Are the answers blowing in the wind?

It was quite an interesting juxtaposition in time.

The (Newark) Star-Ledger reported Monday that the Corzine administration is:

"quietly taking the first steps toward creating an array of giant windmills off the South Jersey coast to turn ocean breezes into electricity. It could involve as many as 80 wind-powered turbines towering 30 stories high over the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, somewhere between southern Ocean County and Cape May."

That's certainly an ambitious undertaking. But what makes the timing of the story so interesting is that it comes just days after the chairman of the Long Island Power Authority in neighboring New York announced the authority was dropping plans for the construction of a wind farm off Jones Beach because of escalating projected costs.

Newsday reported that the decision followed on the heels of a study by Pace Global Energy Services which found that:

"the premium for wind-generated power from the Jones Beach project, over a 20-year period, would translate to about $2.50 per month to the typical residential consumer bill, or a total $66 million per year for all of LIPA."

PACE arrived at the figure, according to Newsday, by comparing the cost of electricity produced in a combined-cycle natural gas power plant on Long Island, which is about $137 per megawatt hour, and a megawatt hour of power produced by the wind farm, which it said "could be $291."

So, what does New York's findings mean for New Jersey's project? So far, potential environmental concerns seem to be the primary stumbling blocks, not costs. The environmental community is split on the prospect of an offshore wind farm, with the American Littoral Society opposing the idea, while the Audubon Society and Sierra Club support it.

But the debate is in its early stages, as the state's Board of Public Utilities is only beginning to solicit proposals from potential developers to determine what it would take to actually build an offshore wind farm.

One interested New Jersey firm is Hoboken-based Bluewater Wind, which plans to build a 200-turbine wind farm off Delaware in 2012 at a cost of $2 billion.

Affordable in Delaware but not New York? Why?

The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind. Stay tuned to what should be a very interesting policy debate.

***************************************************
Sidenote: New York leads the tri-state region with eight wind-power installations generating a total of 390 mega watts of wind energy . Pennsylvania is second with 179MW and New Jersey's only wind farm--in Atlantic City--generates 8 MW. The largest wind states are Texas (3352 MW), California (2376) and Iowa (976).

Week's top environmental & political news

Some of the top stories appearing in EnviroPolitics from Aug 20-24. Captured from newspapers and other information sources in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and beyond.

New Jersey Environment

The cost to NJ if nuclear reactor is retired Retiring the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey would cost NJ more than $300M a year in higher electricity prices and lost economic activity, says a report funded by the plant's parent AP Press

Wastewater plant fined $30,000 The government agency that operates Bergen County's wastewater treatment system is fined for emitting more sulfur that permitted Bergen Record

Codey wants a say on NYC traffic fee Senate President calls on New York City officials to add NJ representatives to a newly formed commission that will study a plan to charge motorists fees to enter parts of Manhattan Bergen Record Star-Ledger

NJ moves to head of Marcal claim line In its effort to emerge from bankruptcy protection, Marcal Paper Mills struck a deal last month with federal environmental officials regarding the manufacturer's responsibility to help clean up the polluted lower Passaic River. Now, it's time to deal with the state Star-Ledger

Water rules in the works The public comment period has closed and state officials are moving forward with the expansion of water protection rules that would likely curb development. If adopted, the change would limit where sewer and septic systems are placed and expand the number of streams that require 300-foot buffers from development. Express-Times

New Jersey Politics

Torricelli using campaign funds to lobby When he was last running for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey in 2002, Robert G. Torricelli collected donations from thousands of people who apparently wanted to see him re-elected. They might be surprised to see how he spenta portion of their money—on politicians with an influence over Mr. Torricelli’s, or his clients’, business interests New York Times

Battle looms on stadium expansion Rutgers is raising tuition and cutting other sports programs but wants to cash in on football team’s popularity with a $116 million stadium expansion Star-Ledger
> Editorial: Football uber alles? Bergen Record

James: I cannot pay my attorneys Federal prosecutors have accused former Newark Mayor Sharpe James of bilking the city to subsidize a lavish lifestyle, including trips to Martha's Vineyard when he allegedly shipped his Rolls-Royce along at taxpayers' expense. Now James claims he doesn't have the cash to pay a law firm representing him to fight those charges Star-Ledger

Ex-commerce official: Family woes inspired corrupt acts Devereaux apologizes for "really bad judgment" in finding state work for her relatives and conducting her law practice on state time, but says she never intended to commit a crime Star-Ledger

Two of Newark’s triple-slay suspects caught In series of raids, task force catches up to brothers near Washington, planning to escape to El Salvador Star-Ledger NY Times
> 'How did you catch me?' Hard work and MySpace Star-Ledger

Pennsylvania Environment

Ethanol plant in the works Northeast Ethanol is evaluating four sites in northeast PA for construction of a plant, including a 100-acre property in Mayfield owned by Carrier Coal Enterprises Times-Tribune

DEP leans toward auto club permit; neighbors fear pollution PA regulators are leaning toward approval of a permit for a four-mile high speed driving course on 360 wooded acres at the foot of Blue Mountain Inquirer

Fines a possibility in fish-kill spill DEP says Aug. 10 spill from a meat rendering plant in Franconia that killed 10,000 small fish in a mile-long stretch of the Skippack Creek is “ripe” for a penalty The Reporter

Its bats and birds versus energy blades The Pennsylvania Biological Survey has gone to bat for the bats in a swirling policy debate over whether commercial wind power development should be permitted in state forests Post-Gazette

High tension Proposed power line through region sparks concerns. Imagine a new interstate highway, six to eight lanes wide, slicing across the landscape of Northeastern Pennsylvania Times Tribune

Pennsylvania Politics

Taxpayers poised to pay $2 billion for pensions Legislature let state, school boards shortchange funds by not contributing enough Morning Call

Lawmakers blast PHEAA bonuses “The interests of struggling students are once again overshadowed by the interests of those who occupy PHEAA's executive suite,” says governor’s spokesperson Patriot News

Foxwoods casino advances, under fire, in Philadelphia To shouts of "Shame!" and "The people want a say!" from more than 100 onlookers, the City Planning Commission votes unanimously to give the go-ahead to the Foxwoods riverfront casino in South Philadelphia Inquirer

Indicted judge won't seek retention Michael Joyce was indicted last week on nine counts of money laundering and mail fraud related to two insurance claims he filed after a 2001 car accident Post-Gazette

New York/Nation/World

GOP consultant resigns amid ‘phone’ uproar Roger Stone Jr., accused of threatening Gov. Spitzer's father, quits campaign job with the Senate GOP, claiming he is the victim of a "dirty trick" by gubernatorial aides “capable of wire tapping" Newsday

Con Ed: Echo Bay cleanup is finally done Twenty-six years after a transformer fire spilled oil laden with a suspected carcinogen near Echo Bay, Consolidated Edison says it has finished its cleanup of the 2.6-acre site Journal News

LIPA chief kills wind farm project Long Island Power Authority chairman says he will "terminate" a controversial project to install 40 wind turbines off the coast of Jones Beach Newsday

Enviros decry talk of new Tappan bridge Bloomberg.com

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New Jersey governor signs 4 environmental bills

New Jersey legislators may be on summer recess, but they're keeping Governor Jon Corzine's legal staff busy reviewing scores of bills passed in a flurry of voting sessions prior to the break.

Among them are four environmental bills (below) that Corzine signed into law yesterday.

Each bill number also functions as a link that you can activate to read the entire bill.

A-2693
Wisniewski, J.S. ; Johnson, G.M. ; Steele, A.E
Provides that certain industrial use chemicals are not controlled dangerous substances.

A-2853
Chatzidakis, L. ; Bodine, F.L. ; Van Drew, J.
Limits homeowners' association regulation of solar collectors on certain roofs.

A-3983
Chatzidakis, L. ; Stender, L. ; Chivukula, U.J. ; Rooney, J.E. ; Van Drew, J.
Requires State to replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs; requires BPU to educate public on benefits of compact fluorescent light bulbs.

S-2581
Smith, B. ; McKeon, J.F.
Authorizes Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission to charge project application review fees and issue general permits for certain projects.

Subscribers to EnviroPolitics get to follow levery piece of environmental legislation in New Jersey and Pennsylvania--from introduction, through committee and floor action, all the way to the governor's desk. Get yourself a free, 30-day, no-obligation subscription at: Free Trial

Two more electric cars to fantasize about

We don't want this blog to turn into an endless rhapsody over electronic cars, but interesting prototypes keep popping up. Here are two more:

The Lightning GT, scheduled to roll off the assembly line later this year, is touted as the first electric car that can be fully charged in roughly the same amount of time it takes to fill up a tank of gas. The manufacturer says it will only take 10 minutes of plug-in time and you'll be set for 250 miles of driving.

SciFi Tech reviewer Charlie White drools:

"This 700-hp high-tech beast can accelerate from zero to 60 in less than four seconds, beating that other sexy electric car, the Tesla Roadster, by a few tenths. The Lightning GT's designers paid special attention to safety, too, placing honeycomb crushable impact cells between you and 130 miles per hour's worth of inertia. Pricing will be around $300K for this electric supercar, supporting the observation that whenever car wonks put the words "super" and "car" together, you're probably going to be shelling out a super price. "

If you don't have a spare $300 grand , try this ride.

It's a car. No, it's a motorcycle. No, it's both--and it's neither. It's Venture One, a three-wheeled electric hybrid that resembles the cockpit of a fighter plane and "flys the road" at up to 100 mph and an astounding 100 miles per gallon.

Neither the picture nor any words we might add can do this creation justice. You simply must take it for a spin via one of the videos available at Venture's web page to get an idea of what the Venture One really looks like and the wow-inspiring way it maneuvers.

Once you do, we venture you'll find yourself dreaming about how much fun it would be to pilot one down New Jersey's Garden State Parkway or across Pennsylvania's I-80 (at least until Governor Rendell installs his revenue-raising tollbooths).

The price tag on the Venture One is expected to be around $20,000. If you're an urban dweller who has no need to transport landscaping ties or a gaggle of kids to soccer practice, this could be a really fun way to help save the planet.

Search this: A Google electric car

In The electric car's slow shift from fantasy to fact, we highlighted two prototype plug-in autos that might eventually make it to a showroom near you --GM's Volt and the Telsa Roadster .

Add to that list the improbable entry of a Norwegian-made vehicle. Yes, Norway, next-door neighbor to the Saab-and-Volvo Swedes.

It's the 'Think' and it's caught the attention (and support) of Google, the big Internet search engine. Why is a zillion-dollar company that helps you find stuff on the Internet exploring a new business model with an obscure (but perhaps visionary) auto maker?

We're still not sure, but for a simple overview of the relationship, check out: Meet Google's Think Electric Car from EV World.

For a lot more information about 'Think' (maybe more than you'll ever need to know) see Business 2.0's Have you driven a Fjord lately?

Week's top environmental/political news: Aug 13-17

Some of the top stories appearing Aug 13-17 in EnviroPolitics. Captured from newspapers and other information sources in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and beyond.

NJ Environment

- Exelon hires lobbyists to promote nuclear reactor Two lobbyists being paid by the corporate owner of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant announce the formation of a coalition that will tout the benefits of nuclear energy in the face of a grass-roots effort to close the Lacey reactor AP Press Star-Ledger AC Press

- State says hauler put toxic dirt onto farm The 64-year-old owner of a Burlington County trucking company has been charged with billing the state for proper disposal of more than400 truckloads of contaminated soil, then dumping the dirt on a Moorestown farm
Courier Post Star-Ledger

- Firms cry foul over Marcal's cleanup deal A group of 73 businesses objects in federal court to the proposed settlement between Marcal Paper Mills and the federal government over Passaic River cleanup costs Herald News

- DEP defends dredge spoils decision NJ DEP commissioner Lisa Jackson tries to convince an overflow Burlington County crowd that dredge deposits and nature hikes can peacefully coexist Courier Post

- BASF wins lawsuit against supplier A Morris County jury yesterday ordered Texas-based chemical company Lyondell to pay BASF $170M after determining it overcharged the Florham Park-based business for eight years Star-Ledger

- Buddhist ritual brings no peace to NJ enviro-regulators A New York sect of Amitabha Buddhists who bought hundreds of eels, frogs and turtles in Chinatown to set them free in the Passaic River face a NJDEP fine of up to $1,000 Herald News

- Highlands Act is fair, court rules The state's controversial law restricting development across a large swath of North Jersey doesn't trample property owners' constitutional rights, an appellate court ruled on Friday Express-Times Bergen Record

NJ Politics

- Poll: Voters concerned about Lautenberg’s age Three out of five NJ voters think it's time for someone else to take his job, as Senator turns 84 as new term starts Star-Ledger

- Hospital in Paterson seeks bankruptcy protection Barnert the latest to seek relief from financial pressures Star-Ledger

- Behind bars, Brennan still owes investors Eight years after imprisoned stock promoter Bob Brennan agreed to pay $45M to settle allegations he directed stock frauds at two brokerage firms he was said to have secretly controlled, the state Bureau of Securities is taking steps to distribute nearly $5.6 million to certain investors Star-Ledger

- After killings, sense of unity surprises Newark A brutal triple murder has provoked a level of outrage not seen since the riots of 40 years ago NY Times

- Former MUA director gets 51-month jail term Former Western Monmouth Utilities Authority executive director Frank G. Abate is sentenced to 51 months in federal prison today for taking thousands of dollars in free architectural services paid for by developers with applications pending before the WMUA AP Press

PA Environment

- Site, timeline set for PA's first ethanol plant BioEnergy International officials announce that they expect to begin construction as early as October on their new ethanol plant to be located in Clearfield Borough Technology Park Centre Daily Gant Daily

- Report says renewable energy would lift PA’s economy Moving to "a renewable energy economy" would create more than $6 billion in new economic activity, including a $460 million increase in net farm income, and create more then 44,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania, according to a study released yesterday Post-Gazette

- Coal industry all fired up about liquid fuels While the energy industry has been focused on alternative fuels and new sources of oil, the coal industry is going ahead with plants to turn coal into liquid fuels such as diesel and gasoline AP

- PPL's nuclear plant may hike power output in 2008 PPL could get permission as soon as January to increase the power it puts out from its Salem Twp. nuclear plant here, says an NRC official Press Enterprise

- Rendell late in delivering global warming proposal Gov. Ed Rendell, who has been outspoken on the need to limit emissions of global warming gases, has not delivered on a promise to come up with his own strategy for Pennsylvania. Part of the problem may be the state’s prevalent use of coal for energy Associated Press

- Rush has I-80 interchange compromise on the table Township supervisors may have found a compromise that will finally bring a proposed privately funded interchange off of Interstate 80 to a resolution The Progress

PA Politics

- Future of I-80 tolls unclear PA’s two U.S. senators differ over whether the state should toll I-80 to raise transportation money, and Gov. Ed Rendell’s again talking up the idea of leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike instead Centre Daily

- Specter: Driven to crisscross the state When Sen. Arlen Specter takes the stage at one of his famous town-hall meetings, you can’t be sure what you'll get Inquirer

- New speaker O'Brien settles into role in divided House Rep. Dennis M. O'Brien is no obscure backbencher, but who could have been prepared for the history making deal in January that elevated the Philadelphia Republican, out of the blue, to speaker of the Democrat-controlled chamber? Observer-Reporter

New York/Nation/World

- 50 staffers cut from nuclear cleanup project Buffalo News

- Study: Dredging causing 'leaks' in Great Lakes AP

- Bloomberg’s traffic plan gets U.S. boost NY Times

- Spitzer ally returns to DEC to oversee 9-county region Times Union

- East River fights bid to harness its currents NY Times

- When it rains, sewage often pours into NY harbor NYT
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The electric car's slow shift from fantasy to fact

Picture yourself behind the wheel, cruising silently down the road, thumbing your nose at the gas station where you used to spend so much to fuel up.

Daydream? Today, yes. Tomorrow? Maybe not. The financial and political consequences of America's dependence on foreign oil has made the design and production of a dependable and affordable electric car once again the topic of much news copy. And several developers, including General Motors and Tesla Motors, are making progress on prototypes that show promise but still may be years away form mass production.

A few recent articles to whet your appetite:
Plug-in hybrids could bring gas-free commutes
Novel Batteries Get a Boost
An electric car for the common man
The electric car's high-end revival
Jay Leno reviews the Tesla Roadster
Who killed the electric car?
Making a mark with rockets and roadsters

Pictured, at left, GM's Volt concept car which gets its juice from a high-voltage battery pack that can store enough energy to drive the car up to 40 miles in standard driving conditions. That battery pack is recharged by plugging the car into your standard home 110 volt wall outlet, just like you do your iPod or cell phone. It will take 6 hours to charge but overnight rates are lower, so you could do it while you snooze.

And to really get your motor revving, check out the Tesla Roadster which goes from 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds and can reach a top speed of over 130 mph. Its manufacturer claims the car will be able to travel more than 200 miles on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery system.

Are solar-home developments feasible in the northeast?

Each of the 45 homes built in Meritage Homes Corporation's new Encore Community development, in Vacaville, California, is equipped with a 2.3-kilowatt (kW) solar roof tile system from SunPower Corporation. The homes are also built to exceed state and federal energy efficiency standards by 35 percent or more.

This combination of solar power and energy-efficient materials should save each homeowner up to 70 percent on their utility bills, according to the builder.

OK, that's in sunny California. And it also should work in Arizona, Florida, New Mexico and wherever else the sun shines consistently.

But what about in the cooler, shadier and often smoggier states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. Could such developments work here?

The surprising fact is that New Jersey, while it does not enjoy as many cloud-free days, is second only to California in the number of installed solar-energy systems. In 2001, a total of six NJ residents had installed solar tiles on the roofs of their homes to capture the sun's rays and convert them into electricity. Since then, some 2,300 homes, businesses, houses of worship and schools have installed solar panels that generate about 38 megawatts of electricity -- enough energy to power about 4,500 homes.

Those installing the systems have been encouraged both by the prospect of reducing their monthly electric bills and by generous state rebates paying up to 70 percent of the average $60,000 residential installation cost. (Commercial systems tend to be more expensive and their rebates are smaller).

But the New Jersey solar energy program has become a victim of its own success. It now has far more applicants than rebate money available, and the state is looking to develop a new funding source, which has some folks in the solar-energy business worried.

What we haven't seen so far are entirely new residential construction developments--like the California example above--that offer homes engineered from scratch to be both highly energy efficient and energy producing.

Current land costs, environmental restrictions, and municipal add-ons have already pushed the cost of a new home beyond the reach of the average New Jersey wage earner. Solar energy systems can actually pay for themselves in avoided energy costs when operating for more than a decade. But their initial cost might pose too high a hurdle for residential track housing.

We'd love to hear from you if you have information to share on this topic. Just click on the "comment" line below and type away!

British bees and Parisian bikes

Since we posted Saturday on the topic of bees (Would hives collapse if the males worked more?), everywhere we look another story about the creatures and their catastrophe seems to appear.

I had assumed the problem was particular to the American honeybee. Sadly, this is not the case. Apiarists across the pond are confronted (and confounded) by a similar scourge, as related by Times (of London) columnist Ben Macintryre in Wake up! The bees are on their knees.

On a sunnier note, Parisians are doing their best to reduce carbon emissions by replacing Peugeot power with pedal power. The Times (again) reports on the Vélib':


"Taxi drivers and other critics said that it would never work, but three weeks after Paris was sprinkled with 10,000 self-service bicycles, the scheme is proving a triumph and a new pedalling army appears to be taming the city’s famously fierce traffic.

Bertrand Delanoë, the city’s mayor, and his green-minded administration are jubilant at the gusto with which Parisians and visitors have taken to the heavy grey cycles that have been available at 750 ranks since July 15. "

You can read more about it here and here and here.

Fix our bridges? Nah, let's bomb one instead

Last week's bridge collapse in Minneapolis focused public attention, at least fleetingly, on the problem of our aging infrastructure. How many more infrastructure-failure deaths we wonder will it take to prompt lasting attention in the form of project development and funding?

The government's failure to act is not surprising. Infrastructure isn't politically sexy. As Gilbert Wesley Purdy writes:

"Largely ignoring the crumbling state of our national infrastructure has been a bi-partisan trait for decades now. The Republican successes of the past 20 years have been founded almost entirely upon the idea that government and taxes should be reduced. Democrats stumping for universal health care and other admirable big-ticket programs, during much of that time, as their alternative to Republican minimalism, have been in no position suggest yet another such program."

Despite all that, Purdy reminds us that:

"In 2005, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) completed an infrastructure report card for the country. They estimated the total cost of recovering the public road systems, water systems, sewer systems, dams, levees and buildings, at $1.6 trillion over five years. The figure also includes projected expenses associated with the increased oversight of the U.S. power transmission grid which the group considered essential in order to avoid such debacles as the Great 2003 Blackout and the 2006 Queens Blackout."

The situation, already serious, is likely to get worse. The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday reported :

"Sometime after October 2008, the main money source for interstate repairs, the federal Highway Trust Fund, is expected to start running a deficit. When that happens, some green-lighted reconstruction projects could have trouble getting the U.S. government to pay up, forcing states to put off essential road repairs."

With so many other important needs competing for federal funds--like health care, education, medical research, alternative energy development, and environmental remediation--the obvious question is, where will all the money come from?

Would it be unpatriotic to note that, with Congress's recent approval of an additional $100 billion, the total amount spent or allocated for the Iraq War is reaching an astounding half a trillion dollars?

Do you, fellow taxpayer, believe you're getting an adequate return on that investment?

It may be titillating to watch American smart bombs blow up bridges in Baghdad, but wouldn't it be even smarter to use the money to rebuild bridges at home?

Would hives collapse if the males worked more?

Setting out to research colony collapse disorder among domestic bees, New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolburt became so interested in her subject that she began keeping bees in the woods near her Western Massachusetts home. Her hive is a wooden box that dangles from a wire strung to two tall trees, high enough to elude a bear's reach.

One of the things Kolburt found interesting about bees is their incredibly cooperative social order. She estimates that some 50,000 bees inhabit her hive (about the size of a three-drawer file cabinet) and get along in a highly productive social order. Well, almost.

The occupants, she explains in a New Yorker audio report, are predominantly female. The females, she says, do all the work, while the "completely incompetent" minority, male occupants refuse to forage. They live off the women, won't clean up after themselves, and, at the season's end, are thrown out of the hive by the females and left to die.

That sounds to me like a happy, feminist ending to a Marxist fairy tale. But my "ex" might view it differently.

On alterntive energy, stylish cows and pond scum

Harvesting the Power of Ocean & Tidal Energy - A small team of engineers based in Cornwall, England, have made a breakthrough with the development of a turbine that they claim could solve the commercial viability of tidal power. Known as the Osprey turbine, the technology can be used to create electricity offshore at sea -- or in tidal rivers and inland waterways. (Renewable Energy Access.com)

Secret Kiwi fuel ingredient is pond scum - Air New Zealand and airliner manufacturer Boeing are secretly working with New Zealand-based biofuel developer Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation to create the world's first environmentally friendly aviation fuel, made of wild algae. If the project pans out the small and relatively new New Zealand company could lead the world in environmentally sustainable aviation fuel. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Business Roundtable CEOs Take Stand on Climate Change - A broad-based group of CEOs acknowledged the reality of climate change July 17 with the release of a policy statement urging collective action. The Business Roundtable, an association of 160 CEOs from top U.S. companies, supports efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions while emphasizing energy and fuel efficiency, and the funding of green technology and science. (GreenBiz.com)

Global warming and stylish cows - PennEnvironment holds a press conference in Philadelphia to talk about the danger global warming poses to Pennsylvania. Columnist J. D. Mullane stops by "to see when the Commonwealth will be plunged into the apocalypse" and then filed this report. (Bucks County Courier-Times)

And to think I've been lusting for a laser printer - That laser printer sitting on your desk could be emitting high levels of potentially hazardous particles, according to a study published today.Some printers released almost as many ultra-fine particles as a smoldering cigarette, the study authors said. (Chicago Tribune)

Week's top environmental & political news

Some of the top stories appearing in EnviroPolitics from Aug 27-31. Captured from newspapers and other information sources in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and beyond.

New Jersey Environment

DEP orders work to stop on strip mall planned for Highlands In one of the first enforcement cases of the Highlands statute, a notice of violation has been issued to the developer of the proposed Liberty Square mall in Independence Township, Warren County. Developer Liberty Square 517 LLC missed an Aug. 10 deadline to build a foundation on the project in the strict Highlands preservation area, and a cease-and-desist order has been issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection, officials said. (Star-Ledger)

Sparta approves $2.1M for reservoir Despite the prospect of a lawsuit, the Sparta Township Council has adopted a $2.1 million bond ordinance to buy nearly one-third of a quarry founded by Thomas Edison that contains a vast spring-fed reservoir. (Star-Ledger)

Smoke at chemical fire sends 15 to hospital A small chemical fire broke out Tuesday at the Permacel Inc. building in the Industrial Park, forcing several people to the hospital with respiratory problems. About 60 employees of the plant at 1990 Rutgers University Blvd. and workers in the surrounding complexes were evacuated about 10:15 a.m. as firefighters spent about 20 minutes putting out the blaze, authorities said (Asbury Park Press)

Sayreville told about Superfund cleanups Twenty-five years ago, an abundance of toxic chemicals was found buried beneath the Sayreville landfill, seeping into the soil and poisoning the groundwater with pesticides. In the years that followed, state officials began a gradual cleanup of the site, removing drums of hazardous waste and installing systems to block the pollution from spreading. On Wednesday, representatives from the state Department of Environmental Protection told a room of Sayreville residents their work on the landfill is nearly done. (Star-Ledger)

Somerset parks employees repay county $1,697 Somerset County parks employees have reimbursed the park commission for several expenses criticized as unrelated to their jobs, but most were legitimate or judgment calls, county officials said last night.
After reviewing expense vouchers cited as "questionable" by an outside law firm, county Treasurer Brian Newman said there were no clear prohibitions against some of the payments.

Proposed power plant switching from coal to natural gas LS Power Company plans to put its Delaware River power plant online four years sooner than anticipated now that it proposes to use natural gas rather than coal to fuel the operation. (Courier-Post)

Eagles and hawks are migrating south The autumn hawk-watching season takes off Saturday as thousands of raptors begin their annual southern migration. Bergen County's prime viewing spot is in Alpine, where broad-winged hawks and bald eagles can be seen flying down the Hudson River. The viewing area, the State Line Lookout, is just off Exit 3 of the Palisades Interstate Parkway (Bergen Record)

Clean Water New Jersey to honor excellence in stormwater pollution control Polluted runoff is a major threat to New Jersey’s water quality, and municipalities and other government agencies that have excelled in managing it are now eligible for special Clean Water New Jersey awards (NJ-DEP)

New Jersey Politics

Democrats seek to unload contributions from fugitive Some top New Jersey Democrats scrambled yesterday to divest themselves of at least $51,000 in campaign contributions from a donor whose fugitive status also caused embarrassment this week for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton

Nursing home fixing the AC after a roasting from Codey A Newark nursing home where state Sen. Richard Codey found sweltering conditions during a surprise inspection earlier this month will replace its sputtering air conditioners (Star-Ledger)

Ex-mayor gets harsh term in graft case For nearly five years after pleading guilty to corruption charges, former Ocean Township Mayor Terrance Weldon remained a free man by quietly cooperating with investigations against others. But when his day of reckoning came yesterday, Weldon caught the wrath of a federal judge fed up with the seemingly endless parade of New Jersey politicians "hell-bent on corruption." For nearly five years after pleading guilty to corruption charges, former Ocean Township Mayor Terrance Weldon remained a free man by quietly cooperating with investigations against others. But when his day of reckoning came yesterday, Weldon caught the wrath of a federal judge fed up with the seemingly endless parade of New Jersey politicians "hell-bent on corruption." (Star-Ledger)

Could it be Lautenberg vs. Booker? With Democrats Rob Andrews, Frank Pallone and Steve Rothman unwilling to mount a primary challenge against the 83-year-old incumbent, could Booker be the guy who runs Wally Edge Blog

Wesley Lance dies, shaped constitution Former Republican state Sen. Wesley L. Lance of Hunterdon County, the last survivor of the 81 delegates to the historic NJ Constitutional Convention of 1947 that created the state's modern constitution, died Saturday. He was 98. (Star-Ledger)

Pennsylvania Environment

DEP fines Hercules Cement The Department of Environmental Protection announced today it has issued a $174,604 civil penalty against Hercules Cement Company in Stockertown Borough, Northampton County, for air quality violations between 2003 and 2006.

PPL Gas Utilities Announces Decrease in Gas Supply Rate PPL Gas Utilities’ 76,000 customers will see a decrease in their bills this fall. The company announced Friday (8/31) a
3 percent reduction in the rate customers pay for the gas supply portion of their bill. (PPL)

Hundreds protest wind turbines — Accusations flew and tempers flared Tuesday as hundreds of residents in Bedford and Somerset counties ordered Gamesa Energy to keep
wind turbines off Shaffer Mountain. (Altoona Mirror)

Cleaning up coal's bad rap Is coal becoming a dirty word? It's vilified as a contributor to global warming, risky to get out of the earth -- as recent deaths in a Utah coal mine have reminded us -- and responsible for destroying streams and valleys in Appalachia, where mountaintop removal mining remains extremely controversial. Meanwhile, pressure from environmental groups worried about climate change has forced utilities from North Carolina to Oregon to drop plans for about two dozen coal-fired power plants. NRG Energy CEO David Crane says that 'clean coal' has a future, despite what critics say. NRG Energy is looking to build the country's first big coal plant to capture and store carbon dioxide.

Pennsylvania Politics

Democratic offices searched in Harrisburg State investigators last week executed a search warrant on the Capitol basement headquarters of the Democratic Office of Legislative Research in a broadening investigation into whether state employees were used to run several political campaigns last year. (Post-Gazette)

Judge: Fumo can keep Sprague as lawyer A federal judge ruled today that State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, who faces 139 charges of federal fraud and obstruction of justice, can keep Richard A. Sprague as his lawyer. The decision means the scheduled trial of one of Pennsylvania's most powerful politicians, who had been represented by one of Philadelphia's most prominent lawyers, is likely to proceed as scheduled for February. (Inquirer)

Future of Pa. six-pack sales is now a case for justices The state Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Pennsylvanians will be able to walk into their local grocery or corner store and pick up a six-pack of beer along with toilet paper and a carton of milk.

New York/Region/World

California aims to save fish via poison The state's latest plan to rid Lake Davis of northern pike – and protect species downstream – raises concern.(Christian Science Monitor)

Sony Develops Bio-Battery Powered by Glucose Sony’s new bio-battery that uses the sugar in carbohydrates to generate electricity — as an example, the company demonstrated using a sports drink to power a small fan or a Walkman. (GreenBiz.com)

German Biodiesel Industry Peaks, Trouble Ahead Germany's biodiesel production capacity is set to rise to a record 5 million tons in 2007, but analysts have warned that the boom in the country's biodiesel industry is coming to an end after the industry failed to block the government from rolling back a key tax relief scheme in court this July. (Renewable Energy Weekly)