EnviroPolitics Blog

NJ lawmakers struggling to find way to fund open space

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:26:27 PDT

Residents of New Jersey, the nation's most densely populated state, have long supported public funding to preserve disappearing farmland and open space,but the money from previous bond issues has all been spent and,with the state budget under stress, just how to come up with more is a question of considerable debate.

Today, the state Senate Environment and Energy Committee voted to release two bills that would dedicate a portion of the state's sales tax (1/5th of each penny) for the purchases of land and preservation of historic properties.

Chairman Bob Smith explains the legislation in this sound clip:

If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element

Organizations representing municipalities (State League of Municipalities) and counties (NJ Association of Counties) testified in favor of the bills, as did the association representing the state's agriculture community (NJ Farm Bureau).

They were followed in their support by a long line of environmental and preservation organizations including:

Preservation New Jersey
NJ Recreation and Parks Association
Pinelands Preservation Alliance
Nature Conservancy
NJ Institute of Architects
NJ Highlands Coalition
NJ Conservation Foundation
Delaware and Raritan Greenway Land Trust
Raritan Headwaters Association
Monmouth Conservation Foundation
NJ League of Conservation Voters
NJ Environmental Lobby
American Littoral Society
Trust for Public Land

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One notable dissenting voice was the Sierra Club's Jeff Tittle who protested Gov. Christie's "stealing" of a variety of environmental funds (Clean Energy Fund, environmental penalty settlements, etc.) for other budgetary programs. Tittle said he'd like to see a constitutional protection assuring that all environmental funds are used only for their intended purpose.

Senator Jennifer Beck, one of the two Republican members of the committee cast the only no vote. Some of Beck's past votes presaged positions taken by the Christie Administration. Is this another?

The governor has been coy on the issue. Since his election almost four years ago, his spokespersons have maintained that Christie supports open space funding but that he has not yet decided on the best way to accomplish that goal.

DRBC publishes online commission meeting highlights

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:44:26 PDT

Waiting in our email pile this morning was something that surprised us.The Delaware River Basin Commission had sent a document reporting the highlights of its most recent public meeting held on May 8.

The highlights report contains hyperlinks that open full copies of meeting resolutions and the details of every project application that came before the commission for approval.

The most controversial application voted on (and approved) was Exelon Generation's request to increase the maximum daily water withdrawal from the Schuylkill River for its Limerick Generating Station, a nuclear power plant in Montgomery County, Pa. The meeting summary includes a news release announcing that approval.

Although the highlights document contains the entire meeting agenda, two potentially newsworthy reports—those delivered by its Executive Director and General Counsel--
are listed but are not accompanied by hyperlinks. This likely is the result of both reports being delivered verbally.

We think the Commission deserves high-five for its meeting highlights report. It's a public service that other boards and commissions should follow.

How can it be improved? The commission should consider taping reports given by its executive director and general counsel, posting the audio files to its website, and linking to them in future meeting highlight reports.

Do you know of other public bodies that are providing similar e-reports?
How do they stack up against what the DRBC is doing? Let us know in the comments block below. If one is not visible, activate it by clicking on the tiny 'links' line.

Related environmental news stories:
DRBC Approves Docket for Exelon's Limerick Generating Station
River use changes sought by Limerick nuke plant likely to be approved

Our latest posts:
Whew! PADEP's missing nuclear gauge has been found
PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?
Pa House Environmental committee meeting today
NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today
NJIT professor's encouraging new desalination process

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For thorough coverage of environmental news, issues, legislation and regulation in NJ, PA, NY & DE, try a FREE subscription to EnviroPolitics. Our daily newsletter also tracks NJ & PA environment and energy bills--from introduction to enactment
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Whew! PADEP's missing nuclear gauge has been found

Editor@EnviroPolitics.com (Frank Brill) — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:24:44 PDT

Popular Mechanics

All right, we may have made a bit more of it than warranted (PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?) but feel free to step out of your bomb shelter. The Pennsylvania DEP has found its missing nuclear gauge.

Other than a bit of embarrassment for the agency and the contractor who was transporting the gauge, there has been no harm, the DEP says. No evidence of tampering with the device. Everything back in place. Tucked in. Safe and sound.

In a four-paragraph news release today, the DEP says the device was found by a citizen along I-81 in West Virginia after it apparently fell off the contractor's truck. No mention of whether the employee responsible for securing the device is exploring new career options.

Here's the DEP's latest (and we assume final) comment::

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced today that it recovered in Maryland the missing nuclear gauge a Franklin County company lost in West Virginia on May 3. The device has not been tampered with or damaged.

“We are relieved that the nuclear gauge has been recovered and that no radioactive materials were released,” DEP Bureau of Radiation Protection Director David Allard said. “The agency thanks the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, West Virginia officials, the public and the citizen who discovered the gauge along the road for the combined effort to find it.”

The nuclear gauge has been returned to Valley Quarries Inc. of Chambersburg, Franklin County, which lost the Troxler Model 3430 gauge when it fell off the company’s truck on I-81 in West Virginia between mile markers 17 and 24.

The gauge is normally stored in a locked yellow transportation container when not in use at construction sites for taking measurements in the ground, but it apparently fell out of the container on the back of the company’s truck during transport to another work site.

Our latest posts:
PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?
Pa House Environmental committee meeting today
NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today
NJIT professor's encouraging new desalination process
Tweaks ahead for New York's Brownfields programs?

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For thorough coverage of environmental news, issues, legislation and regulation in NJ, PA, NY & DE, try a FREE subscription to EnviroPolitics. Our daily newsletter also tracks NJ & PA environment and energy bills--from introduction to enactment
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