BAYONNE - The future of thousands of port workers and billions of dollars in commerce could be decided on Friday, when the U.S. Coast Guard says it will issue a decision on a proposal to raise the Bayonne Bridge roadway.

On Wednesday, more than a week before the target date for the decision, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey awarded the main contract for the bridge project at the direction of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who share control of the bi-state agency.

The kids at Demarest Elementary School in Bloomfield could teach Gov. Chris Christie a thing or two about climate change.

Their school just won first place in a national contest by cutting its energy use in half. And it wasn't that hard. They did stuff like turn off the heat on weekends and nights, fix leaky windows and unplug fax machines overnight. Simple measures saved more than $70,000 in the first year, about enough to pay a starting teacher's salary and benefits.

In the fight against climate change, this is the easy pickin's. It's much cheaper than matching the same results by building a windmill or solar farm.

Several bills before the Senate Environment and Energy Committee had the support of the environmental community, including a measure that would allow counties to take over maintenance of beaches if the local towns agree. 

"All we want to do is put the plate on the table," said Committee Chair Bob Smith, D-Middlesex. 

"It's really a much better system," said Jeff Tittel of New Jersey's Sierra Club, citing how beaches are operated and maintained in southern California.