Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.

Dismiss

GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS 040625

1 view

Skip to first unread message

GSENet

unread,

Jun 25, 2004, 12:43:17 AM6/25/04

040625

GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

TABLE OF CONTENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{*} MCGREEVEY CALLS UPON BUSH TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH
{*} BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S GLOBAL WARMING POLICY CHALLENGED
{*} NJPIRG ASKS YOU TO HELP REDUCE MERCURY POLLUTION
{*} PUBLIC COMMENT SOUGHT FOR EPA PARTICULATE MATTER RESEARCH
{*} BENEFITS OF RECYCLING CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION DEBRIS
{*} IN SPRINGFIELD, TURNING GARBAGE INTO PROFITS
{*} BAYONNE - MORE CLEANUP IS COMPLETED AT MOT
{*} BRICK MAYOR ENDORSES CLEAN OCEAN ACTION PROPOSAL
{*} STATE CHIDES HUNTERDON OVER FARM DEALS
{*} BURLCO PURCHASES 300-ACRE GREENBERG FARM IN MANSFIELD
{*} POPULATION CONTINUES TO BOOM IN S.J. SUBURBS
{*} PRESERVE LUPPATATONG CREEK IN KEYPORT
{*} WWF, NASA MAP HUMAN CONSUMPTION OF EARTH'S RESOURCES
{*} MEADOWLANDS UNVEILS ECO-TOURISM PLAN
{*} STATE TO FUND VISTA RIVER WALK
{*} PRINCETON TOWNSHIP SETTLES HARASSMENT LAWSUIT
{*} USGBC-NJ - STORMWATER AND ECOCOMPLEX TOUR - JUL 15

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

MCGREEVEY CALLS UPON BUSH TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH

Date: 24 Jun 2004
From: "depnews depnews" {dep...@dep.state.nj.us

GOVERNOR CITES NEW STUDY AS FURTHER EVIDENCE OF NEED TO REDUCE MERCURY

June 23, 2004

Trenton - Governor James E. McGreevey today sent a letter to
President George W. Bush reiterating the need for meaningful federal
regulations to reduce and control mercury emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency's 2002 Toxic Release Inventory
released yesterday, revealed a 10 percent rise in mercury emissions
nationwide. The report underscores the need for tougher mercury
standards and bolsters the Governor's opposition to the Bush
Administration's plans to delay reducing mercury pollution from power
plants until 2018.

The text of the letter is below:

- - -

June 23, 2004

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Once again, I am writing to urge you to revisit your plans to delay
reducing mercury emissions until 2018.

As you know, the recently released Environmental Protection Agency's
2002 Toxic Release Inventory reveals a 10 percent rise in mercury
emissions nationwide. I find this particularly disturbing. If, as
alleged by several environmental groups, industries are underreporting
toxic emissions, this trend may be even more alarming.

Mercury is a persistent, toxic chemical that poses significant risks
to young children and developing fetuses. Even exposure to low levels
can permanently damage the brain and nervous system and cause
behavioral changes. Scientists estimate that up to 60,000 children may
be born annually in the United States with neurological problems
leading to poor school performance because of mercury exposure.

Earlier this year your administration proposed regulations for
controlling mercury emissions. Yet these standards fall far short of
Clean Air Act requirements and fail to limit emissions enough to
protect the health of our children adequately. Despite the EPA's
claims to the contrary, technology exists today that allows industries
to meet more stringent mercury limits.

Given your lack of environmental leadership, states across our
country are being forced to act alone in limiting mercury emissions to
protect both their own residents as well as downwind states.

In New Jersey, my administration is adopting regulations that will
reduce mercury emissions by up to 90 percent and lead to a 1,500-pound
decrease in annual emissions. Other states, such as Connecticut,
Massachusetts and Wisconsin, have adopted similar measures to protect
communities from this harmful toxic.

We continue to wait for needed action by your administration to
protect public health. Reducing these harmful mercury emissions must
be a national priority, and it requires action now.

With all good wishes,
James E. McGreevey
Governor

* * *

Contact: Micah Rasmussen, 609-777-2600

State of New Jersey Governor's Office
POB 004
Trenton NJ 08625

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S GLOBAL WARMING POLICY CHALLENGED

Date: 040624
From: http://environment.about.com/

STATES, CONSERVATION GROUPS FILE BRIEF CHALLENGING
BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S GLOBAL WARMING POLICY

Earthjustice, June 24, 2004

Washington, DC - A coalition including 11 states and 14 environmental
groups today filed a brief in a case challenging the Bush
administration's continued failure to confront global warming. The
plaintiffs are targeting the Environmental Protection Agency's
unprecedented ruling that summarily disavowed the agency's long-
standing Clean Air Act authority to regulate global warming emissions.
The states, cities, and groups challenged EPA's decision in the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.

"EPA's policy reversal is a crude attempt by the Bush administration
to tie its own hands, and then claim that it is powerless to address
the critical issue of global warming," said David Bookbinder,
Washington Legal Director for the Sierra Club.

On August 28, 2003, EPA officials reversed long-standing policy with
an administrative ruling that denied authority to control heat-
trapping emissions like carbon dioxide, claiming they do not meet the
Clean Air Act definition of a "pollutant." The ruling came in response
to a 1999 petition by the International Center for Technology
Assessment, Greenpeace, and other environmental organizations asking
the EPA to comply with the law, which requires the agency to protect
Americans against all harmful pollutants, including emissions that
damage the climate.

"The Bush administration tried to say yet again that it's not their
job to fight global warming. In fact they have both the legal and
moral responsibility to tackle global warming pollution," said
Bookbinder.

After many delays, the EPA eventually opened a public comment period
on the petition, receiving approximately 50,000 comments-the vast
majority supporting the call for action against global warming. More
than three years later, however, the Bush administration had still
refused to act. In 2002, the groups sued the EPA for its failure to
respond, which led to the decision being challenged.

"When emissions contribute to air pollution that may endanger public
health and welfare, the Clean Air Act requires EPA to step in," said
Earthjustice attorney Howard Fox, co-counsel for Sierra Club in this
suit. "By taking a pass on global warming emissions, EPA is evading a
clear duty to act against a serious air pollution menace."

Today's filing come on the heels of the California Air Resources
Board's draft rule that would implement a state law requiring
automobile makers to reduce global warming emissions from new cars and
light trucks beginning in 2009. Inaction by the Bush administration
has forced states to take the lead in reducing global warming
pollution. California is leading the way to curbing global warming
emissions, with seven Northeastern states planning to implement the
California rules when they become final.

States, territories, and other governments challenging the EPA's
decision are American Samoa, the City of Baltimore, California,
California Air Resources Board, Connecticut, the District of Columbia,
Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, the
City of New York, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Rhode Island,
Vermont, and Washington.

Environmental groups joining the challenge are Bluewater Network,
Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, Conservation
Law Foundation, Environmental Advocates, Environmental Defense,
Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace USA, International Center for
Technology Assessment, National Environmental Trust, Natural Resources
Defense Council, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, and U.S.
Public Interest Research Group.

- - -

Read the brief online here:
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/documents/6-04/globalwarmingbrief.pdf

Contact:
Brian O'Malley, Sierra Club, 202-675-6279
Tim Greeff, Earthjustice, 202-667-4500 x 238

* * *

Brian Smith
Western/International Press Secretary
Earthjustice
426 17th Street 6th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612-2820
PHONE: 510.550.6714
FAX: 510.550.6740
bsm...@earthjustice.org
http://www.earthjustice.org

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

NJPIRG ASKS YOU TO HELP REDUCE MERCURY POLLUTION

Date: 24 Jun 2004
From: "Dena Mottola, NJPIRG Executive Director" {De...@njpirg.org}

Dear NJPIRG supporter,

I want to thank everyone who called and asked their U.S.
Representative to sign on to the mercury letter being circulated by
U.S. Representatives Thomas Allen (ME) and Jim Cooper (TN) calling on
the EPA and the Bush administration to strengthen its weak mercury
plan. Your calls are making a difference, and a number of
representatives have signed on to the mercury letter.

We're also asking the U.S. Senate to get involved. We think more
Congressional oversight is needed, and are calling on the U.S. Senate
to take action to reduce mercury pollution.

BACKGROUND

Mercury is a dangerous toxic metal that can cause severe neurological
and developmental problems in fetuses and very young children whose
brains are still developing. People are exposed to mercury mainly by
eating fish. The EPA and forty-three states have now issued advisories
warning people, especially women and children, to avoid or limit
eating local fish because of mercury. But even with these warnings,
the EPA's scientists estimate that 1 out of 6 U.S. women of
childbearing age has levels of mercury in her blood that are unsafe
for developing fetuses. This means that as many as 630,000 children
are born every single year at risk of neurological problems due to
mercury exposure.

The best way to protect women and children from mercury is to
eliminate it from its largest source: power plants. Smokestacks spew
mercury pollution into the air, where it rains and snows down into our
waterways, accumulating in fish and making them unsafe to eat.
Amazingly, power plants have yet to be regulated for mercury pollution
under federal clean air standards, and the electric and coal
industries are pressing hard to avoid limiting their mercury
emissions.

After years of work by us and other public health advocates, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now under a deadline to
reduce the dangers of mercury from power plants. Two years ago, the
EPA's own scientists said current technologies could achieve a 90
percent reduction of mercury from power plants. But last December, the
EPA put forward a weak proposal that would, in effect, treat power
plant mercury emissions as non-toxic air pollution. The Bush
administration's plan allows power plants to emit six to seven times
more mercury over the next decade than they would be able to under the
Clean Air Act. Some facilities would even be allowed to continue
polluting completely unabated simply by purchasing pollution
"credits."

In March, EPA Administrator Leavitt - after an immense public outcry
about the Bush administration's inadequate proposal for addressing
power plant emissions of mercury - announced that the EPA would begin
studying options for strengthening the mercury proposal. But since
that time, we have not heard a thing from the EPA on what its plans
are for this proposal. It seems that we have not yet succeeded in
getting the EPA to strengthen its mercury proposal, and that
Congressional oversight is needed.

Please take a moment to ask your senators to ensure that the Bush
administration fully complies with the Clean Air Act and reduces
mercury pollution. Then ask your family and friends to help by
forwarding this email to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=748&id4=ES

* * *

Dena Mottola
NJPIRG Executive Director
De...@njpirg.org
http://www.NJPIRG.org

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

PUBLIC COMMENT SOUGHT FOR EPA PARTICULATE MATTER RESEARCH

Date: 23 Jun 2004
From: Tyson....@epamail.epa.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, June 23, 2004

To improve monitoring and regulation of air pollutants, three draft
chapters of the "Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter" (PM
AQCD) were released by EPA today for public comment and review.

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA established National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS) for six principal or "criteria" pollutants, which
include particulate matter (PM). Periodically, EPA reviews the
scientific basis for these standards by preparing an Air Quality
Criteria Document (AQCD). The AQCD is the scientific basis for EPA's
Office of Air and Radiation decisions as to the adequacy of the
current PM NAAQS and the appropriateness of new or revised standards
for PM 2.5 (fine particles) or PM 10 (coarse particles). The draft PM
AQCD Chapters 7 (Toxicology), 8 (Epidemiology), and 9 (Integrated
Summary) incorporate revisions made in response to earlier external
review of those chapters.

On July 20 and 21, 2004, the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee
(CASAC), an independent review committee and part of the EPA's Science
Advisory Board (SAB), will review these draft chapters at a public
meeting.

The draft chapters are available at: http://www.epa.gov/ncea under
"What's New." CD-ROM and hard copies of the draft documents can also
be obtained by contacting Diane Ray at 919-541-3637.

* * *

Suzanne Ackerman 202-564-7819/ackerman...@epa.gov

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

BENEFITS OF RECYCLING CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION DEBRIS

Date: 24 Jun 2004
From: "Debra Hoover" {Debra....@dep.state.nj.us}

DEP SURVEY DOCUMENTS ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF
RECYCLING CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION DEBRIS

6/23/04

Trenton - Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner
Bradley M. Campbell today released a survey that shows builders and
contractors save money by recycling construction and demolition waste,
while also providing environmental benefits.

"When builders and demolition contractors recycle they not only lower
their operating costs, but also conserve natural resources and reduce
demand for landfill capacity," said Commissioner Campbell. "We
encourage all companies that handle construction debris to use one of
the numerous recycling facilities across the state."

DEP's survey completed in April 2004 indicates that the average cost
to recycle construction material like concrete rubble is $4.85 per ton
versus an average of $75 per ton to dispose of the material in a
landfill. The survey shows similar cost savings to recycle other
material, including asphalt at $5.70 per ton and bricks and block at
$5.49 per ton. Recycling scrap wood costs $46.43 per ton and felled
trees and stumps average recycling costs are $37.69 per ton, both an
economical choice when compared to the $75 average disposal cost.

In 2002, 4.5 million tons of construction and demolition debris was
recycled in New Jersey, the latest statistics available for the state.
New Jersey's recycling industry employs more than 27,000 people in New
Jersey with total receipts valued at $5.9 billion annually.

DEP is updating its Statewide Solid Waste Management Plan to identify
ways to increase recycling, composting as well as source reduction and
the removal of household hazardous waste from the normal disposal
stream. DEP held public hearings in 2003 on a draft plan to get
comments from interested parties and expects to release a new proposal
for public comment this summer.

Nearly 100 DEP-approved recycling centers in New Jersey accept
construction and demolition debris. To find the location of these
recycling centers, visit DEP's Web site at
http://www.state.nj.us/recyclenj.

* * *

Contact: Fred Mumford, (609) 984-1795

NJ Department of Environmental Protection

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

IN SPRINGFIELD, TURNING GARBAGE INTO PROFITS

Date: 040624
From: http://www.phillyburbs.com/

By David Levinsky, Burlington County Times, June 24, 2004

Springfield - One man's garbage is another man's topsoil.

That, in a nutshell, is the theory behind Eastern Organic Resources
and its Woodhue Composting Center.

The 156-acre site off Saylor's Pond Road in rural Springfield takes
in hundreds of thousands of tons of rotting fruits and vegetables,
stale bread, grass, leaves and other organic perishable materials a
year and mixes them with dirt to produce a nutrient-rich compost and
topsoil.

The company then sells the product to golf courses, garden centers,
nurseries and builders.

Eastern Organic Resources is a private company that turns a profit
from compost sales and from fees it charges to take in organic waste,
but company president David Goodemote said the operation offers an
important environmental service by reducing the amount of waste
discarded in landfills.

"Landfill capacity is becoming more and more scarce," Goodemote said
during an address to 50 compost experts who visited the center as part
a Philadelphia recycling conference.

"If we can reduce the amount of waste going into landfills, we are
beginning to solve a looming waste disposal crisis confronting not
only New Jersey, but much of the Northeast."

During the tour, experts learned the Woodhue Composting Center is the
only site of its kind in the state, and one of only a handful
nationwide, that recycles organic waste.

This year, the Woodhue Center expects to recycle approximately
300,000 tons of organic waste into 150,000 cubic yards of topsoil.

Goodemote announced yesterday the company hopes to expand its
operation to recycle a million tons of garbage, including materials
such as meat, dairy and table scraps from places such as casinos,
restaurants, hotels, colleges, prisons and jails.

To expand, the company hopes to install two 220-foot cylinders known
as digesters that break down organic material, Goodemote said.

The company also needs governmental approvals from the state
Department of Environmental Protection and the Burlington County Board
of Freeholders. The latter governing body must amend its waste-
management plan to permit the upgrade, Goodemote said.

He said a public hearing on environmental issues such as increased
traffic, odor, and potential groundwater and stream pollution would be
scheduled soon.

State approval appears likely. The center received a proclamation
yesterday from Gov. James E. McGreevey for its contribution to
recycling efforts in New Jersey.

The major downside to the operation is the strong odor produced by
composting. Because of that, some local residents oppose the
expansion.

"The smell is so horrible, it makes me sick to my stomach," Terry
Nicholson said yesterday while picketing in front of the composting
center with her husband, Nick Nicholson. The pair carried cardboard
signs declaring "Stop the Stink" and "The Smell is Sickening."

Goodemote said the company has tried to resolve the odor complaints
by planting trees between the center and neighbors, and by spraying
compost piles with a masking agent.

* * *

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

BAYONNE - MORE CLEANUP IS COMPLETED AT MOT

Date: 040624
From: http://www.nj.com/

By Ronald Leir, Bayonne Journal staff writer, June 24, 2004

Another phase of the environmental cleanup at the former Military
Ocean Terminal in Bayonne was completed this week at a cost of
$1,455,800, city Environmental Specialist James Monkowski said.

That part of the cleanup involved the capping of contaminated areas
with soil and vegetation or laying down a new asphalt cover, Monkowski
said.

"This included areas we shifted around to allow the Royal Caribbean
cruise line to operate, which caused some (contract) add-ons because
we discovered some surprises that weren't on the old Army maps,"
Monkowski said.

The Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority, which took over the
property from the military a few years ago to prepare it for
redevelopment as a mixed-use community, relied on those Army maps to
figure out what type of infrastructure was under the surface,
Monkowski said.

But in the course of digging up some areas, Monkowski said the
contractor, D'Annunzio & Sons, of Clark, unearthed manholes buried
under six feet of earth and a large underground oil tank.

"We pulled out the tank and did a soil sample around it," Monkowski
said. "Ken's Marine, a local firm, was hired under a special contract,
to clean sludge out of the bottom of the tank, which was pretty much
empty."

Previous cleanup phases involved ground water monitoring and soil
remediation at a cost that Monkowski estimated at about $800,000.

"We're now ready to proceed with Phase four, which involves capping
of areas around Royal Caribbean and areas on the south side of the dry
dock tenant," Monkowski said.

That should take four to five weeks to finish, he said.

A $2 million contract was previously awarded by the BLRA to Clean
Earth, of Somerville, for the cleanup of an old Army landfill taking
up more than 20 acres and bordering on a section of wetlands. Until
the agency gets a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit, the contractor
can't work on that portion of the landfill, Monkowski said.

But work can start on part of the landfill not touched by the
wetlands, Monkowski said.

Before that happens, however, Monkowski said that a storm water
drainage pipe has to be relocated from the landfill property.

Monkowski said that he was hopeful that all the remaining
environmental remediation work could be completed by year's end if the
Army Corps permit is given soon and work on the landfill begins in
July.

* * *

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

BRICK MAYOR ENDORSES CLEAN OCEAN ACTION PROPOSAL

Date: 24 Jun 2004
From: SPAREj...@aol.com

CLEAN OCEAN ZONE LEGISLATION WOULD GUARD CAPE MAY TO MONTAUK

By Karl Vilacoba, Brick Bulletin Staff Writer, June 23, 2004

Brick - Mayor Joseph Scarpelli has endorsed Clean Ocean Action's
(COA) calls for federal and bistate legislation permanently protecting
the waters off New York and New Jersey from any new activities that
could damage the environment.

The Sandy Hook-based COA began campaigning for the new Clean Ocean
Zone (COZ) in February, as the environmental group marked its 20th
anniversary. The campaign has since been endorsed by the
municipalities of Bay Head, Belmar, Long Branch, Margate, Red Bank and
Wall, as well as dozens of local service groups and thousands of
petition signers.

COA Community Outreach Director Kari Jermansen said the zone would be
comparable to the Category One protections assigned to the state's
inland watersheds but would apply to the entire New York/New Jersey
Bight. That 19,000-square-mile area runs from Cape May to Montauk
Point, Long Island, N.Y., and out to the edge of the continental
shelf.

Earlier this year, the group unveiled a Web site
(http://www.CleanOceanZone.org) detailing the 10 points of its
proposal. Those include a ban on new ocean dump sites; capping the
"mud dump" site with clean material; a ban on new point sources of
pollution (industrial discharges, sewage, etc.); a reduction on
stormwater runoff pollution; a ban on new mining activities; a ban on
oil and gas exploration; development of regulations for renewable
energy sources; support for commercial and recreational fishing;
support for artificial reefs and underwater research; and support for
activities that depend on a clean marine environment, like surfing and
boating.

"The health of the Atlantic Ocean is directly tied to the health of
the Jersey Shore's economy," Scarpelli said. "Nothing demonstrated
that more clearly than the medical waste disaster back in the late
1980s. But every day in thousands of much less dramatic ways, our
ocean waters are being degraded by pollutants."

Jermansen said her organization was "thrilled" to have Scarpelli's
support and hopes the Township Council will consider joining the
mayor.

Council President Stephen Acropolis said he is in favor of
legislation such as the COZ, provided it is fully enforced and
nonnegotiable for developers with friends in elected offices.
Acropolis said he was disappointed that developers in municipalities
like Jackson have apparently found loopholes in the C1 designation
Gov. James McGreevey proposed for the Metedeconk River.

"Do I think we should support it? Absolutely," Acropolis said. "But
we can't have politicians making laws that they won't enforce. They've
got to have teeth. We can't be passing these things just to make
ourselves look good."

* * *

# # #

S.P.A.R.E.
Save, Preserve and Respect Our Environment
Visit us at http://www.orgsites.com/nj/sparejackson

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

STATE CHIDES HUNTERDON OVER FARM DEALS

Date: 24 Jun 2004
From: "Steven Sacks-Wilner" {ste...@sacks-wilner.com}

FREEHOLDERS DENIED APPLICATIONS IN OPPOSITION TO HIGHLANDS ACT

By Joe Tyrrell, Star-Ledger Staff, June 24, 2004

The Hunterdon County freeholders should not hold farmland
preservation hostage to their opposition to the Highlands Preservation
Act, state Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus said yesterday.

Kuperus said he will recommend denying state preservation aid to
counties and municipalities that do not comply with the act, which
limits development to protect water supplies across a broad swath of
northwest New Jersey.

To underscore their loathing of the bill, which awaits Gov. James E.
McGreevey's signature, the Hunterdon freeholders this week killed
county funding for two more farm preservation applications in a
Highlands community, this time Lebanon Township.

Kuperus replied to the board's surprise rejection of previous
preservation funding for property in Tewksbury with a letter saying
the act "clearly contemplates compensating landowners for preserving
land both in and outside" the Highlands preservation area.

The freeholders say the act represents too much state regulation,
makes the farmland program moot in the Highlands and could funnel too
much development elsewhere.

"This is not an anti-growth bill; it's an anti-sprawl bill," said
Freeholder Director Marcia Karrow. "We're already seeing land prices
go up" outside the preservation area.

Hunterdon raises half its annual open space and farmland preservation
fund from a tax that sunsets this year unless voters renew it in
November, so the board must be careful with funding decisions, she
said.

"None of us ever thought we would be in this position of saying 'no'
to farmers," Karrow said, adding the freeholders have "agonized" over
their votes. They have gone through with already signed Highlands
preservation contracts, she said.

But they gave no forewarning that they would use pending deals with
farmers to send the state a message, Kuperus said.

"I'm responding to what we've heard from farmers and local officials,
and what was in the newspaper," he said. "I don't think we should be
holding part of the program hostage."

Hunterdon County has been the big winner in the 21 years of the
farmland preservation program, which began as a cooperative venture
between the state and participating counties. The traditional element
consists of paying farm owners the difference between the agricultural
value of their property and the price it would bring if sold for
development.

In Hunterdon County, the program has preserved 164 farms at a cost of
$104.8 million, with the state paying $75.5 million of the total. All
three figures are the highest in the state by large margins.

Kuperus said his announcement does not mean farmland preservation
will end in the county. "We're going to continue to pursue our other
preservation programs," including direct purchase by the state and aid
to municipalities that conform to regulations, he said.

Gregory Romano, executive director of the program, said he will ask
the State Agriculture Development Committee today to approve all the
completed Hunterdon farmland deals, including those rejected by the
freeholders.

"We'll look around at our options for alternative sources of
funding," including municipal contributions and using more state
money, he said.

* * *

Joe Tyrrell covers Hunterdon and Somerset counties. He can be reached
at jtyr...@starledger.com or (908) 782-8326.
Copyright 2004 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved.

# # #

Steven L. Sacks-Wilner, Esq.
489 Dutchtown-Zion Rd
Skillman, NJ 08558-1307
ste...@sacks-wilner.com
Tel. & Voice Mail: 908.359.8884
Fax: 908.359.5550

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

BURLCO PURCHASES 300-ACRE GREENBERG FARM IN MANSFIELD

Date: 23 Jun 2004
From: "Loretta O'Donnell" {LOdo...@co.burlington.nj.us}

ESTATE NEAR COLUMBUS EXPANDS FARM BELT PRESERVATION

June 23, 2004

Burlington County Freeholders today approved the purchase of a 297-
acre farm on the Assiscunk Creek in Mansfield Township that greatly
expands the acreage of preserved farms in the County's targeted
priority area east of Route 206.

The Reuben Greenberg Farm, just south of Columbus along Route 206,
was on the county's farmland preservation priority list and is the
eighth largest farm that the County has acquired since starting the
program in 1985.

"We are thrilled to add this beautiful farm to the County's
preservation program," said Freeholder William S. Haines, Jr.
"Preserving large acreage in this farm belt is an integral part of our
Smart Growth regional plan for the Route 206 corridor and important
for protecting water supplies," Haines said.

"The Greenberg farm, which is two-and-a-half times the average farm
size of 121 acres in Burlington County, significantly adds to our
large block of over 1,000 acres of preserved farms in this priority
area," he added.

The owners accepted the county's offer of $7.3 million for a fee
simple purchase of the property. The county plans to auction the farm
early next year. The farm is currently rented to a local farmer for
field crops.

As the descendants of the late Reuben and Mae Greenberg, who had
loved the farm for many years, the owners wanted to preserve the farm
in their parent's memory. Reuben also had been a successful dairy
cattle dealer in the area.

This purchase of the Greenberg farm will bring the County program's
total to more than 125 preserved farms, totaling over 16,000 acres.

* * *

Contact: Loretta O'Donnell, (609) 265-5028

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

POPULATION CONTINUES TO BOOM IN S.J. SUBURBS

Date: 040624
From: http://www.courierpostonline.com/

WOOLWICH, TWO BURLCO TOWNS HAVE GROWN MOST

By Erik Schwartz, Courier-Post Staff, June 24, 2004

Booming population growth continues in parts of South Jersey, as
three towns far outpaced the rest of the region between 2000 and 2003,
according to new census estimates.

Woolwich nearly doubled its population during the period, while
Mansfield and Hainesport grew about half as fast.

"It's actually just exploded over there," said Rich Warner, a real
estate agent who sells homes in Woolwich. "With the growth, you have
an influx of a lot of new people. The school systems, I know, are
definitely getting pushed."

No East Coast town with more than 1,000 people has grown faster than
Woolwich since 2000, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Jane DiBella, the township clerk in Woolwich, grew up in nearby East
Greenwich and has been in town since she married a farmer there 27
years ago.

She remembers plans in the 1970s to turn Woolwich and neighboring
Logan into a suburb of the future with a monorail direct to
Philadelphia. The population of the two towns was expected to reach
85,000 under the Beckett New Town plan.

While Logan built up a bit, development stalled in Woolwich until six
years ago, when the planning board approved the Weatherby development.

Houses bought in Weatherby sold for $190,000 three years ago are
going for $260,000 or more now, said Warner, who works for Century 21
in Woodbury Heights.

"The demand is huge," he said. "You have a ton of buyers and the
housing stock can't keep up with it."

Woolwich and Washington Township accounted for more than half of
Gloucester County's raw population increase between 2000 and 2003,
according to a Courier-Post analysis of the estimates.

The story is similar in Burlington County, where raw growth was
heaviest in the largest community, Evesham, which combined with
Mansfield, Hainesport, Bordentown Township and Lumberton to comprise
more than half the county's population increase, the analysis shows.

"There's a demand for housing," said Robertina Kinniebrew, a real
estate agent for Century 21 Candid Realty Inc. in Edgewater Park. "And
there's just a large influx of buyers from the north. They're coming
down here to the suburbs of New Jersey because it's less expensive
than the suburbs of New York or, say, Long Island."

In central and northern Burlington County, new residents are finding
spacious single-family homes in semi-rural settings.

"It's a hot spot," Kinniebrew said. "People are looking for places
where they feel comfortable, a place to come to after work and escape.
They work in the cities or someplace around. They want to get away
from their jobs, an environment where they feel safe."

No South Jersey town experienced a bigger population increase in the
three-year period than Evesham, which added an estimated 3,800 people
to top 46,000.

"It's not just the last three years because the growth has been on a
steady curve upwards since the first tracts were put in in 1958," said
township Councilman Judd Hanlon.

Reasonable prices and infrastructure improvements have added to
Evesham's allure, said Hanlon, who works as a real-estate agent.

"I'm meeting people at Exit 4 of the Turnpike today. One of them's
going to work in Princeton and one's going to work in Manhattan. You
go 60 miles north and it's double for a house," he said. "Even though
(township) prices have doubled, we're way below North Jersey values. A
ranch that sells here for $200,000 goes for $425,000 in Matawan,
Monmouth County."

* * *

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach Erik Schwartz
at (856) 486-2904 or esch...@courierpostonline.com
Copyright 2004 Courier-Post.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

PRESERVE LUPPATATONG CREEK IN KEYPORT

Date: 040624
From: http://www.ahherald.com/

OLD OAK TRAIL
By Joe Reynolds, j...@ahherald.com
Atlantic Highlands Herald, June 24-30, 2004

Here we go again. Yet another valuable waterway in the Bayshore
region is currently threatened with massive and dense development.

Although Luppatatong Creek is a modest waterway in the Bayshore
region and few people are familiar with where it is located, it is
still an important part of the Raritan Bay watershed region. If we are
truly sincere about protecting and improving water quality in our
local bay waters, then we need to take the protection of Luppatatong
Creek seriously.

The main part of the creek's path is to be found in Keyport. Thus, a
majority of the care and guardianship of Luppatatong Creek belongs to
the residents of Keyport.

The mouth of Luppatatong Creek is located in Keyport Harbor, on the
corner of Front and Beers streets. It is here, overlooking historic
Raritan Bay, that a development project by Kara Homes is being
proposed.

Kara Homes is currently in the final stages of requesting from the
Keyport Planning Board permission to build a 44-unit, three building
condo on a small parcel of land that at one time was vital wetlands.

Sadly, the proposed development project by Kara Homes is so jam-
packed that it overwhelms the site. Indeed, so much so that a proposed
walkway along the creek would have to be cantilevered over the water
on pilings just to fit in all the parking spaces.

As you can imagine I have a lot of problems with a development
project located next to the water. Here are my top 5 reasons why this
project should not be approved:

1. To deal with flooding, a dike is proposed to be built around the
site in front of all the buildings and along the creek. Yet, access
driveways will still be exposed to flood waters, especially on
Front Street. During heavy rainstorms and flood tides the lower
portion of the site would be underwater. Thus, during violent
storms, the potential exists for the site to become an island;
fencing in people and not allowing fire or first-aid to respond to
emergency calls during high tides.

2. I question as to how the proposed development project right next to
Luppatatong Creek will deal with a boost of non-point source
pollution, such as litter, trash, car oil and grease, from entering
the waterway. This is particularly a concern since 1.6 acres, or 96
percent of the site, will become imperious surface that has the
potential to increase runoff and streambank erosion. The proposed
project will remove an important absorption area in Keyport,
especially along Front Street.

3. In their documentation for the project, Kara Homes proposes to
create a small park named by the developer a "Vest Pocket Park." It
will be the only significant unpaved area on the site.
Unfortunately, the main purpose of this land is not for recreation,
but for use as the condo's storm-water infiltration basin. The only
thing inside the park will be a gazebo overlooking a large sand
pit. It may well take stormwater as long as 72 hours to clear out
of the basin, making the park an added breeding or feeding ground
for biting bugs.

4. The stormwater basin (sand pit) will need routine maintenance
several times a year to be cleaned out, with the whole cost being
picked-up by local taxpayers.

5. The proposed development project will have buildings that are
higher and longer than the brand new Borough Hall in Keyport, yet
with a similar narrow setback from the road. The project also
provides virtually no outdoor yard space for its residents and
would be an eyesore on the landscape.

Unfortunately, the most desirable land for homes, townhouses, and
shopping centers in the Bayshore region are locations most important
for wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and recreation. The places
people want to build are places that should be protected.

What should not be lost in Keyport by its government leaders is the
responsibility for the protection of the local environment. A healthy
Raritan Bay brings about a high quality of life for all of its
residents. To keep Raritan Bay healthy, we need to start by making
sure its tributaries are in good physical shape.

The current proposed project by Kara Homes for Luppatatong Creek
would be a tremendous overuse of an environmentally sensitive area.
The project will add more buildings, more pollution, more runoff, more
noise, more traffic, and greater stress on infrastructure and public
services.

Developers in front of planning boards have a tendency to say
anything to get approval. They state that their project will not
impact the environment or traffic, or water quality. Yet, when the
project is all done, we find out later it has, and we are stuck with
it.

If you are a resident or business owner in Keyport, please urge your
government officials in Keyport to preserve the future wellbeing of
the community by rejecting the current Kara Homes project along
Luppatatong Creek. Future generations will thank you!

* * *

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

WWF, NASA MAP HUMAN CONSUMPTION OF EARTH'S RESOURCES

Date: 040624
From: http://www.ems.org/

World Wildlife Fund, June 23, 2004

Washington - World Wildlife Fund scientists, working with scientists
from NASA and other institutions, have produced a unique map of human
consumption of the Earth's biological resources - everything from wood
and paper to meat and grains. The research appears in today's Nature.

"This research illustrates the uneven footprint of human
consumption," said Taylor Ricketts, director of conservation science
at WWF and an author of the study. "One of our key findings is that
many regions are already consuming far beyond what their local area
could possibly produce. These areas are being subsidized by imports
from other parts of the world; they are literally on life support."

The researchers based their analyses on the concept of "net primary
production," the process by which plants use sunlight to "fix" carbon
from the air. These plants then fuel the world's complex food webs.
Net primary production therefore represents the primary energy source
for the world's ecosystems and for the human supply of food,
construction materials, and other products.

The study found that humans, which represent roughly half of 1
percent of the total biomass on Earth, appropriate about 20 percent of
this primary resource annually. In addition, consumption among regions
varies widely. Western Europe and South Central Asia consume more than
70 percent of what their regions produce, while in South America just
6 percent is consumed.

"The study also allows a glimpse into future consumption," continued
Ricketts. "If developing nations continue to increase their
consumption to match industrialized nations, worldwide consumption
would increase 75 percent and the list of regions that consume beyond
local production would get a lot longer."

Fortunately, the study also highlights ways in which efficient
technologies can mitigate consumption growth. For example, 1 ton of
milled lumber requires an average of 2 tons of trees in developing
countries, but only 1.3 tons in developed nations.

"The clear message for conservationists is that we need to find paths
toward economic development that require less of the world's
biological resources if we are to develop in a sustainable way."

"The missing part of the story so far is trade, and that's what we
plan to examine next," said Colby Loucks, senior conservation
specialist at WWF.

In the modern age of globalization, people clearly no longer consume
only the resources grown locally.

"Our map shows where products are consumed, not where they are
harvested from the ecosystem." Loucks continued, "Indonesia, for
instance, has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world,
but it exports most of its lumber, so the consumption of that resource
is mapped elsewhere." Tracing those trading links will complete the
picture of global consumption patterns begun with this study.

- - -

Contact: Jan Vertefueille, WWF, 202/861-8362

* * *

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

MEADOWLANDS UNVEILS ECO-TOURISM PLAN

Date: 040624
From: http://www.northjersey.com/

By Lisa Goodnight, Record Staff Writer, June 24, 2004

Lyndhurst - The Meadowlands hopes to get a larger piece of the
state's annual $30 billion tourism industry now that officials have
formally rolled out the welcome mat.

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission on Wednesday unveiled its brand
new $415,000 eco-tourism program aimed at bringing nature lovers to
the region better known for sporting events, a place to stay if you
can't afford Manhattan, and garbage.

"When people think of eco-tourism, we're going to make sure people
think of the Meadowlands," said Commissioner Susan Bass Levin.

Toward that goal, her agency is giving a $225,000 grant to the
Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce to develop and staff a
visitors' bureau in the next six months. The Meadowlands Commission is
also providing the New Jersey Audubon Society with a $190,000 grant to
produce bilingual trail and fishing guides, signs, and brochures. That
piece of the program could take up to 18 months to complete.

Tom Gilmore, executive director of the New Jersey Audubon Society,
said eco-tourism is the fastest growing segment in the travel
industry. In 2001, he said wildlife watchers spent $1.24 billion in
New Jersey.

"Wildlife watching has become very a big business in New Jersey,"
Gilmore said. "It's happening in Cape May. It's going to happen here
[with the right marketing.]"

The Meadowlands has 260 bird species, 25 of which are on the state's
endangered species list. It also has outlet shopping and canoe trails
with views of the New York skyline.

The commission over the past five years has spent about $40 million
on environmental cleanups, walking trail construction, and land
purchases, said Robert Ceberio, the Meadowlands Commission's executive
director. The agency is protecting the remaining 8,400 acres of open
space in the 14-town, two-county district.

In October, the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce launched its
StayintheMeadowlands.com Web site, which officials said helped get the
tourism effort under way.

"We may not be a full destination for four years," said Jim Kirkos,
the chamber's president. "This is a kick start, a beginning."

Ron Simoncini, a member of the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of
Commerce and co-creator of the StayintheMeadowlands Web site, said the
area has a lot of potential with the proposed EnCap golf course resort
project that would cover four towns and the Xanadu plan to bring a
shopping and entertainment destination to East Rutherford.

"You want to be ahead of the new customer...you're transforming a
region that used to be a Manhattan overflow," Simoncini said. "You
give people an ability to envision what they will encounter when they
get here."

The area has come a long way. Ceberio said at one time the agency
received 80,000 tons of garbage weekly, enough garbage to fill Giants
Stadium on a monthly basis. That number is down to 4,000 tons a week.

Bill Sheehan, head of Hackensack Riverkeeper, said some in the past
frowned when he talked about leading tours through the Meadowlands.

"What do you take people out to see? Garbage?" Sheehan said. "Today
they get it. Instead of going to Manhattan for a show, they can see a
nature show."

* * *

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

STATE TO FUND VISTA RIVER WALK

Date: 040623
From: http://www.app.com/

Staff Report, Ocean County Observer, 6/23/04

Pine Beach - The Vista River Walk project will become a reality.

The state Department of Transportation officials have selected the
borough for a grant $300,000 to begin the first of a five-phase, mile-
long project, Mayor Russell K. Corby said yesterday.

Corby called the news "significant."

"It represents the start-up funding for the final piece of a
redevelopment plan put forth seven years ago," said Corby, an advocate
of the river walk and Vista redevelopment concept since the closure of
the former Admiral Farragut Academy in the mid '90s.

The project calls for the installation of an 8-foot-wide walking path
on the north side of Riverside Drive the length of the riverfront from
Station Avenue west to the pocket park at Motor Road.

The entire project, estimated to cost $1.2 million when proposed, is
planned to be constructed in sections or phases as DOT grant funds and
funding for bulkhead restoration become available, Corby said.

Gov. James E. McGreevey announced last November the borough would be
awarded another $400,000 in state Green Acres Development loan funds.

The mayor emphasized it may take as many as five years to complete
all phases and the various elements of the two projects. The recent
announcements of state grant and loan funding moves the borough from
the dreaming and planning stages to construction phases, he added.

"Residents will begin to see the reality of a plan talked about for
years," Corby said.

* * *

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

PRINCETON TOWNSHIP SETTLES HARASSMENT LAWSUIT

Date: 23 Jun 2004
From: Bowma...@aol.com

DEER CULL VIDEOTAPER AWARDED $25,000 PAYOFF

By David Campbell, Princeton Packet Staff Writer, 06/22/2004

A lawsuit against Princeton Township, its mayor and police chief
filed by a former Humane Society of the United States investigator
alleging he was wrongfully arrested and prosecuted after trying to
film the township's deer cull was settled with a $25,000 payout by a
former township insurance provider.

Under the terms of the March 2004 settlement and general release
agreement executed by New Jersey Intergovernmental Insurance Fund, the
agreement does not constitute an admission of liability or wrongdoing
on the part of the township. It binds plaintiff Patrick J. Murray to
confidentiality with regard to the existence and terms of the
settlement.

In a legal filing dated October 2002, Mr. Murray submitted a lawsuit
in U.S. District Court naming the township, Mayor Phyllis Marchand and
Police Chief Anthony Gaylord as defendants and seeking monetary
damages for "unreasonable seizure" and for "wrongfully and
maliciously" prosecuting him.

Earlier that year, during winter culling under the township's deer-
management program, Mr. Murray was arrested by township police for
interfering with a bait site used to net and kill deer, which the
former HSUS investigator was trying to videotape.

A municipal judge later found Mr. Murray not guilty.

An order of dismissal following settlement of the suit was issued in
December 2003 by U.S. District Court Judge Stanley R. Chesler,
according to the court clerk's office in Trenton.

In a May 2003 court-related document submitted by attorney Charles F.
Harris of the township's firm Mason, Griffin & Pierson, Mr. Harris
called Mr. Murray's claims "frivolous" and "not supported by any
fact." The lawyer said the federal suit arose out of ongoing disputes
between "certain zealots" and the township over its culling.

The $25,000 settlement was confirmed by William Kurtz of Old Bridge-
based Governmental Risk Management, which administers NJIIF. Mr. Kurtz
said the township is no longer insured by the fund.

Trishka Waterbury, an attorney with the township, confirmed the
matter had been "resolved."

Mayor Marchand was unavailable for comment.

NJIIF attorney Eric J. Nemeth did not return calls seeking
confirmation of the settlement.

J. Michael Farrell, Mr. Murray's lawyer, declined to comment on the
matter.

Nina Austenberg, director of the Humane Society's Mid-Atlantic
regional office, said Mr. Murray is no longer with HSUS. She said she
had no further details about the matter.

* * *

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

USGBC-NJ - STORMWATER AND ECOCOMPLEX TOUR - JUL 15

Date: 24 Jun 2004
From: "Federico, Carmela M." {fede...@ADM.NJIT.EDU}

U.S. Green Building Council - New Jersey Chapter

PROGRAM ON NJ'S STORMWATER RULES
AND LOW IMPACT DESIGN TECHNIQUES

PLUS TOUR OF RUTGERS UNIVERSITY ECOCOMPLEX

When: Thursday, July 15, 2004, 5:30 to 7:30 PM

Where: Rutgers University EcoComplex
1200 Florence-Columbus Rd.
Bordentown, NJ 08505-4200

Cost: $20 NJ Chapter members, $30 non-members, $40 at the door

This program will focus on the Stormwater Management rules, NJA.C.
7:8 which specify stormwater management standards that are mandatory
for new major development. The New Jersey Stormwater Best Management
Practices Manual (BMP manual) is developed to provide guidance to
address the standards in the proposed Stormwater Management Rules,
NJA.C. 7:8. The BMP manual provides examples of ways to meet the
standards contained in the rule, including low impact design
techniques. The methods referenced in the BMP manual are one way of
achieving the standards.

Jay Springer from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Watershed Management will discuss the low impact
development techniques identified in the Stormwater BMP manual. For
more information on stormwater rules: http://www.njstormwater.org/ And
Best Management Practices Manual (including Low Impact Design
Techniques): http://www.njstormwater.org/bmp_manual2.htm

This program also includes a tour of the Rutgers University
EcoComplex - a state-of-the-art facility. The south wall of the atrium
is full-height glass with solar screens. These screens block out
summer sun yet allow winter sun to heat the floor slabs for a passive
solar-heating system and also provide indirect natural light into the
atrium.

The building incorporates the following additional environmentally-
friendly elements:

- recycled metal for the interior panels

- radiant heat flooring on the first floor atrium

- a newly-formulated interior paint which eliminates the "off-
gassing" of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The Center is a partnership with the Burlington County Board of
Freeholders, which performs research and develops new technologies to
address the pressing environmental, solid waste, and resource-recovery
issues faced in New Jersey. The EcoComplex functions as a hub of
education and outreach for the entire environmental community. For
more information on the EcoComplex: http://ecocomplex.rutgers.edu/

- - -

Registration Deadline: Must register by July 12, 2004 to get reduced
rate!

For more information on this event contact Marianne Leone at
marian...@comcast.net

For Directions to the EcoComplex go to:
http://ecocomplex.rutgers.edu/directions.html

* * *

Rutgers University EcoComplex
Environmental Research and Extension Center
1200 Florence-Columbus Rd.
Bordentown, NJ 08505-4200
Tel: (609) 499-3600
Fax: (609) 499-3647
Email: ecoco...@aesop.rutgers.edu
http://www.usgbc.org/Chapters/newjersey/

Carmela M. Federico
Program Manager,
New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability
(NJHEPS)
cfed...@njheps.org
973-596-2938 (v)
973-642-7170 (f)
http://www.njheps.org

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Many thanks to our Volunteers:
Tricia Aspinwall, Michele Cooklin, Jerry Cullins, Peter
Montague, Paul Neuman, Scott Olson, Mary Paist, Penny
Pollock-Barnes, Phil Reynolds, Pat Rolston, and to all
you folks out there who contribute in so many ways.
If you have a couple hours a week, and would like to
help out, please email us at: mai...@gsenet.org

George-Therese Dickenson - Editor - dick...@gsemail.org
Ivan Kossak - Executive Director - kos...@gsenet.org

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Back issues of the Garden State EnviroNews are available at
http://www.gsenet.org/library/11gsn/11gsn.php

EnviroNews mailing lists:
TOC - subscribe-en...@gselist.org
TEXT - subscribe-en...@gselist.org
HTML - subscribe-en...@gselist.org

Garden State EnviroNet, Inc.
19 Boonton Ave, Boonton NJ 07005
Tel: 973-394-1313 - Fax: 973-394-9513
mai...@gsenet.org - http://www.gsenet.org/

0 new messages