EnviroPolitics Blog: December 2010

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

NJ bill encourages energy conservation by businesses

Businesses that implement energy efficiency and conservation projects would be eligible for a credit against the Societal Benefits Charge (SBC) on their energy bills under A-2528 (Chivukula) which was passed by the New Jersey Assembly on December 13 and sent to the Senate.

In a bulletin to members today, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association explained:

"All New Jersey energy consumers pay an SBC surcharge based on the amount of electricity they consume. A portion of the money raised by the surcharge goes to pay for energy efficiency projects and renewable energy. Commercial and industrial energy users consume 64 percent of all electricity and are the largest contributors to this fund. NJBIA has long called for a more balanced distribution of funds that would allow companies undertaking energy-efficiency projects to receive a credit. The purpose of funding energy efficiency and conservation projects is to reduce the state’s energy demand and related carbon emissions. The return on investment for commercial and industrial projects is $11 for every $1 invested, compared with a 4 to 1 payback on residential projects."

Following Assembly passage, the legislation was referred to the Senate Energy and Environment Committee were a companion bill, S-2344, sponsored by committee chairman, Bob Smith, was assigned following its introduction on October 14.

Our most recent posts:
NJDEP overhauling its contaminated site cleanup rules
$1M in grants available for Marcellus Shale education
Corbett transition team tilts toward industry insiders?

GE told to dig deeper to remove PCBs from the Hudson

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Former diplomats discuss WikiLeaks at Princeton forum

If you are interested in the debate over the more than 1,000 diplomatic cables recently made public by WikiLeaks via the New York Times and other international media outlets, you're likely to find the video below to be of value.

It is a recording of a panel discussion held on December 14 at the Woodrow Wilson School on the campus of Princeton University.

The three presenters are former diplomats--all critical of the public disclosures of private correspondence between foreign embassies and the U.S. State Department.

They discuss the nature of diplomatic work, how intelligence is gathered and reported, how the disclosures are likely to impact future relations with foreign governments and how the nature of future reports from the diplomatic corps to Washington may change as a result of the disclosures.

Our most recent posts:
NJDEP overhauling its contaminated site cleanup rules
$1M in grants available for Marcellus Shale education
Corbett transition team tilts toward industry insiders?

GE told to dig deeper to remove PCBs from the Hudson

Thursday, December 23, 2010

NJDEP overhauling its contaminated site cleanup rules

If you are a New Jersey licensed site remediation professional or a business with an interest in a property that will require a cleanup, you'll want to pay close attention to the following excerpt from a recent news article published by the Gibbons law firm.

Department of Environmental Protection Invites Comments on
Major Overhaul of Rules Governing Clean-ups

By: Edward F. McTiernan, David A. Brooks and Uzoamaka N. Okoye

In 2009, faced with a staggering number of incomplete clean-ups and dwindling public resources, the New Jersey Legislature decided to try its hand at privatizing the clean-up process. The Site Remediation Reform Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10C-1, et seq. (“SRRA”) established a program whereby oversight of remediation is transferred from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) to private Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (“LSRPs”) over a period of three years.

Shortly after adoption of this statute NJDEP put in place (without public comment) an interim set of rules - the Administrative Requirements for the Remediation of Contaminated Sites (“ARRCS”) - which presently govern the private oversight of clean-ups as well as the transition of cases to LSRPs.

The ARRCS are due to expire in the spring of 2011 and NJDEP has been working to develop a proposal for final clean-up rules. On December 15, 2010, NJDEP posted a working draft of the proposed amendments to the ARRCS, the Industrial Site Recovery Act rules (“ISRA”) and the Underground Storage Tank rules (“UST”).

When formally promulgated, these new amendments will replace the interim rules and bring all of the various rules governing clean-ups into conformity with SRRA. There will be a formal comment and response period when the final proposed amendments are published in May 2011. The draft proposal can be found on the NJDEP’s website at http://www.nj.gov/dep/srp/regs/drafts/. Stakeholders are invited to submit comments by January 14, 2011.

Parties who are involved in the investigation, remediation and/or redevelopment of contaminated real estate may want to review this draft proposal to get a better sense of the issues presented by the use of LSRPs and an insight in NJDEP’s approach to SRRA. Anyone who has in the past worked with the Technical Requirements for Site Remediation may want to consider these rules and provide comments. Everyone who works with, or represents, responsible parties or deals with clean-up questions should stay tuned for the formal rule proposal in 2011. Read the entire Gibbons article here

Our most recent posts:
$1M in grants available for Marcellus Shale education
Corbett transition team tilts toward industry insiders?

GE told to dig deeper to remove PCBs from the Hudson

Yesterday's action on NJ environmental and energy bills
Enviro-Events Calendar for NJ, PA, DE & NY

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

$1M in grants available for Marcellus Shale education

The Colcom Foundation on Monday said it was setting up a new $1 million Marcellus Environmental Fund for grants to study or educate the public about the environmental impact of the expanding natural gas industry in Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

"There are a number of mixed messages out there right now" about Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling, said John Rohe, the foundation's vice president of philanthropy. "We need to know whether or how much this process might be affecting the ecology as well as the health of citizens of Western Pennsylvania."

The foundation, in its news release Monday, suggested areas of interest in Marcellus Shale could include public education, community engagement, best practices, baseline data collection, on-going monitoring, land owner guidance and collaborative projects.

The foundation's board of directors will award grants in two phases: the first for applications filed with Colcom by Jan. 14, to be awarded sometime in February; the second for applications filed by March 14, to be awarded in May.

Colcom, which was created by the late Cordelia S. May, heiress to the Mellon family fortune, has an environmental focus for its local grants. It targets overpopulation issues with its national grants and will disburse about $20 million in grants overall this year, Mr. Rohe said.

The foundation has previously given out individual, smaller grants related to Marcellus Shale drilling, including a 2009 grant to Carnegie Mellon University researchers to do a baseline survey of the Monongahela River watershed.

Our most recent posts:
Corbett transition team tilts toward industry insiders?

GE told to dig deeper to remove PCBs from the Hudson

Yesterday's action on NJ environmental and energy bills
Enviro-Events Calendar for NJ, PA, DE & NY
Obama says frack on, DRBC, but study, too

Monday, December 20, 2010

Corbett transition team tilts toward industry insiders?

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took a look at incoming Republican Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett's transition team and concluded yesterday that its membership tilts toward "insiders -- lobbyists, lawyers and industry types."

The Governor-elect's spokesman Kevin Harley insisted that the committees include "a cross-section of Pennsylvanians who are subject-matter experts and who were willing to serve on the committees."

Of the 377 members, 26 are minorities and 56 are women.

Corbett's Energy and Environmental Committee

The Post-Gazette says that "of the 29 members, just a handful represent environmental groups, while the rest come from the scrap industry, energy companies, a water and sewer utility, coal mining, gas drilling, the National Rifle Association and from lobbying and law firms that represent clients who often have business before state regulatory boards that the committee is meant to study."

"It's almost all lobbyists and industry executives," said Jan Jarrett, CEO of PennFuture, a prominent statewide environmental group with no representation on the transition team.

Ms. Jarrett noted that many of the committee members have business pending before the Department of Environmental Protection, the Public Utility Commission and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

"These are agencies that have to be independent watchdogs and these people picked to make recommendations about them either have business before them or will have business before them," she said. "The fact is it's hard to separate one's self-interest from the public interest, and there are very few public-interest advocates on the committee."

The committee, she said, will study how state agencies regulate the industries they work for.

"The industry standpoint is that Department of Environmental Protection regs are too burdensome, too expensive and too onerous. The very people making recommendations to the new governor are people who have an interest in lightening the touch of the regulatory arm," Ms. Jarrett said.

Read the full story here

Yesterday's action on NJ environmental and energy bills
Enviro-Events Calendar for NJ, PA, DE & NY
Obama says frack on, DRBC, but study, too

Susan Boyle recognized by Philadelphia SWEP group

Friday, December 17, 2010

GE told to dig deeper to remove PCBs from the Hudson

The EPA says that what General Electric thought was enough isn't when it comes to digging out PCBs from the Hudson River.

NBC New York's Brian Thompson reports today that:

After months of study, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has a better idea for cleaning up the Hudson River from New York City 200 miles north to Hudson Falls.

That entire length of the river has been classified a Superfund Site following decades of pollution with PCBs from two transformer plants operated by General Electric (the parent company of NBC New York) before the chemical was labeled a possible carcinogen, and before there were regulations for its disposal.

GE began dredging off a small stretch of the river at its most polluted point last summer in a Phase One test of the procedure after working for years with the EPA on the best way to effect the clean up.

Now, the EPA says Phase 2 dredging must go deeper in order to reduce the amount of PCB-laced silt that gets stirred up and floats downstream.

"We've said from the start that a clean Hudson is non-negotiable, and the path we have laid out today relies on the best science to ensure this dangerous pollution is addressed in an effective way," said EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck in a statement.

Here's a copy of the EPA's news release on the next phase of the Hudson River cleanup.

Related:
GE Cleanup of New York's Hudson River Must Release Fewer Toxins (Bloomberg)
GE Faces Tougher Requirements in Hudson River Cleanup (Wall Street Journal)

Our most recent posts:
Yesterday's action on NJ environmental and energy bills
Enviro-Events Calendar for NJ, PA, DE & NY
Obama says frack on, DRBC, but study, too

Susan Boyle recognized by Philadelphia SWEP group

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Yesterday's action on NJ environmental and energy bills

Interested in what happened to the environmental and energy legislation considered yesterday in committees of the the New Jersey Legislature?
See: Environmental & Energy bills in committee today in NJ

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

Environmental & Energy bills in committee today in NJ

Below is the lineup of environmental and energy legislation scheduled for votes in committees of the New Jersey State Legislature today, December 16, 2010.

For the most thorough coverage of environmental legislation in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, subscribe to our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics
It tracks all enviro-legislation--from introduction to enactment.
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ASSEMBLY TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND UTILITIES
12/16/10 10:00 AM
Committee Room 9, 3rd Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ

A-3139 Quijano, A. (D-20); DeAngelo, W.P. (D-14); Ramos Jr., R.J. (D-33

Permits development of solar and photovoltaic energy facilities and structures over landfills and quarries.

Related Bill: S-2126

A-3442 Chivukula, U.J. (D-17); McKeon, J.F. (D-27); Bramnick, J.M. (R-21); Greenwald, L.D.

Establishes a long-term capacity agreement pilot program to promote construction of qualified in-State electric generation facilities.

Related Bill: S-2381

S-2126 Whelan, J. (D-2); Haines, P.E. (R-8)

Permits development of solar and wind facilities and structures on landfills and quarries.

Related Bill: A-3139

S-2381 Smith, B. (D-17); Bateman, C. (R-16)

Establishes a long-term capacity agreement pilot program to promote construction of qualified in-State electric generation facilities.

Related Bill: A-3442

SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS
12/16/10 10:30 AM
Committee Room 4, 1st Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ

S-1914 Kyrillos, J.M. (R-13)

Streamlines process for State and local agency business permits related to economic development projects.

Related Bill: A-2853

S-2555 Smith, B. (D-17); Bateman, C. (R-16)

Authorizes various public entities to utilize competitive contracting procedures for certain energy savings improvement projects.

Related Bill: A-3605

ASSEMBLY BUDGET
12/16/10 12:00 Noon
Committee Room 11, 4th Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ

A-2853 Burzichelli, J.J. (D-3); Milam, M.W. (D-1); Albano, N.T. (D-1); Moriarty, P.D. (D-4); Giblin, T.P. (D-34)

Streamlines process for State and local agency business permits related to economic development projects.

Related Bill: S-6

A-3605 Oliver, S.Y. (D-34)

Authorizes various public entities to utilize competitive contracting procedures for certain energy savings improvement projects.

Related Bill: S-2555

For the most thorough coverage of environmental legislation in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, subscribe to our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics
It tracks all enviro-legislation--from introduction to enactment.
Try it now for 30 days without cost or obligation

Our most recent posts:
Obama says frack on, DRBC, but study, too
Susan Boyle recognized by Philadelphia SWEP group
Enviro-Events Calendar for NJ, PA, NY & DE

Is your town missing this energy-savings opportunity?
No Teddy Bear's Picnic Saturday in New Jersey

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Obama says frack on, DRBC, but study, too

"The Obama administration supports a full study of the effects of gas drilling in the watershed that provides drinking water for Philadelphia and New York City, but it doesn't want to wait until it's finished for drilling to begin."

Mike Soraghan of Greenwire broke the story yesterday in the New York Times' Green blog.

Gen. Peter "Duke" DeLuca of the Army Corps of Engineers outlined the position in a letter (pdf) written to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and released today.

The letter offers the first indication of the administration's position on gas drilling in the Northeast since the day after the Nov. 2 midterm election when President Obama highlighted gas drilling as a potential area of common ground with Republicans (Greenwire, Nov. 4).

DeLuca, the Army Corps' North Atlantic division engineer, is the federal representative on the Delaware River Basin Commission, which is developing regulations for gas drilling in eastern Pennsylvania and upstate New York.

Hinchey and local environmentalists want the commission to keep its drilling moratorium until its staff does a "cumulative impacts" study, a process that could take years. Drilling supporters want the commission to move ahead as quickly as possible and dislike that the commission has blocked drilling in Pennsylvania while drilling continues rapidly in the rest of the state.

DeLuca's letter, dated Nov. 24, received by Hinchey yesterday and released today, says that he has consulted extensively with other agencies and developed an administration position on drilling in the 13,539-square-mile watershed.

"The administration's position is to continue fully supporting the need for a cumulative impact study," DeLuca wrote. "Simultaneously, all these agencies support the DRBC's decision to develop and release draft natural gas regulations."

What do you think about the Obama administration's approach? Let us know in the comment box below. If one isn't visible, click on the tiny 'comments' link to activate it.

Our most recent posts:
Susan Boyle recognized by Philadelphia SWEP group
Enviro-Events Calendar for NJ, PA, NY & DE

Is your town missing this energy-savings opportunity?
No Teddy Bear's Picnic Saturday in New Jersey

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Susan Boyle recognized by Philadelphia SWEP group

Susan Boyle, a Senior Practice Leader at GEI Consultants, Inc, has been recognized as the 2010 Touchstone Award recipient by the Greater Philadelphia Society of Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP).

The award is presented in recognition of women who have made or are making a significant contribution to the environmental field.

As the former New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Assistant Commissioner, National Brownfields Association chief operating officer, and current member of the New Jersey Licensed Site Remediation Association Board of Directors, Ms. Boyle was recognized for her leadership, expertise and experience in the environmental field for more than 25 years.

Prior to joining GEI, Ms. Boyle spent many years as a familiar figure within the New Jersey environmental arena where she developed a reputation for effectively managing conflicts, producing successful forums for the discussion of public policy, and for supporting both colleagues and initiatives.

The Touchstone Awards are an integral part of Greater Philadelphia SWEP’s mission to support and promote the leadership and achievement of women professionals in the environmental field.

Touchstone Award recipients are distinguished by their professional commitment, leadership, and achievement from all areas of environmental practice, including government, private industry, and non-profit sectors. Ms. Boyle received her award on November 4l in a ceremony marking the 15^th anniversary of the Touchstone Awards.

Related:
A Tribute to the Touchstones

Our most recent posts:
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Is your town missing this energy-savings opportunity?
No Teddy Bear's Picnic Saturday in New Jersey
NJ officials on the hot seat over winter energy program

Environmental and energy bills up for votes in Trenton

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Is your town missing this energy-savings opportunity?

Fewer than half of New Jersey municipalities have applied for no-match federal grants to help make energy efficiency upgrades. The deadline is fast approaching.

The deadline is Dec. 31, 2010 for New Jersey counties and municipalities to cash in on
a great opportunity to get a federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.

You'd think that at a time when local governments are so strapped for funding that they
would be all over this opportunity to win (no-match) funding for energy improvements that
can produce sizable cost savings year after year.

But, although 512 local governments are eligible for the grants, only a few
over 200 have applied.

Below is a copy of the reminder memo sent to local mayors by NJ State League of Municipalities Executive Director Bill Dressel. Give it a read and check with your county
or town to see if they're working on their application. Time's almost up....
________________________________________________________________________

December 10, 2010
Re: Update on Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants
Deadline of December 31, 2010 is approaching

Dear Mayor:

On behalf of Board of Public Utilities President Lee A. Solomon, I wanted to bring to your attention that of the 512 counties and municipalities eligible for the $20,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) only a little over 200 have submitted an application. The deadline for this valuable grant is December 31, 2010 and there are no matching requirements.

The EECBG rebates of up to $20,000, funded through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), are being administered through the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ (BPU) Clean Energy Program (NJCEP). In addition, the BPU’s Direct Install initiative covers 60% of energy efficiency upgrade costs up to $50,000 per project with a $250,000 cap per entity. When used in conjunction with Direct Install, the combination of program incentives with the block grant means local governments can receive up to $50,000 of energy efficiency measures for free ($30,000 from Direct Install plus $20,000 from EECBG). Many participants are using the funds to replace heating and cooling equipment and lighting systems with new technology and are looking forward to recurring savings on their utility bills.

The BPU has created a grant process that is simple and fast, with staff available to guide you. The Clean Energy Program’s website has a list of eligible municipalities and counties. Additionally, towns that have not applied for their free upgrades are highlighted in red and can be found at: http://www.njcleanenergy.com/commercial-industrial/programs/eecbg-eligible-entities.

New Jersey's Clean Energy Program offers local governments a number of opportunities to save energy and lower utility bills. Taking advantage of Direct Install and combining it with the EECBG rebate program has the potential to cut expenses dramatically, often with zero net cost and an immediate payback.

Again, the EECBG is available with NO MATCH to qualifying counties and municipalities that apply by December 31st. I encourage you to take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the EECBG process and reach out to representatives at 866-NJSMART, ext. 4.

Very truly yours,

William G. Dressel, Jr.
Executive Director
________________________________________________________________________

Our most recent posts:
No Teddy Bear's Picnic Saturday in New Jersey
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NJ officials on the hot seat over winter energy program

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Enviro-Events Calendar for NJ, PA, DE & NY

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Monday, December 20, 2010

Friday, December 17, 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Saturday, December 11, 2010

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