Ventnor shows environmental leadership with fee on single-use bags, says Ed Potosnak
News Article • • by Ed Potosnak at Press of Atlantic City
Who hasn’t purchased a pack of gum, or other small item, only to have it swiftly loaded into a plastic shopping bag for the short journey to their car? More and more, New Jerseyans are realizing the extent of our wasteful plastic bag problem. Sometimes referred to as the “urban tumbleweed,” flimsy single-use bags are not only ugly to look at — often found hanging from trees, gathered in storm drains or washed up on shores — they’re also terrible for the environment. The chemicals in the plastic pose a threat to sea birds and fish, and all too often make their way back into our food.
PSEG, EXELON SUSPEND FUNDING FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS AT SALEM NUCLEAR
News Article • • by Tom Johnson at NJ Spotlight
With legislators revisiting a bill to subsidize nuclear power, the co-owners of the Salem nuclear plant in South Jersey will no longer fund capital projects at the generating station.
The announcement, made in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, comes in the wake of the Senate last week postponing a vote on a controversial measure that could have utility customers pay $300 million a year to prop up plants owned by Public Service Enterprise Group and Exelon.
New York, New Jersey lawmakers get high marks on environmental scorecard
News Article • • by Danielle Muoio at Politico
Members of the New York and New Jersey congressional delegations received higher scores than most of their counterparts on the League of Conservation Voters' 2017 scorecard that rates Congress’ votes on environmental and energy issues.
According to the league, the scorecard serves as a yardstick to assess the environmental records of every member of Congress as the Trump administration continues to roll back environmental protections. The LCV said in its report that 2017 an “unmitigated disaster” for the environment and public health.
Experts from 20 environmental and conservation organizations select key votes on energy, global warming, public lands, wildlife conservation and spending for environmental programs and rate members of Congress on a 100-point scale, based on how they voted on each issue. The 2017 scorecard included 35 House votes and 19 Senate votes. Absences counted as anti-environment votes.
On average, members of the House and Senate voted in line with the LCV 45 percent of the time, with major differences based on party affiliation. New York and New Jersey both beat the national averages.
NUCLEAR SUBSIDY BILL STALLS IN SENATE, ENVIROS SAY DELAY IS NEEDED
News Article • • by Tom Johnson at NJ Spotlight
In an unexpected setback, a bill to subsidize nuclear power and clean energy yesterday failed to advance in the Senate, a reprieve, if only temporary, for an unwieldy coalition of opponents.
The legislation (S-877) could face significant revisions, including the possibility it might revert to its original intent — a bill that could provide subsidies of $300 million a year to nuclear power plants while omitting clean-energy initiatives backed by Gov. Phil Murphy.
The bill, or earlier versions of it, has been pushed by Public Service Enterprise Group to prop up three nuclear units it operates in South Jersey. Without an infusion of ratepayer subsidies, the company has threatened to close the plants.
New Jersey Senate Shelves Vote on Nuclear Subsidy Bill
News Article • • by Christian Hetrick at Observer
A controversial bill that could force New Jersey ratepayers to bail out the state’s nuclear power plants hit a snag on Monday as the Senate shelved a vote on the legislation.
Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) said lawmakers are still making adjustments to the legislation, which has already gone under several revisions. Sweeney said the Senate could vote on the bill next month.
“It’s a big bill. It’s a complicated bill. And we’re going to continue to press forward,” Sweeney said. “Like everything else, we’re adjusting things and look forward to getting it passed.”
In its current form, the bill (S877) would effectively impose a surcharge on ratepayers to prop up nuclear power plants owned by PSEG—the state’s largest energy company—if a state board determines the plants need financial assistance. A typical household could see energy bills rise $31 to $41 per year to cover the cost of the estimated $300 million subsidy, officials have said.
NEW JERSEY LCV STATEMENT ON S877 ESTABLISHING A NUCLEAR DIVERSITY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Press Release •
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters would like to thank the state Senate for holding the bill S877 establishing a Nuclear Diversity Certificate program. This bill attempts to put forth a clean energy plan for the state, but would undermine its own goals by putting a cap on renewable energy investment. New Jersey LCV supports asking the BPU how to achieve clean energy goals at the lowest possible consumer cost, which has been their role historically, and creating an Energy Master Plan that takes common sense renewable energy goals into consideration.
CAN STORMWATER UTILITIES HELP NJ REDUCE RUNOFF POLLUTION?
News Article • • by Tom Johnson at NJ Spotlight
New Jersey may take another stab at creating new utilities to deal with stormwater runoff, the state's most persistent problem fouling its waterways and causing major flooding.
The Senate Environment and Energy Committee is reviving a bill (S-1073) that would allow municipalities, counties, and certain authorities to create stormwater utilities, an approach used in other states to limit pollution caused by runoff.
The concept is not new in New Jersey, but it has failed to win final legislative approval in the past, even though the federal Environmental Protection Agency has ranked stormwater management as the state's most expensive water-related funding need at $15.6 billion.
Climate Summit, Brainchild Of Mayor Kramer, Gets Rave Reviews
News Article •
About 160 people attended a “Mayors’ Climate Summit” at Rutgers University Feb. 3, an event that was the brainchild of Mayor Phil Kramer.
The summit was held at Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy in New Brunswick and was attended mainly by mayors and other elected officials from throughout the state.
Sponsored by the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, Sustainable Jersey and the Bloustein School, the summit was seen as a way for elected officials to meet and share ideas of dealing with the effects of climate change, in light of the Trump administration’s decision to remove the country from the Paris Climate Agreement.
The Paris Agreement is a multinational agreement, under the auspices of the United Nations, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions starting in 2020.
Attendees hailed the event as a success and looked forward to future meetings.
Murphy joins governors calling for fracking ban in Delaware watershed
News Article • • by Michelle Brunetti Post at Press of Atlantic City
PHILLIPSBURG — Gov. Phil Murphy has announced he will join the governors of Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware to support a ban on fracking in the 3,000-square-mile Delaware River watershed.
Murphy called fracking "one of modern times' most damaging threats." Its use of chemicals, and their ability to pollute water systems, puts at risk the health and safety of people and the economic life of Delaware River towns, he said.
It was the latest of several environmental actions Murphy took last week.
NEW JERSEY LCV’s POTOSNAK CELEBRATES GOV MURPHY’S BAN ON FRACKING IN THE DELAWARE
Press Release •
Following Governor Phil Murphy’s administrative action on fracking, New Jersey LCV Executive Director Ed Potosnak released the following statement:
“Governor Murphy doubled down on protecting drinking water with his administrative action to ban fracking in the Delaware River Watershed. This action shows his commitment to protecting the drinking water of all New Jerseyans, as well as the eco-economy that is so important to towns up and down the Delaware.”