Leading Political Environmental Group Endorses in New Jersey General Assembly Elections
Press Release • 9/9/2019
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters (NJLCV), the leading political voice for the environment in New Jersey, announced its second round of endorsements for the 2019 New Jersey General Assembly Elections today.
“We are eager to announce the second round of our 2019 endorsements for Assembly,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of New Jersey LCV. “These endorsees are environmentally responsible candidates who not only can be trusted to advocate for strong environmental policies but can also be held accountable for safeguarding the health of our communities, the beauty of our states, and the strength of our economy.”
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Applauds Governor Murphy’s Appointments to Highlands Council
Press Release • 8/28/2019
Today Governor Murphy announced several appointments to the Highlands council, an independent state agency that presides over the NJ Highlands Region.
“The importance of the Highlands to New Jersey cannot be overstated,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. “The New Jersey Highlands provide nearly 6.2 million residents with clean drinking water. With his appointments, Governor Murphy is strengthening this important regional planning body to meet the objectives of the Highlands Regional Master Plan and ensure our families and businesses have clean drinking water for generations to come.”
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Statement On Plan to Address Newark's Water Quality Crisis
Press Release • 8/27/2019
Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, released a statement on the joint announcement by Governor Murphy, Mayor Baraka, and Essex County Leadership to address lead contaminated-drinking water in Newark:
"Clean drinking water is a fundamental human right. New Jersey LCV is happy to learn that Governor Murphy, Mayor Baraka, and Essex County leadership came together to find a solution to the water quality issues plaguing Newark and surrounding communities..."
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in New Jersey’s Lake Communities: What can be done? Expert panel assembled for public forum
Press Release • 8/7/2019
A panel of New Jersey’s leading experts on aquatic ecology, lake management and stormwater will make presentations and take questions from the audience on Tuesday, August 20, 2019 at 7:30PM at Lake Mohawk Country Club in Sparta. The forum is open to the public and free, but pre-registration is required. The forum will also be streamed live on Facebook and viewers may pose questions using the Facebook comments feature.
Leading Political Environmental Group Endorses in New Jersey General Assembly Elections
Press Release • 7/25/2019
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters (NJLCV), the leading political voice for the environment in New Jersey, announced its first round of endorsements for the 2019 New Jersey General Assembly Elections today.
“We are very excited to announce the first round of our 2019 endorsements for Assembly,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of New Jersey LCV. “These candidates are all committed to fighting for healthy communities, creating good local jobs in the clean energy economy, and preserving New Jersey’s natural resources. I am confident that electing environmental champions like these to the Assembly will ensure New Jersey is protected for future generations.”
New legislation will help N.J. meet its aggressive clean energy goals
News Article • 7/25/2019 • by Ed Potosnak at NJ.com
...on May 23rd, 2019, something dramatic happened. The legislature doubled down on its commitment to a clean energy future, to healthy communities, to a decarbonized world. The Assembly passed – in strong bipartisan fashion – an update to the existing, economy-wide, Global Warming Response Act (GWRA) and sent it to the governor’s desk. This legislation proves timely as the federal government has ceded all leadership under the current administration, leaving it solely to states to demonstrate leadership – none more so than New Jersey.
Joint Statement on Governor Murphy Signing Legislation to Ensure Global Warming Response Act Targets are Met
Press Release • 7/24/2019
By signing into law the Updated Global Warming Response Act (S3207), Governor Murphy today took a major step toward a clean-energy future for New Jersey.
The amendments to the Act require the state to adopt measures within specific timeframes so that harmful greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced 80 percent, economy-wide, by 2050.
"Under the Governor’s leadership – and facilitated by the actions of the Legislature – addressing the climate crisis has been a priority. Today, we took another step forward, codifying our place as a national leader in addressing the climate crisis by updating the Global Warming Response Act to mandate the NJDEP to promulgate regulations that ensure we meet our economy-wide decarbonization goals," said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. "We now have a critical tool in place to hold ourselves accountable to meeting our commitments."
Murphy OK’d ‘Rain Tax’ — Could it Fight Lake Hopatcong's Toxic Algae?
News Article • 7/8/2019 • by David Matthau at North Jersey 101.5
Several recent heavy rainstorms have made a bad situation worse at Lake Hopatcong, where a harmful algae bloom caused by stormwater runoff has prompted the state Department of Environmental Protection to ban swimming and most other water-related activity.
Henry Gajda, a public policy associate with the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, said what’s happening is not really surprising.
"The more rain that comes down in heavier doses, the more stormwater runoff there’s going to be," Gajda said.
Lake Hopatcong's toxic algae bloom renews fight over stormwater law derided as 'rain tax'
News Article • 7/8/2019 • by Scott Fallon at North Jersey Record
The severity of toxic algae blooms like the one affecting popular Lake Hopatcong could be minimized if more New Jersey towns impose fees on property owners to pay for upgrades that reduce runoff into lakes and rivers, environmentalists say.
"We have a lake closure due directly to stormwater and the failures over the years to deal with it," said Ed Potosnak, director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, who grew up water-skiing and fishing on Lake Hopatcong. "We now have a tool to really deal with it. We just need the political will to use it."
Action Needed: Toxic Algal Bloom Threatens Major Economic Lifeline and States’ Largest Lake
Press Release • 7/2/2019
Yesterday, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection released an advisory for the public to avoid contact with Lake Hopatcong water due to a toxic algal bloom – the largest lake in New Jersey and a major economic lifeline in the New Jersey Highlands. Strong action is needed by local decision-makers to improve the health of the lake and protect this major cultural icon.