Energy/Recycling News
New Jersey Weighs Charging Recycling Deposit on Drink Bottles, By Terrence Dopp, 05/13/08. Published in the Bloomberg News.
May 13 (Bloomberg) -- New Jersey, often conjuring images of a dumping ground for garbage and industrial waste, would become the 12th U.S. state to impose refundable deposits on drink containers under legislation aimed at boosting recycling.
The measure is modeled after a deposit law in Michigan, which has a 97 percent recycling rate for glass bottles and aluminum cans. New Jersey's rate has dipped to 32 percent from a peak of 50 percent in the 1990s, said state Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, sponsor of the so-called Smart Container Act.
David Pringle, campaign director for the New Jersey Environmental Federation, compared the opposition to bottle deposits by retailers and soft drink makers to initial resistance by car manufacturers to the mandates of seat belts and catalytic converters.
"They can't handle change, and they're more concerned with special interests than the public interest," Pringle said.
Embrace the environment and fight global warming. Three-day expo starting today at Liberty State Park, 04/25/08. By Diego Cupolo. Published by Star Ledger
By using a reclaimed industrial site for one of New Jersey's biggest ever Earth Day celebrations, Ralph Izzo of Public Service Enterprise Group is hoping to make a statement about urban renewal, sustainability and the impact individuals can have in the fight against climate change.
The PSEG Global Green Expo kicks off today and runs through Sunday at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The event will feature a lineup of celebrity speakers and more than 125 exhibitors showcasing eco-friendly products, services and environmental information.
Though environmental groups have applauded PSEG's efforts in raising environmental awareness, members of Environment New Jersey, the Sierra Club and New Jersey Environmental Federation gathered at Liberty State Park yesterday to ask PSEG to reduce the amount of pollution emitted from the utility's Hudson Generating Station, one of the dirtiest coal plants in the Northeast.
Environmentalists Won't Accept Defeat. By Colleen Diskin, 02/1/08. Published by The Record.
After failing last year, environmentalists are again pushing energy conservation bills in the state Legislature. One measure, approved by an Assembly committee this week, would set higher efficiency standards for new buildings constructed in the state.
A second would do the same for certain electrical products and appliances sold here. David Pringle, a lobbyist for the New Jersey Environmental Federation, said the bill would help rather than hurt homebuyers because energy-efficient buildings, even if more expensive initially, would result in reduced power and heating costs.
"All of these efficiencies would pay for themselves over time," Pringle said. The two measures need to pass if Governor Corzine hopes to achieve his pledge to enact policies that would lead to an 80 percent reduction of heat-trapping emissions by mid-century, Pringle said.
Electronic equipment recycling mandatory. By Richard Pearsall, 01/26/08. Published by Courier-Post.
New Jersey joined nine other states this week in mandating the makers of computers, televisions and other electronic gear pay to collect and recycle them. The measure, signed into law by Gov. Jon Corzine, takes effect in 2010.
"This law makes it illegal to dump these electronics in the trash after January 2010," said David Pringle, legislative director for the N.J. Environmental Federation. "Too many televisions, computers, printers, monitors and other electronics end up in New Jersey's landfills and incinerators, which is a tremendous waste, as well as a threat to the environment." Computers contain a number of heavy metals, including lead and mercury, that are hazardous
Environmentalists won't accept defeat. By Colleen Diskin, 01/1/08. Published by The Record.
After failing last year, environmentalists are again pushing energy conservation bills in the state Legislature.
One measure, approved by an Assembly committee this week, would set higher efficiency standards for new buildings constructed in the state. A second would do the same for certain electrical products and appliances sold here.
The bill concerning new construction would authorize the Department of Community Affairs to set new building codes that require energy-saving windows, insulation, and heating and air conditioning systems.
That measure stalled in the Senate last year after concerns were raised by the building industry. On Monday, the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee approved sending it to the full chamber for consideration.
David Pringle, a lobbyist for the New Jersey Environmental Federation, said the bill would help rather than hurt homebuyers because energy-efficient buildings, even if more expensive initially, would result in reduced power and heating costs.
"All of these efficiencies would pay for themselves over time," Pringle said.
Climate change brings calls for new nuclear plants, By Jeff Montgomery, 1/4/2008, Originally published in Gannet News Service.
Patricia Anderson has spent years living with an up-close, backyard view of the Salem/Hope Creek nuclear plant across the Delaware River from her home in Bayview Beach, the Delaware neighborhood nearest to South Jersey's three nuclear reactors.
Now, Anderson wants a guarantee that everything -- including the public risk -- will be different if Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), a $28 billion energy and energy services company, seeks to add a fourth reactor on Artificial Island, some 2 1/2 miles across the water from her house.
Some say the nuclear energy industry is poised for a renaissance, triggered by recent congressional enactment of hefty nuclear industry subsidies, by advances in technology proponents say finally make nuclear power safe, and by demand for alternatives to fossil fuels that has softened public opinion about nuclear power. Nuclear plants generate electricity without releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide, which has been tied to rising global temperatures.
Some still aren't comfortable with nuclear power. Although PSEG hasn't gotten further than studying whether to put a next-generation reactor on Artificial Island, Jane Nogaki, who represents the New Jersey Environmental Federation and Clean Water Action, already is mustering the opposition.
"The energy is very expensive, and the waste has significant disposal problems that will loom far into the future," Nogaki said. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission received seven reactor license applications in 2007 -- the first since a partial meltdown in 1979 at Three Mile Island, near Harrisburg, Pa., spoiled the nation's appetite for nuclear power.
Another 14 applications are expected this year, NRC officials say. More could follow if Congress expands the Energy Policy Act of 2005, a law that amounted to an industry lifeline. Lawmakers used the measure to deliver $13 billion in incentives for nuclear plant construction, including hefty tax breaks, liability caps on catastrophic accidents and insurance against losses caused by regulatory review delays.
Key questions delay N.J.'s Energy Master Plan, by Jim Wright, 1/7/2008. Originally published on NorthJersey.com
A long-awaited plan that charts how the state will meet its future energy needs has hit major snags.
New Jersey's Energy Master Plan, expected to provide the road map for Governor Corzine's ambitious efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, is mired in debate within his administration.
Major stumbling blocks include whether the state needs another nuclear power plant in Salem County, how much generating capacity is needed from natural gas and coal, and how energy efficiency and renewable energy sources fit into the mix.
"How much power we produce, where, and what kind of power -- those are the three questions the energy master plan is all about," said David Pringle of the NJ Environmental Federation. "The answers have a huge cost in terms of the average citizen's health and pocketbook."
The master plan is the cornerstone of the governor's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent during the next 12 years. Those cuts, among the highest in the nation, were outlined in the state's Global Warming Response Act, which the governor championed last year. Because power plants are among the largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions, the state needs to find a way to meet increasing energy demand while cutting pollution.
Although Corzine wants to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the state's energy needs keep increasing. Some within the administration are calling for new power plants to meet that demand. Others press for stronger energy conservation, efficiency and renewable sources such as wind and solar.
Although state law requires a new energy master plan every 10 years and updates every three years, a new plan was last formulated in 1991 and last updated in 1995.
Pringle said he had heard last week that the plan would be released in March -- following several previous postponements.
"In early December, it was going to be around the holidays," he said. "In September, it was going to be in November. A year ago, it was supposed to be last September."
Environmentalists are also concerned because legislation in support of Corzine's global warming goals have also hit snags. Many complain that a bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was rewritten to give too much leeway to polluters -- to the point where green-energy advocates are urging lawmakers to amend it or oppose it when it comes up for a final vote today.
Plan to reduce greenhouse gas called a sellout, 1/4/2008, By Alex Nussbaum. Originally published on NorthJersey.com
A parade of business groups, consumer advocates and environmentalists panned New Jersey's plan to crack down on greenhouse gas emissions Thursday, criticizing it as too weak, too expensive or too generous to power companies.
But the bill passed the Senate and Assembly appropriations committees in Trenton, setting the stage for final votes in the full Legislature on Monday.
The legislation would allow New Jersey to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, an effort by 10 northeastern states to cut emissions from power plants, one of the chief sources of greenhouse gasses.
RGGI (pronounced Reggie) would require utilities to pay the state for each ton of pollution they emit.
The state would use that revenue -- projected to be $40 million or more annually -- to support energy efficiency, renewable energy projects such as solar and wind and other efforts aimed at reducing electricity production and thus cutting emissions.
But who should pay for their pollution and who gets a cut of the revenues stoked more than four hours of debate on Thursday.
"The bill as drafted takes a good idea and turns it on its head," said David Pringle, a lobbyist with the New Jersey Environmental Federation. "The loopholes in this bill allow some polluters to pay less, some polluters to pay nothing at all and some polluters to actually get paid."
The most controversial provision Thursday was "Section 13," a passage that could allow utilities to raise electric rates for customers even if electricity use declines. Jackson and other supporters said that was necessary to get power producers on board with encouraging energy efficiency.
Wind power study to proceed, By Richard Pearsall, Courier-Post, 11/13/2007.
Originally published in the Courier Post.
Cape Cod said no last month to offshore wind turbines, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime advocate of clean energy, casting his lot with those who said the towers would ruin the view and threaten birds crossing the Nantucket Sound.
New Jersey, on the other hand, is moving ahead with all due speed to develop wind power off the Jersey Shore, having concluded, apparently, it is unlikely to meet its renewable energy goals without this source.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has contracted for a $4.5 million study to tell it where, in a vast stretch of sea extending from Seaside Park to Stone Harbor, wind turbines would have the least impact on birds, dolphins and other ocean creatures.
More significantly, perhaps, the state Board of Public Utilities has at the same time gone out for bids from developers to build a pilot project -- a wind farm of up to 80 turbines -- somewhere in that same expanse of ocean that extends 72 miles along the coast and 20 miles out to sea.
Meanwhile the DEP's study is expected to begin in January and last for 18 months, with a final draft report due in September 2009.
Given the length of time it will take a developer to do all the studies and get all the permits required, Lawlor said, it is better for the BPU to move concurrently with the DEP rather than wait for its study's completion.
Other environmental groups support offshore wind farms and concur with Lawlor's view.
"I think the two are reinforcing each other," the New Jersey Environmental Federation's David Pringle said of the initiatives by the DEP and BPU.
The DEP study, to be carried out by Geo-Marine Inc., of Dallas, should "answer a lot of questions," Pringle said. "We're going to know a lot more about this than we do about other, land-based alternatives."
Study to assess windmills on N.J. coast, By Michael Rispoli, 11/13/2007.
Originally Published by The Daily Journal
TRENTON -- A large swath off the New Jersey coast will be studied beginning in January to assess wildlife density where offshore windmill farms may be built as an alternative energy source, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
The 18-month survey will focus on the 70 or so miles of coastline between Stone Harbor in Cape May County and Seaside Park in Ocean County, and extend as far as 23 miles offshore.
The survey will compile information on the activity of birds, sea mammals and sea turtles in the zone, as well as evaluate the impact of turbines on natural resources in the area, such as reefs and sand bars. The goal is to determine what portions of the area are most suitable to host windmills, said Gary Buchanan, the DEP's project manager.
"There is limited data once you move a few nautical miles offshore. These are the large data gaps this study is designed to fill," Buchanan said.
The survey has drawn some questions from groups concerned with marine life. Jennifer C. Samson, principal scientist for Clean Ocean Action, said she was concerned the state was acting hastily by "giving out money before we get the results."
"The timing seems like a poor choice," Samson said.
Although the evaluation process is being questioned, wind energy is "pivotal" to the future of alternative energy sources because it is "clean and renewable," said Dave Pringle, campaign director for the New Jersey Environmental Federation.
PSEG has a $700M plan to cut emissions, By Alex Nussbaum, 07/20/2007.
Originally published in theBergen Record.
PSEG Power will spend more than $700 million to cut pollution from its big Jersey City power plant -- a move that should improve air quality in Bergen County and beyond.
The company announced Thursday that it will upgrade the coal-fired plant over the next three years, rather than close it. The federal government's been pressuring PSEG to clean up the plant, calling it one of the dirtiest in the metropolitan area.
One environmental activist welcomed the health benefits the cleaner air will bring. Still, he noted the changes at the Hudson Generating Station will do little to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions. The plant is one of the region's largest sources of that pollutant, which scientists blame for raising temperatures worldwide.
Tackling global warming "will necessitate an end to reliance on coal and it would have been easier to meet that goal if PSEG had more vision on this particular site," said David Pringle, a lobbyist for the New Jersey Environmental Federation...
Can Live Earth lead to a better N.J.? By Jean Stevens, 07/06/07.
Originally published in theHerald News.
EAST RUTHERFORD -- With one of the most-publicized, most- televised and most-star-studded environmental events of the past decade arriving Saturday, at least one area activist worries it will provide much fanfare but little action to improve New Jersey waterways, air quality and land.
Live Earth New York at Giants Stadium will be one of seven concerts held that day in cities including Tokyo, London and Johannesburg, South Africa, to raise awareness of environmental issues, especially global warming.
But Ella Filippone, director of the Passaic River Coalition, expressed disappointment that no one invited her group to the concert, or notified her of it. She doubts it will bring about change in the area.
Jeff Tittle, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, an event sponsor, disagrees. He said the concert will provide ideas for things people can do in their everyday lives, such as forgoing Styrofoam products and campaigning in their home towns for local causes.
"One person, one neighborhood, one community, that's how it happens," Tittle said. "Every time you drive around New Jersey and see a piece of open space, it's because someone worked to save it. We are making progress. It's good to celebrate and move forward."
The concert will energize people, Tittle added, and educate others who may have been unaware of environmental issues.
"Music crosses all lines, so anytime you can use music to promote the environment, to reach people, it's great," said Peggi Sturmfels, program organizer of the New Jersey Environmental Federation. "It certainly is our hope that (through the concert) we can get more folks out there on the ground and become advocates for the environment in their community."
New Jersey has been lauded recently as a forerunner in the nation's fight against global warming, with Gov. Jon S. Corzine scheduled to sign the Global Warming Response Act -- a bill that would require a 20 percent reduction in global-warming pollution by 2020 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050 -- at Giants Stadium on Saturday.
NJ enacts long-reaching anti-global warming law, By Angela Delli Santi, 07/06/07.
Originally published by theAssociated Press.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Al Gore, the former vice president turned environmental activist, was on hand Friday as Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed legislation requiring the Garden State to achieve ambitious reductions in emissions of global-warming gases.
New Jersey became the third state, behind California and Hawaii, to pass a comprehensive greenhouse gas reduction law.
"In order to inspire hope and build the enthusiasm necessary to get this crisis solved, it's great to be able to tell 'em in every country that yes, the national government is not doing the right thing yet, it's true, but you need to know that state governments are beginning to take the lead, cities are beginning to take the lead, and citizens of this country are beginning to take the lead," Gore told an enthusiastic crowd of lawmakers and environmental activists who had come to the Meadowlands sports complex to witness the bill signing.
The signing of New Jersey's "Global Warming Response Act" took place on the eve of a series of concerts around the world drawing attention to global warming, including one at The Meadowlands in New Jersey that Gore said he would attend.
The legislation requires the state to reduce global warming gases to 1990 levels by 2020, and to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions do not exceed 80 percent of 2006 levels by 2050.
"This is the strictest global warming law in the country for two reasons," said David Pringle, campaign director of the New Jersey Environmental Federation. "Because of the mandatory emissions reductions and because of a provision that says out-of-state power producers can't move power through New Jersey without meeting New Jersey standards."
"Vice President Gore has done more than anyone to promote awareness of global warming, and I thank him for his tremendous leadership and advocacy," Corzine said. "I am proud that he will be in New Jersey to witness the signing of this legislation, which places into state law my executive order calling for some of the most sweeping reductions in greenhouse emissions in the nation."
N.J. takes global warming initiative, 06/27/07.
Originally published in the Ocean County Observer.
The New Jersey Legislature Thursday passed the Global Warming Response Act, which requires a mandatory reduction in New Jersey's global warming pollution to below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below current levels by 2050.
When Gov. Jon S. Corzine signs the bill, it will make New Jersey the first state in the nation to mandate a 2050 limit on global warming pollution.
"Global warming is the most urgent environmental issue in our lifetime," said Sen. Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex, the bill's sponsor. "
The bill embraces the limits scientists say are necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
Utilizing more clean and renewable energy sources is sure to be part of the plan, especially in the transportation and electricity fields, according to Environment New Jersey, one of the organizations — along with the Sierra Club of New Jersey, the New Jersey Environmental Federation, the New Jersey Audubon Society and the New Jersey Climate March — who worked to gather support for the bill all over the state.
New Jersey is especially vulnerable to the negative effects of global warming.
Rising water levels could devastate the Jersey Shore, severe flooding could wreak havoc in many parts of the state, and unusually hot temperatures could present serious health risks, especially for the ill and elderly...
Federal plan to avert blackouts suggests power lines across N.J., By Tom Baldwin, May 24, 2007.
Originally published by the Gannet State Bureau.
NEW YORK--The U.S. Department of Energy heard sharply conflicting testimony Wednesday on a plan to try to avert blackouts and other power failures by rewiring parts of the nation -- including perhaps all of New Jersey -- with new power lines to increase the capacity to traffic electricity.
Business interests generally favor the plan, called "National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors," while community and environmental groups oppose the plan to add two national pathways of power transmission, one in the East and one in the West.
The federal plan calls for two national corridors, one running northeast from northern Virginia into New York state, including all 21 counties in New Jersey and a second covering parts of California, Arizona and Nevada.
The hearing was dominated by testimony from New Yorkers, both for and against the proposal. New Jersey environmentalists have criticized the plan but most didn't go to the hearing in midtown Manhattan.
"We don't need to be importing more dirty power from the Midwest," said David Pringle of the New Jersey Environmental Federation in an interview. He didn't attend the hearing.
"These huge, new power lines will cut a swath of destruction through the Highlands and Pinelands, destroying thousands of acres of open space,"the Sierra Club said in a statement...
Congregants dedicated to saving the planet, By Todd Bates, 04/28/07.
Originally published by the Asbury Park Press.
Since 2003, they've slashed energy use, shunned pesticides and embraced "green" paper and cleaning products at their meetinghouse.
Now, members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County in Middletown are being encouraged to reduce their carbon footprints. And the goal is to have zero footprints at the meetinghouse.
A carbon footprint, according to www.carbonfootprint.com, is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced. Measurements are made in units of carbon dioxide.
Congregation president John Hoffman said he believes that climate change is "the great religious or ethical challenge of our time."
Members such as Richard and Elaine Held of Bradley Beach already have taken steps to reduce their energy use and carbon footprint. They have a hybrid car, solar panels on their roof, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, and low-energy compact fluorescent bulbs.
Middletown resident Lynn Dash, who co-chairs the Green Sanctuary Committee along with Irene Gibson of Holmdel, said she has a solar hot-water heater at her home.
Amy Goldsmith of Red Bank, a congregation member and state director of the New Jersey Environmental Federation, said she has a hybrid car...
Not On Board For Fare Hikes, 03/12/07.
Originally published as a NJBIZ biz brief.
The Sierra Club, the New Jersey Environmental Federation and the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group said a fare hike would also run counter to the governor’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These would increase if more people abandoned public transit and returned to using automobiles.
The proposed increase would be the third fare hike in the last five years for a total jump of 33 percent—twice the rate of inflation—according to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. Meanwhile, the state’s gas tax and tolls have not been raised in more than 15 years...
Environmentalists, legislators address global warming fears, 01/31/07.
Originally published by the Associated Press.
These are a few of the scenarios laid out Wednesday by proponents of state legislation aimed at reducing emissions of carbon dioxide _ widely referred to as greenhouse gases _ that they blame for an increase in global temperatures, melting of polar ice caps and rising sea levels.
"Global warming is a threat to the very existence of mankind," said Assemblywoman Linda Stender, D-Union, who, along with Sen. Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex, is sponsoring the Global Warming Response Act.
"Long Beach Island is basically gone," said David Pringle, from the New Jersey Environmental Federation. "There are real-life impacts here in New Jersey."
