DRBC publishes online commission meeting highlights

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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Whew! PADEP's missing nuclear gauge has been found

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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NRG agrees to stop burning coal at Pa power plant

NRG's Portland Generating Station in Mt. Bethel, Pa. Photo by NJ..com

UPDATE: Additional related news stories added at 12:35 a..m. on May 16, 2013

As part of a settlement with the states of New Jersey and Connecticut, NRG announced it will stop using coal as fuel in two units at its Portland Generating Station in Mt. Bethel, Pa by June 1, 2014. The units were previously scheduled to be deactivated on Jan. 6, 2015.

NRG also agreed to invest $1 million to benefit the environment in New Jersey and Connecticut. The settlement, via a federal Consent Decree, allows the parties to avoid
further litigation of a lawsuit that began in 2007. 

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"NRG only acquired the Portland plant in December 2012 when we closed our merger with GenOn – but we immediately started working with New Jersey and Connecticut and were able to resolve this issue without additional delay or cost to taxpayers," said Lee Davis, President of NRG’s East Region.

"As a part of the settlement, we committed to make a significant investment in projects that are beneficial to the environment consistent with NRG’s focus on providing power in a way that is environmentally responsible, reliable and affordable," Davis said.

NRG says it is the nation’s largest developer of fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, and a leading developer of large-scale and distributed solar energy.

Related environmental news stories:
Portland plant to stop using coal six months early
Cleaner Air Coming To Connecticut | Connecticut Consumer 
Portland Generating Station to shut down coal-fired units several months early 
First Solar Brings NRG's Alpine Solar On-Line 
NRG Introducing Solar with Battery Storage for Homeowners 
NRG Sells Power From Electric Car to PJM Grid in Delaware

Our latest posts:
PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?
NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today 
NJIT professor's encouraging new desalination process
Tweaks ahead for New York's Brownfields programs?  
Christie takes double rap on his environmental record

Pa House Environmental committee meeting today

The Pennsylvania House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee was meeting
in Harrisburg, Pa. this morning to take up the three bills listed below (with their legislative history): 


HB 1325 (Maloney) Amends the the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act, further providing for definitions, for official plans and for permits.
Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, May 6, 2013           

SB 196 (D. White) Expands PENNVEST funding under the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority Act
Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, Jan. 17, 2013 [Senate]
Reported as committed from ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, Jan. 23, 2013
First consideration, Jan. 23, 2013
Re-referred to APPROPRIATIONS, Feb. 13, 2013
Re-reported as amended from APPROPRIATIONS, March 18, 2013
Second consideration, April 8, 2013
Third consideration and final passage, April 15, 2013 (49-0)
In the House
Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, April 16, 2013 

HR 223 (Tallman) A Resolution memorializing the Congress of the United States to support Congressman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania's efforts to pass H.R. 979, known as the Forest Products Fairness Act of 2013, and urging each member of Congress from Pennsylvania to support his efforts.
Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, April 9, 2013

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Our latest posts:
NRG agrees to stop burning coal at Pa power plant
PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around? 
NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today  
NJIT professor's encouraging new desalination process
Tweaks ahead for New York's Brownfields programs?   
Christie takes double rap on his environmental record 

PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection put out a news release today that had to hurt.

It asks whether anyone has seen a missing nuclear gauge containing sealed sources of radioactive material that apparently fell off the back of a truck somewhere in West Virginia.

Lest you think we're making this up, here's the full text of the news release:

HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and West Virginia state officials are searching for a missing portable gauge containing sealed sources of radioactive material that was lost in West Virginia on May 3, and are asking anyone with information on the missing gauge to report it to DEP.

“It is critical for anyone who has information about the lost nuclear gauge to contact the Pennsylvania DEP, Nuclear Regulatory Commission or a local law enforcement agency immediately,” DEP Bureau of Radiation Protection Director David Allard said. “As long as the device is not tampered with or damaged, it presents no hazard to public safety.”

The gauge, a Troxler Model 3430 with serial number 32506, was lost when it apparently fell off the back of a truck on I-81 between the Pennsylvania and West Virginia border between mile markers 17 and 24. The bright yellow gauge is commonly used in road construction for taking measurements in the ground, and it is about the size of a shoe box, with electronic controls and a metal rod extending from the top surface.

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

Valley Quarries Inc. of Chambersburg, Franklin County, is licensed by DEP to possess and use the gauge. Staff from the company was using it in West Virginia at the time it was lost.

Anyone who finds the gauge should leave it alone and report the location to DEP during normal working hours at 717-787-2480 or 412-442-4227. After normal working hours and on weekends, call 1-800-541-2050 or 412-442-4000. In the event of an emergency, dial 911. A trained individual will be dispatched immediately to recover the gauge. 

The company is offering a reward for information leading to its return. 

Think there's a chance the gauge will be 'discovered' tonight by Jay Leno, David Letterman
or Jon Stewart?

Our latest posts: 
NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today
NJIT professor's encouraging new desalination process
Tweaks ahead for New York's Brownfields programs?  
Christie takes double rap on his environmental record
Shore reconstruction bills on NJ lawmakers' agenda

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NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today

Fourteen agriculture and environment bills will be considered in two committees

of the New Jersey Assembly in Trenton today at 2 p.m. To see a full copy of any
of the bills, just click its number.

Here's the lineup:

ASSEMBLY AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Committee Room 14, 4th Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ

 

A-946  Riley, C.M. (D-3)

Permits a farm income averaging credit under the New Jersey gross income tax.

   

A-1892  Milam, M.W. (D-1); Albano, N.T. (D-1); Andrzejczak, B. (D-1)

Creates State Beach Task Force. Related Bill: S-2359

    

A-3840  Albano, N.T. (D-1)

Prohibits DEP from reducing fishing quotas established by federal or regional entities, unless authorized by law.

    

A-3944  Riley, C.M. (D-3)

Removes statutory limitation on number of permits that may be issued by Division of Fish and Wildlife for the taking of beaver.  Related Bill: S-2665

  

 A-4036  Albano, N.T. (D-1); Andrzejczak, B. (D-1)

Establishes directed bait and human food fishery for menhaden, and clarifies existing law regarding taking of menhaden.  Related Bill: S-2726

      

AJR-71  Vainieri Huttle, V. (D-37)

Designates Wednesday of second week in August as "Assistance Animal Recognition Day."

Related Bill: SJR-49

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ASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT AND SOLID WASTE

Committee Room 9, 3rd Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ

 

A-2852  McKeon, J.F. (D-27); Spencer, L.G. (D-29); Conaway, H. (D-7)

Establishes notification requirements for combined sewer overflows.

Related Bill: S-831

     

A-3836  Spencer, L.G. (D-29)

Concerns environmental permits in burdened communities.

Related Bill: S-962

    

A-3890  Eustace, T.J. (D-38); Schepisi, H. (R-39); Rudder, S. (R-8)

Provides limited exemption from local land use restrictions to allow certain existing structures to be raised to new FEMA base flood elevations.  Related Bill: S-2598

   

A-3892  McKeon, J.F. (D-27)

Establishes criteria and requirements for shore protection project priority list and funding from Shore Protection Fund.  Related Bill: S-2600

      

 A-3920  Barnes III, P.J. (D-18); Ramos Jr., R.J. (D-33); Gusciora, R. (D-15)

Creates New Jersey Coastal Commission; reallocates certain funds from DEP to commission; and appropriates $20 million.

      

 A-3921  Barnes III, P.J. (D-18); Ramos Jr., R.J. (D-33)

Changes type of development requiring CAFRA permit from DEP.

     

AR-150  Rudder, S. (R-8); Brown, C.J. (R-8)

Encourages schools to purchase and use products made with recycled materials.

    

S-831  Smith, B. (D-17); Scutari, N.P. (D-22)

Establishes notification requirements for combined sewer overflows. Related Bill: A-2852

   

Our latest posts:
NJIT professor's encouraging new desalination process 
Tweaks ahead for New York's Brownfields programs?  
Christie takes double rap on his environmental record    
Shore reconstruction bills on NJ lawmakers' agenda     
EPA hearing on cleaner auto fuel today in Philadelphia    

NJIT professor's encouraging new desalination process

Drought has always been a problem but is increasing. Shortages of potable water worldwide are expected to rise to 50 percent by 2025, potentially spurring political instability and international conflict. Desalination of seawater can help coastal communities with local shortfalls but the process today is costly and not particularly efficient. But a new system developed by New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) chemical engineering professor Kamalesh Sirkar offers hope for a significant leap forward. 

In 10 Innovations in Water Purification, Patrick J. Kiger writes:

In Sirkar's direct-contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system, heated seawater flows across a plastic membrane containing a series of hollow tubes filled with cold distilled water. The DCMD's tubes have tiny pores, which are designed so that they can be penetrated by the water vapor which collects on them, but not by salt. The vapor diffuses through the pores and is drawn off, to be condensed again into liquid water.

According to Sirkar, his system is extremely efficient -- it can produce 80 liters (21 gallons) of drinking water per 100 liters (26 gallons) of seawater, about twice what existing desalination technology can produce. One potential downside of DCMD is that it requires a steady, inexpensive source of heat in order to prevent the water temperature on either side of the membrane from equalizing. But there's the possibility that DCMD systems could someday recycle waste heat from shore-based factories and offshore oil drilling operations, making it a win-win for everybody

Also see Scientific American's: New Desalination Technique Yields More Drinkable Water  

Related environmental news stories: 
Rain And Drought Will Increase Due To Warming: NASA 
Drought causes worldwide olive shortage - WLUK Fox 11 
Mali and Mauritania: War, Drought and School Meals  
Panama orders power rationing as drought continues - BBC News
Latest World News - Drought has Indian farmers drowning in debt

Our latest posts:
Tweaks ahead for New York's Brownfields programs?
Christie takes double rap on his environmental record   
Shore reconstruction bills on NJ lawmakers' agenda    
EPA hearing on cleaner auto fuel today in Philadelphia    
Few surprises in latest poll on fracking in New York  

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Tweaks ahead for New York's Brownfields programs?

 

In an alert to clients and friends, Adam C. Arnold, an associate in the Real Property & Environmental section of the Gibbons law firm, today writes:

New York State was among the first to enact programs aimed at remediation and redevelopment of contaminated sites. The goal of such programs is both to promote economic revitalization and to encourage private entities to remediate the state’s contaminated sites.

Three such programs, the Voluntary Cleanup Program (“VCP”), the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP), and the Brownfield Cleanup Program(“BCP”), have achieved considerable success, with over 400 sites having been remediated in the past two decades.

Nevertheless, policy makers continue to search for ways to make these programs better and more cost efficient. Prompted by the impending expiration of key provisions of the BCP, a report released by the New York State Comptroller’s office in April 2013, provides an assessment of these programs, as well as some options for improvement going forward.

For more about the state’s current programs and recommendations in the new report, read Mr. Arnold’s: New Report Considers Options For Tweaking Brownfields Programs in NY


Related environmental news stories:
Watertown Daily Times - City sets a third waterfront meeting for May 2
PSE&G's $446M solar energy investment would utilize landfills, brownfields
EPA to Hold 2013 National Brownfields Conference
Long, long process' to reuse brownfields - Olean Times Herald
EPA Awards $4 Million to Help Support Cleanup and Reuse  

Our most recent posts: 
Christie takes double rap on his environmental record   
Shore reconstruction bills on NJ lawmakers' agenda   
EPA hearing on cleaner auto fuel today in Philadelphia   
Few surprises in latest poll on fracking in New York   
A sick river, from those who brought you Agent Orange


For 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 

Christie to holdouts: Dunes will be built; that’s no B.S.

New Jersey 101.5 today reports:

At his latest town hall on Long Beach Island, Governor Chris Christie said his message is simple for folks who fail to sign easements by the deadline, which is today.

“We are building these dunes,” he told a cheering crowd. “And we are building these dunes whether you consent or not.”

Opponents said the easements will give the state the green light to build not only dunes nearby, but other amenities like bathrooms and amusement rides.

Christie argued, “I have no interest in taking your property. I have no interest in building anything besides a dune on your property, and then replenishing that dune when it needs to be replenished.”

He said their reasons were ‘BS’ anyway, except he used the full word. According to Christie, the reluctant homeowners just don’t want their views blocked.

See the full story here and watch the video in which the governor asked parents to cover the ears of children  before he delivered his no-abbreviation phrase.

At the meeting, he also explained his administration's plans for property buyouts in Sayreville and other communities where property owners want buyouts.

Related environmental news stories:
Governor Chris Christie aims salty language at dune opponents
Chris Christie: President Obama delivered on Hurricane Sandy aid
Chris Christie Tries to Rewrite Own History on Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill
More Jersey Shore Businesses Reopening After Sandy
Rebuilding the New Jersey Shore

Our most recent posts: 
Christie takes double rap on his environmental record  
Shore reconstruction bills on NJ lawmakers' agenda  
EPA hearing on cleaner auto fuel today in Philadelphia  
Few surprises in latest poll on fracking in New York  
A sick river, from those who brought you Agent Orange

Christie takes double rap on his environmental record

Will environmental critics hurt the re-election chances of the guy on the left?

Four years after endorsing Republican Chris Christie for governor, the New Jersey Environmental Federation (NJEF) last week admitted they had screwed up big time
and this go-round would be supporting his opponent, Democrat Barbara Buono.

The organization released a chart (Governor Christie: THEN and NOW) showing Christie's environmental promises as a candidate and his delivery (according to the NJEF) since then.  

Yesterday, Tom Moran, the chief editorial writer for the Star-Ledger also teed off on the governor's environmental record. 
 
"When it comes to climate change, he (Christie) has been monstrously hypocritical:
He says precisely the right words, and then does precisely the wrong thing," Moran wrote.

The governor's campaign spokesperson Kevin Roberts says the criticism is unfounded.
He claims that the governor's policies are "creating jobs and protecting the environment
at the same time." 

The NJ Sierra Club, which opposed Christie four years ago, has barely allowed a day
to go by since without issuing a news release criticizing his administration. Other green groups either have not yet endorsed a candidate (both campaigns are in their early stages)
or have policies that keep them out of political battles. 

What's your opinion on Chris Christie's environmental record? Let us know
in the opinion box below. If one is not visible, click on the tiny 'opinion' link.    

Related environmental news stories:
Gov. Christie's towering hypocrisy on climate

NJ Environmental Federation endorses Buono for Governor
Environmental Group Backs Buono After Endorsing Christie In ‘09

New Jersey Environmental Federation Opts to Back Buono

 

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Our most recent posts: 
Shore reconstruction bills on NJ lawmakers' agenda
EPA hearing on cleaner auto fuel today in Philadelphia
Few surprises in latest poll on fracking in New York
A sick river, from those who brought you Agent Orange