wells
Schlumberger Presses for Shale-Gas Openness as Regulation Looms
Bad economy? Not in the Marcellus Shale
USGS report drills into Marcellus Shale concerns

Our most recent posts:
EPA expanding drinking water contaminant list
PSE&G's latest New Jersey power line concessions
A big environmental issue awaits PA lawmakers
New Jersey leaps ahead in solar payback time

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EPA expanding drinking water contaminant list

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:21:40 PDT

[The following notice received today from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has potential impacts for all private and public parties operating drinking water systems]

EPA is releasing its third list of drinking water contaminants that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems and may require regulation. EPA will continue to evaluate and collect data on the contaminants, and determine by 2013 for some of them whether or not to propose drinking water regulations.

The contaminant candidate list (CCL 3) includes 104 chemical contaminants or groups and 12 microbes. Among them are contaminants, pesticides, disinfection byproducts, pharmaceuticals, chemicals used in commerce, waterborne pathogens and algal toxins. The agency’s selection of the contaminants builds upon evaluations used for previous lists and is based on substantial expert input and recommendations from different groups including stakeholders, the National Research Council and the National Drinking Water Advisory Council.

EPA will make regulatory determinations for at least five contaminants in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. For those CCL 3 contaminants that lack sufficient information for a regulatory determination by 2013, EPA will encourage research to provide the information needed.

The agency evaluated approximately 7,500 chemicals and microbes and selected 116 candidates for the final list based on their potential to pose health risks through drinking water exposure.

The agency considered the best available health effects and occurrence data and information to evaluate unregulated contaminants.

A draft CCL 3 was published for review and comment on February 21, 2008. EPA reviewed and analyzed the information provided in the comments in developing the final CCL 3.

More information on the contaminant candidate list: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ccl

Our most recent posts:
PSE&G's latest New Jersey power line concessions
A big environmental issue awaits PA lawmakers
New Jersey leaps ahead in solar payback time
EPA salutes private Pennsylvania recycling efforts
Uh oh...Global warming's messing with my beer

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PSE&G's latest New Jersey power line concessions

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:15:43 PDT

How much does Public Service Electric and Gas's proposed new high-power line in northwest New Jersey mean to the company?

Apparently, a lot more than it's $750 million cost.

Consider the following:

In order to reverse initial opposition to the project from the staff of the Highland's Council, which is northwest New Jersey's environmental guardian, the energy company:

* Developed a mitigation plan designed to lessen potential impacts on wetlands, critical habitats and forests.

* Agreed to move a switching station to a different location, and

* Offered a $18.6 million Highlands Protection fund for the purchase and protection of priority acquisition lands in the area.

PSE&G moves fast

After clearing that hurdle, the company encountered a potentially disastrous public relations threat when school officials in the small Sussex County town of Fredon told the media that PSE&G's existing 230-kilovolt line, which runs over a school's playground, was the source of levels of electromagnetic fields (EMF's) that are six times higher than recommended levels.

The company plans to add its new 500-kilovolt line from Susquehanna, Pa., to Roseland in Essex County, NJ to the current 230-kilovolt line, which now crosses the Fredon School playground.

PSE&G's representatives swooped into town and negotiated a quick settlement before the story could get any negative traction.

Under the agreement, the company will pay the school board up to $950,000 to reconfigure the school grounds so that students would not be playing under the lines. In exchange, the school board and Fredon Parents Against the Lines (PALS) agreed to drop their formal opposition to PSE&G's new power line.

What's next?

School officials in Montville, which also is in the power line's right-of-way, are hiring a consultant to test EMF levels at a middle school which is near the line but not as close as the Fredon School, according to PSE&G.

But, unless other towns or school boards start testing their EMF's, the project's final hurdle will be a vote by the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) which is expected in January.

Power line opponents aren't conceding that decision as yet, but there is a grudging recognition that the utility company holds the home court advantage in any dealings with the agency.

We welcome your opinion

Use the comment box below to share your views. If one isn't visible, activate it by clicking on the tiny 'comment' line.

Our most recent posts:
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New Jersey leaps ahead in solar payback time
EPA salutes private Pennsylvania recycling efforts
Uh oh...Global warming's messing with my beer

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A big environmental issue awaits PA lawmakers

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:29:34 PDT

For three months, state lawmakers in Pennsylvania have been twiddling their thumbs as Governor Rendell and Legislative leaders played hard ball over the state's 2010 budget.

The weekend's news that a budget resolution may be at hand means that lawmakers may finally get back to work on a major environmental bill, HB 80, that would boost Pennsylvania's energy portfolio standards and increase credits for solar-energy installations.

The legislation also provides benefits to traditional energy generators in Pennsylvania by modifying the legal definition of "alternative energy sources" (usually reserved for wind, solar and thermal) to include "advanced coal combustion" and "incremental nuclear energy" facilities.

It also contains provisions that encourage the development of carbon capture and sequestration -- another biggie for the coal industry.

Today's Philadelphia Inquirer story Pa. solar-power legislation in cooling-off phase focuses on how the legislation would help solar-energy installers, and on how a dispute between a state electrical contractors union and non-union solar companies may be headed for a resolution.

A similar dispute was debated in the New Jersey Legislature several months ago over a bill that reserved for union installers all solar projects using state funds, including solar credits.

Solar installers and several New Jersey business organizations opposed the measure, while environmental organizations were unusually quiet. The legislation ultimately passed but was amended to exempt residential installations.

Related:
Solar advocates urge veto of NJ union wage bill
Feds' $2.4B to 'stimulate' carbon capture projects
For carbon sequestration, it's test time

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New Jersey leaps ahead in solar payback time

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:49:39 PDT

The news agency Reuters reports that, while California may be the Golden State, it’s New Jersey where U.S. residents get the best deal on their solar power systems.

A new survey by Global Solar Center , which endeavored to provide an “apples to apples” comparison for the cost of solar power in all 50 states, found that New Jersey had the fastest payback — 1.5 years — for residential solar systems, followed by New York and Delaware with paybacks of three and six years, respectively.

California tied for fourth place with Maryland, Massachusetts and Wisconsin, all with payback hitting seven years.

“That takes into account the cost of the system, the sun at that spot, the incentives of that region, utility rates. It blends in everything all together,” said Jack Hidary, Global's chairman.

“To put this all in context, five years ago you couldn’t find a state with less than a 10 or 15 year payback,” said Hidary, who also is a board member of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He said the steep fall in solar panel prices and more government incentives have helped speed up the return on investing in a solar power system.

Going from a 15 year payback to 1.5 years is amazing progress. So amazing that it brings out the native skeptic in me (and I'll bet in others, too).

So, let's put it to the experts--the folks in New Jersey who are doing or financing residential solar installations.

What do you folks say? Are these numbers real? Click on the tiny 'comment' line below (or in the comment box if one appears)
and give us your professional opinion. If you disagree, tell us why.

While you're at it, provide your best estimate of whether and when New Jersey consumers might expect to see such a quick payoff.

Related:
On your marks, get set, generate!
Up for debate: Do brands matter in solar power?
California to more than double solar power in '09
Thin Films Showing Promise For Solar Applications
We should all be in the solar and wind business

Our latest posts:
EPA salutes private Pennsylvania recycling efforts
Uh oh...Global warming's messing with my beer
Wind energy out to hook fishing industry support
PA-DEP Sediment/Erosion & Stormwater rules

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EPA salutes private Pennsylvania recycling efforts

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:18:01 PDT

The Computer Recycle Center at Temple University "could serve well as a model for other universities and large businesses," according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which selected the program for one of its 2009 Environmental Achievement Awards.

Originally a safe disposal collection facility for computer equipment, the Temple recycle center in Philadelphia has grown into what the EPA describes as "a dynamic assembly line operation in which equipment is picked up from departments, cataloged, evaluated, salvaged and when possible, refurbished, according to the EPA." During 2008, the center processed more than 2,000 computers and 1,800 monitors, and donated more than 300 refurbished computers to non-profit organizations and schools.

At an award ceremony today at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the EPA saluted six private organizations in Pennsylvania (and two each in Delaware and Maryland) for pollution prevention programs that have achieved sustained and measurable environmental results.

Three of the other Pennsylvania award winners were:

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was recognized for significant increases in the recycling, including: cardboard, paper, confidential paper, glass, plastics, metals, pallets, kitchen grease, oil, light bulbs, e-waste, linens, batteries, excess supplies donation, carpet and toner cartridges.

The Lehigh Valley Health Network of Allentown was recognized for decreasing its waste disposal, implementing new and innovative recycling programs, establishing environmental awareness training programs for employees and initiating a composting pilot program.

The Earth Conservancy from Ashely, Pa. was recognized for its work in reclaiming abandoned mine property in Luzerne County. After obtaining a $14 million federal grant in 1993 and raising $2 million from the private sector, Earth Conservancy purchased some 16,300 acres of land from a bankrupt coal company and created several comprehensive land use plans to guide its reclamation and restoration.

Read about all of the EPA award winners here.

Our most recent posts:
Uh oh...Global warming's messing with my beer
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Uh oh...Global warming's messing with my beer

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:59:55 PDT

Global warming danger signs:

Rising sea levels? Yawn.
Stranded polar bears? So yesterday.
Affecting the taste of your beer?

Hey, wait now. What the hell is Congress doing about THIS?

Yes. Global warming's Paul Reveres may finally have found the message to galvanize support for climate change legislation: Global warming is messing with your beer.

Here's the disturbing news from the Discovery Channel's Space Disco:

In a paper recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology,
a team led by climatologist Martin Mozny of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has found that the quality of Saaz hops -- a delicate variety of hop used to make pilsner lager -- has been decreasing in recent years. Why? It would appear the continuing rise of air temperature in the Czech Republic (where the crops are located) is the culprit.

The team used high-resolution weather pattern, crop yield and hop quality data to gauge the impact of climate change on the Saaz crops between 1954 to 2006. Mozny's team found that the acidity of the hops had dropped 0.06% every year in this time period. Ideally, to get that characteristic delicate bitter pilsner taste, the hops must contain around 5% alpha acid. Unfortunately, this quantity is dropping and showing little sign of stabilizing. In fact, the team predict that it is only going to get worse.

But this isn't an isolated case, the hop growing regions of eastern Germany and central Slovakia have noticed similar changes in their crops.

OK. Enough with the facts. Time to spring into action. So, get on the phone, fax, email, facebook and Twitter and tell Congress to stash this health care nonsense and get down to serious work on climate change.

As in, measures that will SAVE OUR BEER.

Our most recent posts:
Wind energy out to hook fishing industry support
PA-DEP Sediment/Erosion & Stormwater rules
Jackson's EPA criticizes Jackson's DEP
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Bad economy? Not in the Marcellus Shale

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Wind energy out to hook fishing industry support

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:27:20 PDT

With up to 30 square miles of fishing territory at stake, plans by three developers to build wind-energy farms off New Jersey's coast could have been in very troubled waters had the developers tried to put the area off limits to the state's commercial and recreational fishing industries.

Any such concerns were allayed last Thursday when Lance Miller, chief of policy and planning at the state Board of Public Utilities, announced at a meeting of the Marine Fisheries Council that none of the companies plan to impose any such restrictions.

" There have been no collisions with wind farms in Europe and I'm sure our (fishing boat)captains are just as good," Miller said.

As Richard Degener reports in the Press of Atlantic City,

"...this means that commercial fishermen will be able to harvest their bounty between the turbines while anglers, pot fishermen and even scuba divers could fish right next to the structures."

Degener writes that there even is some discussion of "installing buoys near the turbines so fishermen can tie up and not have to anchor in deep water."

The three companies exploring the potential for generating electricity from offshore wind turbines are Fishermen's Energy of New Jersey, Bluewater Wind New Jersey Energy and Garden State Offshore Energy. They already have leased areas from the U.S. Department of Interior to install meteorological towers to gather data to see whether wind farms are feasible.

For an interesting article on why this is necessary, see today's EnergBiz Insider's Forecasting Wind

One of the three companies, Bluewater Wind, has been in rocky financial shape since its primary Australian financier, Babcock and Brown, was waylaid by the international economic tailspin triggered by the U.S. banking industry implosion.

But Bluewater Wind's president Peter Mandelstam says he's confident a new investor is coming to the company's rescue.

In a September 6 story in The News Journal, (Bluewater works on new financing) Mandelstam said a deal should be completed within 60 days with a new ownership partner and that Babcock and Brown will be out of the project by the end of the year.

In addition to the New Jersey project, Bluewater plans to erect at least 79 turbines off the coast of Delaware.

Related:
We should all be in the solar and wind business
Will TX beat NJ and NY to offshore wind energy?
New York plans U.S.'s largest offshore wind farm
NJ's offshore wind energy pick is lobbying large

Our most recent posts:
PA-DEP Sediment/Erosion & Stormwater rules
Jackson's EPA criticizes Jackson's DEP
Can New York gamble its way out of debt?
Bad economy? Not in the Marcellus Shale

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