GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS 970304
Phil Reynolds
970304
GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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<*> MOBILIZING THE REGION #115
<*> EROSION CONTROL SEMINAR
<*> ENVIRO-NEWSBRIEF 970228
<*> ENVIRO-NEWSBRIEF 970303
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MOBILIZING THE REGION #115
MOBILIZING THE REGION
A Weekly Bulletin from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign
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Electronic Edition 115 February 28, 1997
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[Excerpts: Full issue on GSENET web site]
NJDOT FACES MASSIVE OPPOSITION TO "DRAFT" CAPITAL PROGRAM
Once again, NJDOT has thrown New Jersey's capital project
planning and budgeting process into a tailspin by proposing its
capital plan at the eleventh hour, just short of delivery to the
Legislature by March 1. The move cast NJ's three metropolitan
planning organizations' previously established project priorities
to the wind. In recent years, NJ DOT has made last-minute
issuance of capital plans a perennial event, confounding MPO
and local input into projects to be built or deferred.
This time, over 100 projects are being dropped or delayed due
to DOT's "overprogramming" of state funds to the tune of
$300 million. Tempers flared at a recent NJTPA project
prioritization committee meeting, when county freeholders or
their staff told DOT to go back to the drawing board and
refigure the MPO's allocation after the cutbacks.
In the draft capital plan DOT delivered to the MPOs -- and
which is apparently continuing to change -- southern NJ
would gain $179 million for the threeyear period (1998-2000),
while the 15 northern counties would receive $1.245 billion
less than expected. NJDOT not only didn't equitably distribute
the pain of cutbacks from last year's budget, it is proposing
major new capacity highways in southern NJ, including the
Wynn/Mirage casino highway/tunnel and related improvements
for $114 million and Rte. 29 in Trenton for $94 million, while
axing major system preservation projects in northern NJ.
Some of DOT's proposed cuts may be quickly reinstated, such
as the Rtes. 4 and 17 interchange ramps in Paramus. Ironically,
Bergen County officials had organized a press conference with
Senator Torricelli and Representatives Roukema, Franks and
Rothman to argue for more ISTEA monies and highlight
infrastructure needs, just before DOT dropped the project. To
avoid a major embarrassment, Commissioner Haley declared
the $120 million project "fully funded" and said the project
had only been chopped in an internal "draft." Bergen
Freeholder Van Dyke took issue with that at the TPA meeting.
Van Dyke also said the Rte. 29 expenditure (which would
hand over Trenton's waterfront to highway traffic -- see last
edition and below, right) was inappropriate for state funds. He
questioned why counties that had worked hard to obtain federal
shares were hardest hit, when other counties were looking to
spend large chunks of the state pot to remedy local concerns
(the Rte. 29 project is a 1.7 mile "missing link"). Middlesex
County was particularly vexed by the Rte. 29 expenditure, and
all northern counties had apparently been promised by former
Commissioner Wilson that the enormous cost of the 1.6 mile
Wynn tunnel would not "come out of their hide."
Other new projects that raised the ire of NJTPA freeholders
and Technical Advisory Committee members were DOT's
proposed expenditure of $4.5 million for a dock for the
battleship New Jersey and $26 million for sound barriers for
Rtes. 80, 280, 287 and 295. The freeholders agreed to send a
letter to the Governor, legislators and DOT to seek a delay
until April 1 for delivery of the capital plan, so that they could
negotiate a better position and check priorities with their towns.
An effort to include a message to raise the gas tax to avoid
such cutbacks failed, but not without support from several
members. Reportedly, DOT will delay presentation of the
capital plan to the Legislature for one week.
Interestingly, NJDOT dropped or delayed some of its capacity
projects, including the Rte. 1 widening in Edison and
Woodbridge, the Rte. 18 connector in Piscataway and Rte.
31/202 in Hunterdon County. Assuming the "dropped"
projects are not reinstated, the new highway capacity category
was slimmed to 15% for total highway spending for 1998-
2000 according to DOT's figures; however, state highway
spending for new capacity is 25% in 1998, and 16% over the
three years. But many projects that boost roadway capacity are
still hidden in "system preservation" and other categories.
TriState has urged a "fix it first" agenda for the state, noting
that the DOT long range plan identified 24% of the state's
bridges and 31% of the local bridges were structurally
deficient. 30% of the state's lane-miles were rated "fair" or
worse.
The Legislature should end DOT's practice of running
roughshod over the MPOs by requiring DOT to deliver its
proposed capital program to the MPOs by January 1, and by
requiring that state capital plans be fiscally constrained.
Otherwise, the local elected leaders comprising the MPOs will
never have the leverage or information to negotiate with DOT.
The NJ transportation capital budget (non-transit) as best as can
be calculated at present, using DOT's own categories.
Changing project lists make estimation of budgets for years
beyond 1998 difficult.
-------------------------------------------------
NJ Capital Budget
State Highway Spending - 1998
(millions)
Capital Program Support and Delivery 98.826
Environment 26.5
Local Aid 130.75
Other Expenditures 15.45
Other Modes 8
Safety 5
Study and Devlpt. 6
System Expansion 123.61
System Management 12.93
System Preservation 55.934
Unanticipated Expenses 8
TOTAL $491 million
-----------------------------------------------------
NJ Capital Budget
Total Highway Spending - 1998
(millions)
Capital Prog. Support and Delivery 106.276
Demonstration Funds 1
Environment 80.473
Local Aid 130.75
Other Expenditures 47.965
Other Modes 25.837
Safety 18.9
Study and Devlpt. 31.7
System Expansion 189.435
System Management 105.861
System Preservation 345.336
Unanticipated Expenses 13
TOTAL $1,096.5 million
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AROUND THE REGION
ANOTHER BIG STUDY
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently launched a
comprehensive examination of navigation needs for the Port of
New York and New Jersey. The first public step, inevitably,
was to convene a set of advisory groups. The "Citizens
Advisory Group," including environmental and planning
groups and local elected officials, met separately from the
"Business and Labor Advisory Group," which may limit the
utility of both groups. The Corps did, however, offer to
consider placing members of the public on "working groups,"
now made up of agency representatives. The feasibility study
will result in a set of recommendations to improve Harbor
channels, presumably including selective widening, deepening
and realignment.
The Port is operating close to capacity, and concern is
mounting over its inability to handle the larger ships now being
built, so the time is ripe for evaluating the best use for the
Harbor's channels and port-related infrastructure. The Army
Corps two-year schedule for its studies, however, puts it at risk
of producing recommendations out of sync with emerging
regional plans for Port redevelopment and expansion. While no
agency has stepped up to the plate with a plan for the Port, the
New York City EDC will be taking an important step in that
direction through its "Intermodal Goods Movement Major
Investment Study." The MIS, which will evaluate the
feasibility of a cross-Harbor rail freight tunnel, is expected to
take two to three years, so it is essential that the navigation and
goods movement studies begin a process of cross-fertilization
as soon as possible. "The two studies should be combined,"
says Jim Tripp of the Environmental Defense Fund and Tri-
State Campaign. The Army Corps in fact must still identify a
"non-federal sponsor" to share the cost of the study, so an
opportunity for NY and NJ to invest in the process will arise in
the next few months. This is the time for New Jersey to
become a full partner in the Intermodal Goods Movement MIS.
* * *
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Editions of MTR back to #76 available at the Campaign's web site:
http://www.tstc.org/tstc/
Need other back issues? E-mail us and we'll send 'em out.
MTR#115. Contributing this issue: Janine Bauer, Meg Braun,
Paul Harrison, John Kaehny, Therese Langer. Editor: Jon
Orcutt.
281 Park Ave. South, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10010
tel. (212) 777-8181 fax (212) 777-8157
ts...@igc.apc.org http://www.tstc.org/tstc/
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EROSION CONTROL SEMINAR
Date: 2 Mar 1997
From: Dir...@ix.netcom.com
Co-Sponsored by: International Erosion Control Association, Mid
Atlantic Chapter and Erosion Control Technologies, Inc.
Friday, March 14, 1997
Holiday Inn, Somerset, New Jersey
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
-=*=-
Seminar Topics Scheduled Include:
Morning Session:
9:00am
Overview of Soil Erosion & Sediment Control Act & Construction
Stormwater Discharge Authorization
Sam Race, Executive Secretary, NJDA State Soil Conservation
Committee
Proposed Changes to Standards for Soil Erosion & Sediment Control in
New Jersey:
- Vegetative Standards, Jim Sadley, State Soil Conservation
Commission
- Engineering Standards, Hunter Birckhead, State Soil
Conservation Commission
10:00am
An overview of Geosynthetics and their uses
Dave Snyder, Webtec, Inc.
BREAK 10:30am-10:45am
10:45am
Bonded Fiber Matrixs & Erosion Control Blankets-their use & place in
the market.
Ron Perez, Weyerhaeuser and Jim Giumarra, American Excelsior
11:45am
Seed selection for erosion control and turf establishment
To Be Announced
12:15pm
New Products on Parade
Representatives from various companies
LUNCH PROVIDED 12:45pm-1:45pm
Afternoon Session:
1:45pm
Introduction to Soil Guard & Certification Seminar
Ron Perez, Weyerhaeuser and Neil P. Reinecker, Erosion Control
Technologies, Inc.
BREAK 2:45pm-3:00pm
3:00pm
Hydroseeding in the 90's -
- A Cost Analysis
- What they can and can't do
- Fiber Mulches & Tackifier
Neil P. Reinecker, Erosion Control Technologies, Inc.
-=*=-
If you are a ...
Landscape Architect... Erosion Control Consultant ... Environmental
Consultant... Conservation District Inspector... Hydro Seeding
Contractor... Department of Transportation Employee... Landscape
Contractor... Developer... Turfgrass Manager... Supplier...
Engineer... or anyone interested in learning about the latest in
Erosion Control, you'll want to be part of this seminar.
For more information, please contact Erosion Control Technologies,
Inc. at 908-707-0800 or Fax your registration request to 908-707-1445.
-=*=-
REGISTRATION FORM:
EROSION CONTROL SEMINAR
March 14, 1997, Holiday Inn, Somerset, NJ
Name: _______________________________________________________________
Company: ____________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
City: _______________________________________________________________
State: __________________ Zip: _____________________________________
Phone: ______________________________________________________________
Fax: ________________________________________________________________
Contact: ____________________________________________________________
Names of Attendees(if more than one person is attending):
______________________________________________________________________
-=*=-
Fees: $35.00 per person on or before March 1, 1997.
$50.00 per person at the door, or after March 1, 1997.
(if you decide to attend after March 1, please fax your
registration to 908-707-1445 before the day of the seminar, if
possible.)
Please make check payable to: Erosion Control Technologies, Inc.
Mail registrations and checks to:
Erosion Control Technologies, Inc.
10 County Line Rd., Unit 10
Branchburg, NJ 08876
Att: Seminar
-=*=-
Directions to Holiday Inn:
Route 287 - Traveling North: Take exit 6 (Rt. 527 New Brunswick/S.
Bound Brook). Follow 527 N. to the 1st. traffic light and make a left
onto Davidson Ave. Holiday Inn is 1/4 mile down Davidson on the
Right.
Route 287 - Traveling South: Take exit 6 (Easton Ave./New Brunswick).
Bear left immediately off the ramp and take 527 N. to the traffic
light. Make a left at the light onto Davidson Ave. Holiday Inn is
1/4 mile on the Right.
Garden State Parkway - Traveling North: Take exit 127 for Rt. 287 N.
Follow directions above for 287 N.
Garden State Parkway - Traveling South: Take exit 129 for Rt. 287 N.
Follow directions above for 287 N.
New Jersey Turnpike: Take exit 10 (Metuchen/Edison) to Rt. 287 N.
Follow directions above for 287 N.
-=*=-
Erosion Control Technologies, Inc.
10 County Line Rd., Unit 10
Branchburg, NJ 08876
Tel: 800-245-0551
908-707-0800
Fax: 908-707-1445
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ENVIRO-NEWSBRIEF 970228
The following is a daily update summarizing news of interest
to EPA staff. It includes information from current news sources:
newspapers, newsletters, and other publications. For more
information, contact the EPA Headquarters Library at (202) 260-
5921, or e-mail LIBRARY-HQ.
**Viewpoints expressed in the following summaries do not
necessarily reflect EPA policy**
** REGULATORY REFORM **
Hansen Rejects State-ECOS Draft on Process for Innovations as Too
Broad. Daily Environment Report, February 28, 1997, ppA-6-7.
EPA Deputy Administrator Fred Hanson requested that a draft
agreement between state environmental officials and EPA, released
on February 13 and under review, be taken out of consideration
because it was considered too broad.
Hanson said the draft "does not reflect the direction the
administrator and I gave to the states." The agency envisioned a
"process by which states could raise to EPA minor, and I stress
minor, changes to interpretations, clarifications and issues of
consistency in programs we jointly administer."
State officials were surprised by the agency's "unilateral
decision" to pull the draft, stating the move "is a severe
downturn in a process that holds great promise."
Some officers of the Environmental Council of States
responded to the action in a February 26 letter.
"It is ironic that the draft agreement has fallen prey to
the very problem the states hoped it would solve," the ECOS
letter said. "We hoped that through the principles and process
described in the draft agreement we would create a shared
commitment by the states and EPA to deal openly with each other
and to be accountable for our actions. We are instead left with
damaged trust and questions about your commitment to working in
partnership with states to create a better environmental system
for our citizens."
The draft agreement essentially gave states more power to
make decisions and urged EPA to engage in more "prudent risk-
taking". It described broad principles including the need to
experiment with new ideas at the risk of some failures,
establishing means to verify results, and involving stakeholders
in the decision making process, as well as other things.
State officials were hoping the document would set up a
protocol to smooth the process of developing and implementing
innovative alternative regulatory programs.
In a memo, Hansen wrote that developing a process to
facilitate innovation was not intended to establish an
alternative to Project XL. "Rather, the goal was to achieve minor
changes to the systems under which EPA and the states operate,"
he said.
ECOS officials were surprised the agency had such different
interpretations of the goals of the project since they had agreed
to form a workgroup. The main goal of the workgroup was to
develop "an overarching framework for how EPA and states will
promote and implement regulatory reinvention efforts."
The officials were also surprised to find out the agency is
interested in applying Project XL criteria to non-XL proposals.
"We believe it is a gross error to require all innovations to
achieve the Superior Environmental Performance threshold," the
letter said.
EPA Administrator Carol Browner downplayed the significance
of the letter and added that the agency and state officials would
continue to work on a project until an agreement was reached.
** EPCRA **
EPA Considers Regulatory Relief Under Law for Some Gas Stations.
Daily Environment Report, February 28, 1997, pA-1.
EPA may propose a rule that drops the requirement of gas
stations with underground storage tanks to submit chemical
inventories under EPCRA.
"While I can't say which way the agency is leaning at this
time, EPA has been asked to look at the utility of having gas
stations report information under the Emergency Planning and
Community Right-To-Know Act," said John Ferris, of EPA's Office
of Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention.
The proposal would be part of a larger proposal aimed at
streamlining reporting and reducing paperwork.
In a letter to Fred Hanson, EPA's deputy administrator, SBA
Chief Counsel Jere Glover said the EPCRA requirement was
burdensome and unnecessary.
Glover stated that the data information for EPCRA's
emergency and hazardous chemical reports, duplicates information
submitted to state underground storage tank offices.
** EPA **
New Offices on Children's Health, Reinvention, Data Access
Announced. Daily Environment Report, February 28, 1997, pA-13.
Browner Creates New EPA Offices to Carry Out Administration
Priorities. Inside E.P.A. Weekly Report, February 28, 1997, p21.
EPA Administrator Carol Browner announced the creation of
new offices to coordinate activities under recently publicized
initiatives on protecting children's health, regulatory
reinvention and improving access to data, on February 27.
The Office of Children's Health Protection will carry out
the agenda detailed in the agency's report entitled
_Environmental Health Threats to Children_. The report calls for
considering the impact on children's health when setting
environmental standards.
"Protecting the health of children is one of this
administration's highest priorities," Browner said.
The new reinvention office will centralize the agency's
reinvention activities into one center. Project XL and Common
Sense Initiative activities will be handled by the office, which
will be located within Carol Browner's office. It will provide a
"one-stop source for reinvention assistance to businesses,"
according to a press release.
The agency will also open the Center for Environmental
Information and Statistics on January 1, 1998. The center will
provide citizens with more access to electronic environmental
data.
"There's no doubt an informed, involved citizenry knows best
how to address environmental problems," Browner said.
The new center will seek to provide a "strategic focus to
EPA's information collection, assessment, and access efforts,"
said an agency press release.
Exclusive Interview With EPA Administrator Carol Browner. Inside
E.P.A. Weekly Report, February 28, 1997, pp7-9.
Inside E.P.A. Weekly Report contains excerpts of interview
with EPA Administrator Carol Browner. Browner discusses her first
term as the head of the agency and what lies ahead for the next
four years. Major topics covered in the interview include the
105th Congress, EPA's proposed new air quality standards, and
some of the agency's regulatory reforms.
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ENVIRO-NEWSBRIEF 970303
The following is a daily update summarizing news of interest
to EPA staff. It includes information from current news sources:
newspapers, newsletters, and other publications. For more
information, contact the EPA Headquarters Library at (202) 260-
5921, or e-mail LIBRARY-HQ.
**Viewpoints expressed in the following summaries do not
necessarily reflect EPA policy**
** BUDGET **
NIEHS Outlines $313.6 Million 1998 Budget in Testimony Before
House Subcommittee. Daily Environment Report, March 3, 1997, pA-
2.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS) submitted a fiscal year 1998 budget request of $313.6
million to the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
subcommittee. The institute funds the National Toxicology
Program.
NIEHS Director Kenneth Olden said the institute will work on
improving carcinogenicity and toxicity test systems as well
researching the molecular and genetic mechanisms of disease.
** AIR POLLUTION **
Widespread Use of Electric Vehicles Would Not Compromise Safety,
Report Says. Daily Environment Report, March 3, 1997, pA-3.
Electric vehicles would be better for the environment and
safer to drive concludes a report by the International Center for
Technology Assessment (ICTA).
"It has long been established that widespread use of EVs
will dramatically reduce air pollution," said ICTA Director
Andrew Kimbrell. "We can now state that EVs are also
significantly safer to drive than gas powered vehicles."
The report entitled _The Current Status of EV Safety: A
Review of Issues, Regulations and Programs_ stated the EVs were
slow in developing because of resistance from oil companies and
vehicle makers.
"In 1994-95 oil and car companies spent nearly $24 million
on anti-EV campaigns. Those efforts have included large scale
advertising campaigns, extensive lobbying and campaign
contributions," the report said.
The report found the EVs safer than internal combustion
vehicles in 9 key areas and equally safe in two others.
"The large scale use of EVs will prevent thousands of deaths
and injuries, and hundreds of millions of dollars in property
damage each year," the report said. "Unfortunately, the
advancement of EVs as a widespread mode of personal transport has
met strong resistance in recent years, primarily from oil
companies and automobile manufacturers."
The report also states that the Mobil Corporation is leading
the anti-EV effort. The company denies this allegation.
"This is not correct the way it's being characterized," said
Chris Springham with Mobil in Fairfax, VA.
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