Senate passes ban on fracking waste in NJ
News Article • • by Michelle Post at Press of Atlantic City
TRENTON _ The State Senate voted Monday 30-5 to pass a bill banning fracking waste in the state.
If it becomes law, New Jersey would become the second state in the nation to ban fracking waste and the first state in the Delaware River basin to do so.
There is an imminent need for such a law, environmentalists said. Another law passed this summer created a loophole for the Chemours/DuPont Chamber Works facility in Salem County to seek DEP approval to begin importing hazardous waste from other states.
Leading Political Environmental Group Endorses in New Jersey Special Elections
Press Release •
TRENTON, NJ- New Jersey League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the leading political voice for the environment in New Jersey, announced its endorsements for the 2018 New Jersey Special Elections today. Ten appointed legislators are seeking re-election in seven special elections.
New Jersey LCV endorsed the following candidates for Assembly: Verlina Reynolds-Jackson in District 15, Linda Carter in District 22, Britnee Timberlake in District 34, and Clinton Calabrese in District 36.
State to hold Transco pipeline hearing on Nov. 5 in Franklin
News Article • • by Bob Makin at My Central Jersey
FRANKLIN (Somerset) - The state Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public hearing on the controversial 26.8-mile Northeast Supply Enhancement of the Transco pipeline and its proposed compressor station 6 p.m. on Nov. 5 at the Franklin High School Auditorium, 500 Elizabeth Ave., in the Somerset section.
The highly-protested extension of Tulsa-based Williams natural gas supplier’s pipeline would run through Old Bridge, Sayreville and the Raritan Bay. A 32,000-horsepower compression station is proposed at Trap Rock Quarry in Franklin.
The DEP has rejected plans for the project that Williams has had to resubmit. The Nov. 5 meeting will be about freshwater wetland and transition area impacts associated with the construction of an access road and connector pipes related to the compressor, as well as 3.59 miles of a proposed 26-inch-diameter pipeline in Sayreville and Old Bridge. Environmentalists and residents continue to express concerns about the plan.
NEW JERSEY LCV APPLAUDS COMMITTEE VOTE ON FLOOD DEFENSE ACT
Press Release •
“New Jersey has a $16 billion problem to address stormwater and defend our communities from flooding,” said Ed Potosnak, executive director of New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. “Consistent flooding and polluted runoff harm our wallets, our families, our businesses, and our environment. Without the means to address these problems, most municipalities can’t fix them. That’s why it’s so important this bill becomes law.”
LCV ACTION FUND ENDORSES JOSH GOTTHEIMER FOR RE-ELECTION
Press Release •
“Since his first Congressional race, Josh Gottheimer has been fighting for cleaner air and clean water for New Jersey’s families and businesses,” said New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Ed Potosnak. “Josh’s continued membership on the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in Congress will only become more important as we stand up to polluters and find common sense solutions to our growing climate problems. This election will be one of the most important elections of our lives, and I know that the 5th congressional district can count on Josh Gottheimer to safeguard their environment and protect their health.”
New Jersey LCV Statement on Green Amendment Committee Vote
Press Release •
Ed Potosnak, executive director of New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, released the following statement today on the SCR134, aka the Green Amendment, passing Senate Energy and Environment Committee:
"New Jersey League of Conservation Voters is excited to see the Green Amendment move forward, and we look forward to a future where our clean drinking water and clean air is a constitutional right for all businesses and families in our state. New Jersey voters have proven time and time again that when they show up to vote, they vote for the environment. With New Jersey LCV's leadership on the important 2017 Natural Resource Damages constitutional amendment, which passed with overwhelming voter approval, we stand ready to make clean water, air, and lands a constitutional right. The Green Amendment will be another win for environmental voters."
NEW JERSEY ON THE CUSP OF MASSIVE EXPANSION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND CLEANER AIR
Press Release •
“New Jersey’s largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is transportation,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. “The air pollution problems it creates overburdens urban and environmental justice communities, causing more public health problems. Electric vehicles offer a better way to reduce toxic emissions as we work towards a clean energy future. This bill will help encourage public acceptance of these vehicles by reducing range anxiety and creating accessible public charging infrastructure.”
Plastic bags are piling up. This plan will force us to change our behavior
News Article • • by Ed Potosnak at NJ.com
Every day, it seems like another company is announcing that it's taking up the fight on plastic pollution.
Just the other day, the world's largest seafood restaurant company, Red Lobster, announced it will phase out plastic straws. The restaurant chain joins a long list of institutions -- Starbucks, American Airlines, even the city of Seattle -- that are addressing our pervasive single-use plastic problem.
The reality is apparent: single-use plastics are an environmental nightmare, and it's time for New Jersey to lead America in eliminating single-use plastics.
New Jersey residents alone use 4.4 billion plastic bags annually, the effects of which are not hard to see. Plastic bags caught in trees, rolling down highways, doomed to persist in our waterways and green spaces for centuries.
Currently, in New Jersey, local municipalities are leading the way in curbing plastic pollution -- Longport, Ventnor, Hoboken, Jersey City, and several others have passed ordinances reducing plastic in some way, either through fees or outright bans.
Now, it's time for the state to act.
New Jersey League Of Conservation Voters Statement On Fair Lawn Superfund Site Remediation
Press Release •
"The Fair Lawn Well Field site, full of volatile organic compounds, is within 300 feet of several family homes and borders the Passaic River, which is considered one of the most polluted stretches of water in the nation. Protecting our drinking water and the health of our families should be a top priority of every elected official, and today Congressman Josh Gottheimer, through his leadership, exemplified just that. New Jersey has a long and troubling legacy of industrial pollution, and in order to protect the health of our communities, we must ensure that polluters are held accountable. In the face of a growing anti-environmental movement at the federal level, we commend the EPA and Congressman Gottheimer for fighting for the public health and safety of New Jersey’s families."
New Jersey LCV Statement on Governor Murphy's Stronger and Fairer NJ Economic Plan
Press Release •
"Since Governor Murphy first announced his vision of achieving 100% clean energy by 2050 at New Jersey LCV’s endorsement event, his administration has been working tirelessly to achieve it. The Governor’s announcement today of his Stronger and Fairer NJ Economic Plan makes it clear we no longer have to choose between the environment and the economy. New Jersey LCV looks forward to working with the administration and the legislature to create good, local jobs in the solar and wind economy and make New Jersey the greenest state in America."