GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS 030828
GSENet
GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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{*} GOV TO SUE OVER NEW ASSAULT ON CLEAN AIR ACT
{*} OPE/ED: FOR BUILDERS, THE HOUSE PARTY MAY BE OVER
{*} AFFORDABLE HOUSING RULES STIR CRITICISM
{*} IMMIGRATION CALLED A KEY FACTOR IN SPRAWL
{*} ATLANTIC COUNTY CREATES GROUNDWATER PANEL
{*} DREDGE PILES UP TROUBLES FOR LINDEN
{*} BUILDING WIND TURBINES AT QUARRY REQUIRES LEGISLATION
{*} DAMN THE SCIENCE, FULL SPEED AHEAD
{*} THE BRIDGES OF NEW JERSEY'S COUNTIES
{*} SPRAWL & HEALTH - PRESS RELEASE
{*} CONFERENCE ON DRINKING WATER PROTECTION - SEP 13
{*} PEQUANNOCK WATERSHED HIKE - SEP 13
{*} GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL SOCIAL - SEP 25
{*} ANJEC ALERT - SAVE THE DATES - Oct 16, 21
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The Garden State EnviroNet (GSE) gratefully acknowledges volunteers
Gerald Cullins, Jeff Hook and Paul Neuman for their contributions to
today's issue. Thanks also to Peter Montague for his many contibutions
to the EnviroNews, and his invaluable help as a member of our Board of
Trustees. If interested in helping out, please send an email message
to mai...@gsenet.org.
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GOV TO SUE OVER NEW ASSAULT ON CLEAN AIR ACT
Date: 030827
From: http://www.state.nj.us/
GOVERNOR MCGREEVEY ANNOUNCES THAT NEW JERSEY WILL SUE
BUSH ADMINISTRATION OVER NEW ASSAULT ON CLEAN AIR ACT
August 27, 2003
Trenton - Governor James E. McGreevey announced that Attorney General
Peter C. Harvey will file a court challenge against new U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations signed today that
would drastically undermine the New Source Review program under the
Clean Air Act. Other Northeast states will join New Jersey in the
suit.
The suit follows other recent actions by Governor McGreevey to meet
his commitment to fight to protect New Jersey citizens from air
pollution. The new regulations represent the Bush Administration's
most blatant attempt to subvert the Clean Air Act. They threaten the
health of residents in the Northeast, who are subjected to smog and
toxic emissions generated by upwind power plants.
"These changes rip the heart out of the Clean Air Act, threatening
our environment and the health of all New Jersey residents," said
Governor McGreevey. "A large portion of the pollution impairing New
Jersey's air quality comes from out-of-state pollution sources. We
will not allow the federal government to walk away from its
responsibility to safeguard the quality of our air and protect the
health of our residents."
The new regulations signed today by acting EPA Administrator Marianne
Horinko effectively nullify New Source Review (NSR) by allowing most
major sources of pollution, including the country's dirtiest power
plants, to avoid long-standing NSR requirements to install new
pollution controls when making any physical or operational changes
that result in a significant increase in emissions. New Jersey also is
part of a coalition suing the EPA to block final regulations published
in December that severely weakened NSR by, among other things,
changing how power plants, utilities, refineries and other major
sources of pollution calculate emissions.
The new regulations would provide a huge loophole for industry that
would allow companies to rebuild entire plants under the guise of
"routine maintenance, repair and replacement" without being subject to
New Source Review. The regulation changes would allow companies to
modify their dirtiest plants and increase emissions without installing
modern pollution control equipment.
"We must protect New Jersey's air quality," said Attorney General
Harvey. "In this case, we will do it through litigation. The Executive
Branch is supposed to use its rule making powers to implement the laws
passed by Congress, not to overturn them. In this case, EPA is
effectively repealing crucial protections established in the Clean Air
Act. EPA's action is unlawful and threatens the health of New
Jerseyans. We're marshaling our legal resources to fight these
changes."
"These new rules represent the Bush Administration's latest and most
egregious act to undermine the nation's clean air laws and New
Jersey's air quality and public health for the sake of lawbreakers,"
said DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell. "As was reported yesterday
by the U.S. Congress' own non-partisan accounting office, the Bush
Administration is taking its cue on these critical clean air decisions
from industry and not the states and people whose air quality and
public health are severely at risk."
The lawsuit will be filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit once the regulations are published in the
Federal Register, which is expected soon.
EPA has created a broad exemption that greatly expands the range of
projects that plants can undertake without installing pollution
controls under NSR. This exemption provides that where equipment is
replaced with equipment that performs the same basic function and does
not exceed 20 percent of the cost of replacement of the "process unit"
of which it is a part, it will be considered "routine maintenance,
repair or replacement" exempt from NSR.
The definition of "process unit" is so broad as to encompass an
entire production facility. For example, at a pulverized coal fired
power plant, the "process unit" is the combination of all those
systems from the coal receiving equipment through the emission stack.
As such, 20 percent of the replacement cost of equipment for an
entire process unit would potentially exempt most modifications,
allowing units to increase actual emissions without installing
pollution control devices. Moreover, a power company could rebuild an
entire generating unit over time in 20-percent increments.
The exemption is inconsistent with existing precedent and nullifies
congressional intent that grandfathered sources of pollution either
shut down or install pollution control devices when they upgrade their
facilities.
Under the leadership of Governor McGreevey, New Jersey has taken a
leading role in the legal fight to reduce air pollution from coal-
fired power plants.
New Jersey gained a major victory on August 7, when a federal judge
ruled in the State's favor on all counts in a landmark lawsuit against
Ohio Edison Company. U.S. District Court Judge Edmund Sargus of the
Southern District of Ohio agreed with New Jersey and the other
plaintiffs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New York
and Connecticut ruling that 11 upgrades that Ohio Edison made to the
seven units of its W.H. Sammis coal-fired power plant on the Ohio
River were "major modifications" not "routine maintenance" and that
they significantly increased emissions from the plant. Ohio Edison
failed to obtain permits for such modifications and install state-of-
the-art pollution control devices as required by NSR. The remedy phase
of the trial is slated to begin in April 2004.
Meanwhile, the concrete benefits of New Jersey's efforts can be seen
at home, where Public Service Electric and Gas ("PSE&G") is installing
state-of-the-art pollution control devices on its coal fired plants in
Mercer and Hudson counties. On July 26, 2002, New Jersey and the U.S.
Government entered into a Consent Decree with PSE&G, under which the
company agreed to spend more than $300 million to install such
devices, which will reduce PSE&G's sulfur dioxide emissions from coal
fired electric generators by about 90% and its Oxides of Nitrogen
(NOx) emissions by about 80%.
These decreases represent over 30% of all sulfur dioxide and 20% of
all NOx emissions from all stationary sources in New Jersey combined.
The PSE&G Consent Decree also has provisions requiring PSE&G to
implement air pollution controls and practices that limit particulate
matter emissions to levels at or near the lowest limit for coal-fired
power plants in the United States.
"The PSE&G settlement is a model result," said Governor McGreevey.
"Regulators were able to negotiate in good faith with a company that
was prepared to do the right thing. The result is healthier air for
New Jersey residents."
In addition, Commissioner Campbell announced an agreement on May 29
with PPL Generation, LLC (PPL), to shut down two coal-fired units at
its Martins Creek power plant in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and
to take other actions to significantly reduce emissions of air
pollutants from the plant that impact communities in Warren County,
New Jersey. The agreement marked the first time that a state has been
able to negotiate the shutdown of a coal-fired power plant outside its
borders.
As a result of this agreement, SO2 emissions from Martins Creek will
be reduced by up to 80 percent or approximately 20,000 tons per year
by 2007. Also, emission reductions will be achieved for nitrogen
oxides, mercury, and fine particulates. In addition, PPL will retire
70 percent of the SO2 and NOx credits made available as a result of
the shutdown of the coal-fired units in 2007. Retiring the credits
will prevent them from being used to authorized higher emissions at
another facility upwind of New Jersey.
SO2 emissions cause acid rain, which harms our streams, lakes,
forests, and farmland. SO2 emissions also create fine particles
believed to contribute to hundreds of premature deaths in New Jersey
every year. NOx emissions also contribute to acid rain and fine
particles, as well as causing high concentrations of ground-level
ozone and aggravating respiratory problems.
* * *
Contact: Micah Rasmussen, 609-777-2600
State of New Jersey Governor's Office
POB 004
Trenton, NJ 08625
Copyright (c) State of New Jersey, 2002
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OPE/ED: FOR BUILDERS, THE HOUSE PARTY MAY BE OVER
Date: Wed, 27 Au
From: "Steven Sacks-Wilner" {ste...@sacks-wilner.com}
By John McLaughlin, Star-Ledger Columnist, August 27, 2003
The state Supreme Court ruled 26 years ago that the pursuit of
happiness for poor citizens included a chance to buy a suburban house
to call their own. The ruling is universally referred to as "Mt.
Laurel."
At the time, developers and builders were viewed as partners in a
plot to deny the unaffluent the chance of home ownership by
restricting construction to the most expensive housing the market
would bear.
But in town after town these days, the developers have become Mt.
Laurel's new best friends, accusing municipal officials, their one-
time pals, of denying the poor their place on the sundecks of
suburbia.
It's not that the home builders have developed irrepressible social
consciences. It's all about how the law works. Builders get to put up
four housing units at market value for every "affordable," or
subsidized, unit they bring on line. And they get compensated for
their efforts by being permitted to build at greater density than the
local zoning code normally allows.
When towns demur, here come the builders filing or threatening to
file lawsuits the municipalities know will be successful. So they do
deals.
Many of these deals result in gigantic condo developments that
greatly increase traffic and generate suburban sprawl. And they mean
political grief for the municipal officials who let it happen.
Voters don't want to hear about how Mt. Laurel has tied the hands of
local politicians. They are not swayed by reminders that it was only
yesterday when they were on the outside clamoring to get in. All they
know is that more houses mean more kids, more cars, more schools, more
taxes and less of the open space that drew them to the suburbs in the
first place.
But demographers are predicting an extra million residents in New
Jersey within the next 20 years. Where are we going to put them?
What we have here is one of those situations in which all parties are
pursuing legitimate interests. Everybody's right. Nobody's wrong. In
such instances, the game goes to the most influential, and up to now
that would be the free- spending developers' lobby.
On Monday, the Council on Affordable Housing, created almost 20 years
ago to resolve disputes between builders and local governments,
changed the rules of the game. From now on, assuming the new rules
survive the inevitable court challenge, towns have to agree to one
affordable unit for every 10 market-price units they approve and one
unit for every 30 jobs created by commercial development.
This allows towns to develop when and where they want to and at their
own pace. The builders are unhappy with this, and so are housing
advocates. But it's all right with Gov. James E. McGreevey because it
fits so nicely with the image he is trying to project as champion of
open space and implacable foe of sprawl.
But what if the new rules result in a no-growth situation? What kind
of impact would that have on the state's economy? Are we destined to
be the East Coast's North Dakota?
New Jersey is the most densely populated state and its roads among
the most crowded. Growth has to stop somewhere, sometime. Doesn't it?
Isn't that what the million-acre buy-up of open space launched by
former Gov. Christie Whitman was all about?
The builders have been a powerful lobby ever since there have been
politicians around to give money to. And they don't hesitate to use
that power to push local government around. When he was mayor of
Woodbridge, McGreevey fought a 10-year court battle to block housing
developments, arguing the land was needed for parks. State Community
Affairs Commissioner Susan Bass Levin, in whose department COAH is
lodged, is the former mayor of Cherry Hill. Her administration fought
a developer for nine years over an 80-acre parcel to which the
township held title.
The governor and the commissioner do not, exactly, come to this issue
with open minds. Too bad for the developers. Instead of bankrolling
candidates for governor, builders will just have to go out and elect
one of their own.
(c) 2003 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved.
# # #
Steven L. Sacks-Wilner, Esq.
Counsellor at Law
489 Dutchtown-Zion Rd
Skillman NJ 08558-1307
T: 908-359-5550
E: L...@Sacks-Wilner.com
W: http://www.TheNJLawyer.com
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AFFORDABLE HOUSING RULES STIR CRITICISM
Date: 27 Aug 2003
From: "Steven Sacks-Wilner" {ste...@sacks-wilner.com}
OVERHAUL DESIGNED TO REIN IN NJ SPRAWL
By Steve Chambers, Star-Ledger Staff, August 26, 2003
The state Council on Affordable Housing took the initial steps
yesterday toward a sweeping revamp of New Jersey's housing rules, but
fierce criticism from housing advocates made it clear the road will
not be easy.
Advocates said the new rules - designed to increase the amount of
housing for poor and moderate-income families but also to rein in
sprawl - will further segregation, increase the concentration of
poverty in cities and result in less affordable housing being built.
"We've been waiting for this day for four years, and I have to tell
you, what we've heard today is disappointing," said Diane Sterner,
director of the Housing and Community Development Network of New
Jersey.
But the League of Municipalities, which lobbied hard for changes in a
system it claims forced towns to accept unwanted development, praised
the reforms.
The change will eliminate controversial "fair share" numbers
generated for every town. Instead of being forced to accept that
number of affordable units, towns will instead be required to permit
construction of one affordable unit for every 10 market-price units
built in town. New commercial construction would require one
affordable unit be built for every 30 jobs created.
"The league supports growth share and feels strongly that using a
ratio based on actual growth will produce needed affordable housing
without contributing to sprawl," said William Dressel, league
director. "In the past, housing obligation was artificially
established, with little input or participation by the
municipalities."
The COAH was created by the Legislature in 1987 to referee legal
disputes between towns and builders. Since 1975, the state Supreme
Court has ordered towns to do all they can to allow construction of a
"fair share" of affordable housing within their borders - rulings
builders have used to win approval for large-scale, dense
developments.
Under the reforms, it is likely towns that want to grow will still
use a "builder's remedy" to get affordable units constructed. That
court-devised formula grants builders density bonuses if they set
aside a percentage of affordable units.
Since the COAH was created, about 5 percent of all new construction
has been set aside for, mostly, moderate- income families. Susan Bass
Levin, community affairs commissioner and the COAH chairwoman, said
the reform will get more units built and improve regional planning.
"This is a new COAH," she said. "This is a COAH that will be flexible
and accommodating and get the job done."
But housing advocates said that by setting the bar at 10 percent, the
state has virtually ensured a smaller number of affordable units get
built. Roughly 1 million New Jerseyans are already paying more than
the recommended 30 percent of their income on housing.
Robert Burchell, a Rutgers professor who helped devise the new COAH
formula, said another 50,000 affordable units will be built statewide
if growth estimates are met. But he conceded that if towns decide to
slow growth down, that won't happen.
That possibility angered housing advocates and concerned builders.
"Today is a sad day," said Kevin Walsh of the Fair Share Housing
Center in Cherry Hill. "It's a new day for exclusionary zoning."
Joseph Riggs, president of K. Hovnanian Cos., the state's largest
residential developer, said the concept of "growth share" isn't a bad
one. But what is apparently lacking in the COAH regulations, he said,
is any discussion about where housing will be built for 1 million new
residents expected by 2020.
"If there isn't anything that says where the housing and population
fit, then we wonder where the motivation is to zone for any growth,"
he said.
The New Jersey Builders Association said it, too, would be reading
the new regulations closely to see whether they meet COAH's
constitutional obligation to calculate the housing needs of poorer
families and ensure towns aren't discriminating against them.
Jeff Tittel, director of the state Sierra Club chapter, said he's
concerned the new rules will encourage towns to build sprawling office
parks because the penalty associated with jobs is so low.
COAH was four years behind schedule in issuing the new regulations,
and builders already are suing over the delay. Walsh, one of the
people suing, wore a yellow pin "Release Round Three Fair Share
Numbers Now!"
Some advocates were visibly angry about the delays and the end
result. Public comments were withheld until after the 11-member board
had voted unanimously to publish the new regulations, which won't take
effect until January 2004 at the earliest.
When Paul Chrystie of the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the
Environment was asked to keep his comments to three minutes, he
snapped, "They took four years, I'll take 4 minutes."
Steve Eisdorfer, a veteran of the housing wars who these days
represents some of the state's largest builders, said the new
regulations will likely mean many more court battles.
"It does mean another round of chaos," he said.
* * *
Steve Chambers covers land-use issues. He can be reached at
scha...@starledger.com or (973) 392-1674.
Copyright 2003 The Star-Ledger.
# # #
Steven L. Sacks-Wilner, Esq.
Counsellor at Law
489 Dutchtown-Zion Rd
Skillman NJ 08558-1307
T: 908-359-5550
E: L...@Sacks-Wilner.com
W: http://www.TheNJLawyer.com
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IMMIGRATION CALLED A KEY FACTOR IN SPRAWL
Date: 030827
From: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/
CONTROVERSIAL STUDY DISCOUNTS POPULAR IDEA THAT
ALIENS HAVE LITTLE EFFECT ON DEVELOPMENT
By Brian Donohue, Star-Ledger Staff, August 27, 2003
Efforts by states and local governments to stem suburban sprawl are
doomed because of high levels of immigration and population increases,
according to a study released yesterday by a Washington, D.C., think
tank.
The study by the Center for Immigration Studies discounts the notion,
widely held by environmentalists and planners, that immigration plays
little role in the loss of open space to development.
Nationwide, population growth accounted for 52 percent of the loss of
rural land from 1982 to1997, the study found.
Meanwhile, increases in the amount of land used per person -
considered by many planners and environmentalists to be the driving
force behind sprawl - accounted for 48 percent of new development on
rural land.
The study was conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies, a
Washington, D.C., think tank that advocates a reduction in immigration
levels.
Researchers hope the findings will spark greater scrutiny of
immigration's role as a contributing factor in sprawl.
"No one wants to talk about population growth," said Steven Camarota,
CIS lead researcher and an author of the study. "Either people are
unaware or they recognize that it's a bombshell."
"The question is, Do we want to be a nation of 400 or 500 million
people? You're going to have to develop a lot more land, and if you
say you're not, you're being disingenuous."
The study compared development statistics compiled by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service
with population data from the U.S. Census.
Some environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, have had
internal debates over whether to include immigration reductions in
their platforms.
Jeff Tittel, director of the state Sierra Club chapter, disputed the
findings of the CIS study, saying it greatly exaggerated immigration's
effect on sprawl.
"The biggest immigration group causing sprawl in New Jersey are New
Yorkers, not people from Central America," said Tittel. "It's the
person from the West Side of Manhattan who now wants the backyard
swimming pool."
The study cites a list of 20 other factors, including highway
construction, affluence and zoning laws that have increased the amount
of developed land per person by 16.2 percent over the 15-year time
period.
But the study says a 15.5 percent increase in the nation's overall
population has played an even larger role the loss of open space.
In New Jersey, the study found immigration has had a far smaller
effect on sprawl than in many other states. That's because immigration
was offset by a steady outflow of native New Jerseyans moving to other
states.
In the 15-year period, the state's population rose just 8 percent.
Overall land use, however, rose by 40 percent, the study found.
In fact, 76.3 percent of the increase in land use was because of
factors such as larger house sizes, highway building, the movement of
jobs to the suburbs.
The effect was far more pronounced in other regions that have seen
their populations skyrocket over years included in the study. In
Arizona, population growth alone more than doubled the amount of land
being used, even as per capita land use shrank.
Roy Beck, executive director of NumbersUSA Education and Research
Foundation and lead author of the report, said immigration's role in
fueling sprawl was the result of two factors.
First, while most immigrants still live in cities, more are settling
in the suburbs. Also, the arrival of new immigrants in the cities
prompts job competition, cultural changes and other factors that
prompt native residents to move further outward to rural areas.
"It just sounds far out," said Beck. "You think of immigrants, they
are poor, they live in cities , they live on top of each other. How
can you blame them for sprawl? But once we were able to just put the
figures down, there is no question that population growth is a huge
factor."
* * *
Brian Donohue covers immigration issues. He can be reached at
bdon...@starledger.com or (973) 392-1543.
Copyright 2003 The Star-Ledger.
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ATLANTIC COUNTY CREATES GROUNDWATER PANEL
Date: 030827
From: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/atlantic/
By Thomas Barlas, Staff Writer, (609) 272-7201
Press of Atlantic City, August 27, 2003
Northfield - Atlantic County government took the final action Tuesday
toward taking greater control of groundwater issues that affect
everything from drought regulations to construction in the county.
The Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders voted 9-0 on an
ordinance creating a groundwater advisory committee.
It also makes the Atlantic County Utilities Authority the so-called
"lead agency" to study and make recommendations on groundwater issues.
County officials said their action was prompted by inaction by the
state Department of Environmental Protection.
The move drew support Tuesday from the Pinelands Preservation
Alliance, whose representative at the meeting said both the advisory
committee and ACUA activities will help preserve a necessary commodity
- fresh water.
Alliance groundwater specialist Richard Bizub said he "never thought
I'd see the day" when water companies and other companies start
"competing for water" in southern New Jersey.
"The days of clean and cheap and unlimited water are coming to an
end," he said.
The future of the region's water supply now depends more on actions
by local and county governments and the "common sense of residents"
than it does with state oversight, Bizub said.
Bizub also urged county officials to send representatives to ongoing
meetings by the state on changes to the New Jersey's water-supply
plan.
Southern New Jersey, he said, isn't well represented at those
meetings.
County officials said last year's drought restrictions, difficulties
some developers have in getting water-allocation permits and the
state's failure to develop wastewater-recycling permits are examples
of the DEP's failure to work cooperatively with local governments in
the county.
Months of below-average rainfall prompted the state to impose severe
water-use restrictions throughout New Jersey last year.
It also prompted a less than successful building moratorium in Egg
Harbor, Galloway and Hamilton townships, three municipalities
designated as growth areas.
Southern New Jersey's green industry - which includes businesses such
as landscaping companies and nurseries - claimed many of the water-use
restrictions were unnecessary. They also said it cost them about a 40
percent drop in business.
The construction industry also contended that the building moratorium
was based on poor information on behalf of the state.
The proposed groundwater advisory committee will have 16 to 20
members, which will include "water purveyors, environmentalists,
municipal and county officials, scientists, real estate developers,
farmers, landscapers and academicians," according to the ordinance.
The committee will "advise and consult" with Atlantic County
Executive Dennis Levinson on all issues regarding groundwater,
including planning and conservation. It also will be required to
submit reports to Levinson and the freeholders.
The DEP still will have the final say on groundwater-related
measures.
* * *
To email Thomas Barlas at The Press: TBa...@pressofac.com
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DREDGE PILES UP TROUBLES FOR LINDEN
Date: 030827
From: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/union/
CITY FINDS ITSELF WITH A MESS INSTEAD OF A GOLF COURSE
By Jennifer Golson, Star-Ledger Staff, August 27, 2003
Linden officials and outside contractors are trying to hash out who
is responsible for a mound of dredge piled on top of the former city
landfill.
The material - silt culled from the Claremont Channel in Jersey
City - was supposed to cover the 55-acre site as part of a closure
plan ordered by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
But instead of forming a layer over the former dump, the dredge is
stockpiled and could pose an environmental hazard at the landfill,
located next to the Hawk Rise Wildlife Sanctuary.
City officials are worried that the pile is too heavy and that it
could decompose, rendering it useless for forming the proper seal,
said Councilman Richard Gerbounka, chairman of the council's landfill
committee.
The pile is one of several failures city officials ultimately
attribute to Strategic Alliance Group LLC. The Ventnor- based
cooperative had a pact to close the landfill and build a golf course
on top of the former dump. All of the work was supposed to be done at
no cost to the city with Strategic Alliance making money from fees it
charged other companies that were dropping off the dredge that would
be used to cap the landfill.
Last month, the city banned Strategic Alliance from the site for
failing to pay the city workers they used, and for failing to fulfill
a promise to build a $2.5 million football field in another part of
the city. Now officials are working on a lawsuit against the group.
Meanwhile, they are left with a pile of gunk, and plans for a golf
facility have been scrapped, at least for now, Gerbounka said.
"Right now, the only thing the landfill committee is concerned with
is closing the landfill in an environmentally sound manner, according
to our closure plan, and we will worry about end use of the land at a
later time," he said.
The city is paying Clean Earth Remediation and Construction Services
$720,000 to smooth out the material. And they will have to pay nearly
$230,000 more for additional consultants to determine the amount of
dredge, keep an eye on the incline and report to the state.
"This was all money that we didn't anticipate spending because of our
contract with SAG," Gerbounka said.
Clean Earth Remediation was the lowest bidder out of four firms that
sought the job. But the firm is also part of the same parent company
as Clean Earth Dredging Technologies Inc. Otherwise known as DTI, that
firm was a subcontractor for Strategic Alliance.
Officials for Clean Earth and Strategic Alliance are now blaming each
other for landfill problems.
Clean Earth was paying Strategic Alliance to bring dredge to Linden,
rather than hauling it to a site farther from their Jersey City
facility. That is how the Ventnor group made its money, said Bill La
Van Jr., a partner with Strategic Alliance.
In turn, La Van's group paid Clean Earth to help smooth the dredge at
the site, work La Van said was never fulfilled.
"They kept putting it in piles and reworking it," he said. "It
shouldn't have been stockpiled...They are getting paid twice to level
it. They got paid from us, and they're getting paid by the city to
level this mountain that they created."
For now, Strategic Alliance has a lawsuit pending against Clean Earth
and they are trying to determine what action to take against the city.
Clean Earth officials contend that Strategic Alliance owes them
money.
"We will be handling that through the legal system," said Steven
Sands, president of Clean Earth Dredging Technologies. "Their claims
are baseless and we had absolutely nothing to do with SAG being
terminated by the city."
Sands said the contract required his firm to pay Strategic Alliance
for each ton of dredge brought into the site.
Clean Earth said it lost millions when Strategic Alliance was
terminated.
"We were left in the lurch, and had to find some alternate sites,
which caused us some considerable damage," Sands said. "We were
unsuccessful in one bid, because we didn't have the home that was
proposed."
Before Clean Earth Remediation can start leveling the current dredge,
the city's other contractors will have to determine how much dredge
and other material is there.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is also keeping an
eye on the job, because of violations that were pending at the site,
including an unauthorized pile of contaminated dirt.
City officials will have to provide the results of the aerial survey,
report on the incline and make sure the soil does not encroach on the
neighboring wetlands.
"We've been working with the city of Linden, and they've been very
cooperative," said Amy Cradic, department spokeswoman. "We're awaiting
information right now."
* * *
Jennifer Golson covers Linden. She can be reached at
jgo...@starledger.com or 908-302-1508.
Copyright 2003 The Star-Ledger.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
BUILDING WIND TURBINES AT QUARRY REQUIRES LEGISLATION
Date: 030827
From: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/union/
By Robert E. Misseck, Star-Ledger Staff, August 27, 2003
It will take an act of the state Legislature for a proposed energy-
generating wind turbine facility to be built at the old Houdaille
Quarry in Springfield.
As it stands now, construction of such a facility is prohibited under
the terms of the lease Union County has with the state Department of
Transportation for the rocky, 165-acre tract of land being eyed for
the project.
Sen. Thomas H. Kean Jr. (R-21st Dist.) said he has legislation
prepared to allow for changes to the current contract so that the
property could be used for a wind turbine operation.
"It would not compel anyone to do anything, it would just permit such
a use at the site," Kean said.
However, he wants to be sure everyone is on board with the project
before introducing the proposed bill, the senator said.
Everyone includes officials at the county and in neighboring Summit,
where the town's Utility Advisory Committee plans to meet next month.
"The committee is planning to meet first week of September to discuss
the issue of using windmills as a source of energy," said Clerk David
Hughes.
Springfield Township Committeeman Sy Mullman sought the meeting with
officials in Summit to discuss the project.
It has been three years since Mullman first proposed the idea of
installing about 30 wind turbines on the land owned by Union County,
and Mullman said the recent blackout impressed on people the necessity
of seeking alternate energy sources.
"We have to move on this since there a number things that have to get
done before construction can actually begin," he said.
Summit Mayor Walter Long said he would wait for a report from the
advisory committee before making a final decision, but he indicated he
personally favors Mullman's proposal.
"If you take a look at what recently happened with the blackout,
nobody is investing in the infrastructure, our utilities are outdated,
so we should at least explore the options," Long said.
County Manager George Devanney said the county needs more information
before making a decision on the energy-generating wind turbine
project.
"We need to know exactly how many turbines will be installed, how
tall they will be and whether such a project is feasible at that
site," Devanney said.
"Last November, we granted Springfield permission to access the site
and conduct any studies they wanted. To this date we have heard
nothing back from Springfield," he said.
Mullman said the feasibility tests will be conducted after it is
clear everyone supports the project. The nine-month tests cost about
$25,000, "so we want to be sure we have everybody's cooperation before
proceeding," Mullman said.
The costs would be included in any agreement signed with the company
that would build and run the facility.
Community Energy Inc., a Pennsylvania company using turbines for
residential and commercial customers, is interested in the project,
Mullman said.
It would take at least two years before any wind turbines are built
at the old quarry once all of the necessary permits and zoning changes
are in place.
Mullman said the proposed "wind farm" would produce enough clean
energy for the township and four other communities. Some of the spill-
over electricity would be sold to a utility company.
"It wouldn't cost taxpayers a cent since the company selected to
build the facility would pick up the bill, and we would also seek an
arrangement in which our municipal buildings would be provided with
free power," Mullman said.
* * *
Robert E. Misseck works in the Union County news bureau. He can be
reached at rmis...@starledger.com or at (908) 302-1507.
Copyright 2003 The Star-Ledger.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DAMN THE SCIENCE, FULL SPEED AHEAD
Date: 030820
From: http://www.techcentralstation.com/
By Joel Schwartz, Tech Central Station, 08/20/2003
A funny thing happens on weekends in most cities. Nitrogen oxide
emissions go down by 10 to 40 percent, but ozone smog levels stay the
same or rise.
Ozone accumulates when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic
compounds (VOC) react in the presence of sunlight on hot, calm days.
But under the right conditions - conditions that now exist in many
American cities - reducing NOx can actually make ozone worse. This is
challenge enough for areas trying to comply with EPA's tough new
eight-hour ozone standard. But EPA and the California Air Resources
Board (CARB) are compounding the problem by making believe it doesn't
exist.
Indeed, despite the risks, during the last few years these agencies
have promulgated regulations specifically intended to achieve large,
nationwide NOx reductions. These regulations will cost billions of
dollars per year, but risk worsening smog for millions of Americans.
THE "WEEKEND OZONE EFFECT"?
Think of it as a natural test of an ozone reduction strategy. Each
weekend NOx emissions go way down because of large declines in diesel
traffic, but ozone stays the same or goes up. The phenomenon has been
observed for decades in some areas, but ozone-monitoring data show
that it is increasing in magnitude and has become the norm at almost
all monitoring sites.1
Several studies have concluded the weekend decline in NOx emissions
is, paradoxically, the cause of increased ozone.2-7 Ozone formation
depends on the ratio of VOC to NOx. When VOC/NOx is high - greater
than about 10 - ozone formation is limited by the availability of NOx,
and VOC reductions have no effect on ozone levels.
But when VOC/NOx falls below 10, VOC reductions begin to reduce
ozone. The rub is that under strongly VOC sensitive conditions,
reducing NOx increases ozone. Urban areas tend to have the lowest
VOC/NOx ratios and are therefore the most VOC sensitive. During the
last few decades the VOC/NOx ratio has been declining in most areas,
increasing the weekend effect.
That emissions happen to change on weekends provides the opportunity
to study the effect of NOx and VOC reductions on ozone levels. But the
conclusion that NOx reductions are ineffective or detrimental applies
to ozone formation on all days of the week. Thus, the conclusions of
weekend effect research have general implications for air pollution
policy.
Recent modeling studies have concluded that NOx reductions of up to
50 percent would increase ozone levels in many major cities, including
New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, southern California, and the San
Francisco Bay area. Beyond about 50 percent, the VOC/NOx ratio would
become high enough that further NOx reductions would reduce ozone.3,
8, 9
In contrast, VOC reductions would reduce ozone at least to some
extent almost everywhere, and would be very effective in some urban
areas. However, to attain EPA's 8-hour ozone standard, VOC reductions
would be insufficient, and NOx reductions on the order of 70 to 90
percent would ultimately be necessary in most metropolitan areas. Such
large NOx reductions are unattainable during the next five to ten
years-the amount of time allotted for non-attainment areas to meet the
new eight-hour standard. This calls into question whether attaining
the eight-hour standard is even feasible.
AND ITS DISCONTENTS
There are other hypotheses for the origin of the weekend effect,
including a change in the timing of emissions on weekends, or
carryover of pollution from increased driving on Friday and Saturday
evenings. If either of these were correct, NOx reductions might not be
detrimental after all. However, based on observations of ambient
pollution levels and emissions, combined with computer modeling of air
chemistry and transport, a series of recent reports concludes that
lower weekend NOx emissions are the major culprit.2-7
This isn't what regulators want to hear. Admitting that NOx
reductions have become detrimental to ozone control would be a major
embarrassment for both EPA and CARB. Both agencies have promulgated
stringent regulations that will eliminate most NOx emissions from
automobiles and diesel trucks during the next 20 to 30 years, as the
fleet turns over to vehicles built to the tougher standards. EPA also
requires a 60 percent reduction in NOx from coal-fired power plants
starting next year.
Regulators are thus vigorously resisting the conclusions of
independent researchers. But without an analytical leg to stand on,
the agencies have resorted to red herrings that mainly obfuscate the
debate. For example, in an opinion article in the magazine
Environmental Manager, CARB's research staff argued that the
correlation between declining ozone and declining NOx during the last
20 years shows that NOx controls are effective.10
But if correlation equals causation, presumably CARB would also agree
that increased driving reduces air pollution, since driving has
increased about 75 percent during the last 20 years. Of course, we
can't make causal inferences on the basis of correlation alone. We
have to look at underlying mechanisms to see whether our conclusions
are plausible.
Increased driving obviously didn't reduce air pollution. Instead, the
average emission rate of the vehicle fleet decreased much more rapidly
than driving increased, so emissions declined overall in spite of
increased driving. Likewise, we know from chemical mechanism studies
that NOx has a non-linear relationship to ozone formation, with a key
parameter being the VOC/NOx ratio. This ratio is low enough that
marginal NOx reductions are counterproductive or ineffective.
CARB has also called into question the reliability of the models used
to assess ozone formation and to test different control strategies,
arguing that their output is too uncertain for drawing conclusions
about the effect of NOx reductions on ozone levels.10 The irony here
is that these are the same models that EPA and CARB use to set
regional emission reduction requirements with ton-per-day precision,
and to justify multi-billion-dollar pollution control regulations and
plans.
Like many models of complex, real-world phenomena, urban airshed
modeling is subject to uncertainties. But one might question the
sincerity of regulators who ignore these uncertainties when
implementing their favored programs, and highlight them in the context
of politically unpalatable research results.
Although CARB disputed the weekend effect conclusions in an opinion
article in a trade magazine, the agency's views were not able to pass
the rigors of scientific peer review. The July 2003 issue of the
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (JAWMA) devoted a
special section to studies of the weekend effect, some of which are
cited at the end of this column. The journal's reviewers rejected
CARB's submission.
EPA also clearly sees the weekend effect conclusions as a threat to
its regulatory strategy of large NOx reductions. The technical
documentation for EPA's proposed off-road diesel rule, released in
May, approvingly cites the CARB paper that was later rejected by
JAWMA.11 Therein lies another irony: When EPA in 1999 promulgated a
rule requiring a 90 percent reduction in NOx emissions from
automobiles, the agency's own analysis concluded that the rule would
increase ozone in many areas of the country.12
DESPERATELY SEEKING NET BENEFITS
EPA promulgated its stringent NOx requirements for vehicles and power
plants specifically to aid attainment of the eight-hour ozone
standard. The risks of NOx reductions aside, you still have to wonder
why EPA is pursuing the eight-hour standard in the first place. Even
EPA's own analysis concluded that the measures necessary to attain the
standard would impose costs on the American public far greater than
the benefits achieved.13 That should have stopped the agency in its
tracks. It didn't and EPA plans to begin enforcing the standard next
year.
Since we can't hope for net improvements in people's welfare, at
least we can try to limit the damage. Given the risks of additional
near-term NOx reductions, EPA should instead seek more rapid
reductions in VOC, and, where possible, delay blanket national NOx
reductions for several years.
What makes this strategy appealing is that VOC reductions will reduce
ozone in most places, especially places where most people live.
Furthermore, atmospheric modeling suggests that the detrimental
effects of NOx reductions can be somewhat mitigated by front-loading
VOC reductions to keep ahead of declines in NOx.
After substantial near-term VOC reductions, later NOx reductions
would achieve eight-hour ozone attainment in the long term, but with
less harm in the interim. In addition, this change would give each
non-attainment area flexibility to tailor its ozone reduction strategy
based on the specifics of local emissions and air chemistry.
Automobiles contribute 50 to 75 percent of all VOC emissions, and the
worst five percent of cars accounts for half the automobile
contribution. These cars can be identified on the road with remote
sensing and their owners required to repair or voluntarily scrap their
cars for a cash incentive. There is no other means to more
substantial, more rapid, or less expensive reductions in VOC
emissions.
Americans deserve regulations based on rigorous science that deliver
net benefits to their welfare. It's unfortunate that environmental
regulatory agencies are falling short on both of these key goals.
Joel Schwartz is an adjunct fellow with the American Enterprise
Institute and the author of the new AEI study "No Way Back: Why Air
Pollution Will Continue to Decline"
- - -
REFERENCES CITED
1. Heuss, J. M. et al. "Weekday/Weekend Ozone Differences: What Can We
Learn from Them," Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association,
53, pp. 772-788 (2003).
2. Lawson, D. R. "The Weekend Effect - the Weekly Ambient Emissions
Control Experiment," Environmental Manager, pp. 17-25 (July 2003).
3. Fujita, E. M. et al. "Evolution of the Magnitude and Spatial Extent
of the Weekend Ozone Effect in California's South Coast Air Basin
1981-2000," Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 53, pp.
864-875 (2003).
4. Yarwood, G. et al. "Modeling Weekday/Weekend Ozone Differences in
the Los Angeles Region for 1997," Journal of the Air & Waste
Management Association, 53, pp. 864-875 (2003).
5. Marr, L. C. & Harley, R. A. "Spectral Analysis of Weekday-Weekend
Differences in Ambient Ozone, Nitrogen Oxide, and Non-Methane
Hydrocarbon Time Series in California," Atmospheric Environment, 36,
pp. 2327-2335 (2002).
6. Marr, L. C. & Harley, R. A. "Modeling the Effect of Weekday-Weekend
Differences in Motor Vehicle Emissions on Photochemical Air Pollution
in Central California," Environmental Science & Technology, 36, pp.
4099-4106 (2002).
7. Pun, B. K. & Seigneur, C. "Day-of-Week Behavior of Atmospheric
Ozone in Three U.S. Cities," Journal of the Air & Waste Management
Association, 53, pp. 789-801 (2003).
8. Reynolds, S. & Blanchard, C. L., "Understanding the Effectiveness
of Precursor Reductions in Lowering 8-Hour Ozone Concentrations in the
Eastern United States," Envair, San Rafael, CA, 2003.
9. Reynolds, S. et al. "Understanding the Effectiveness of Precursor
Reductions in Lowering 8-Hr Ozone Concentrations," Journal of the Air
& Waste Management Association, 53, pp. 195-205 (2003).
10. Croes, B. E. et al. "The O3 'Weekend Effect' and NOx Control
Strategies: Scientific and Public Health Findings and Their Regulatory
Implications," Environmental Manager, pp. 27-35 (July 2003).
11. EPA, "Draft Regulatory Impact Analysis: Control of Emissions from
Nonroad Diesel Engines. Chapter 2. Air Quality, Health, and Welfare
Effects," Washington, DC, 2003, http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel.htm.
12. Abt Associates, "Tier II Proposed Rule: Air Quality Estimation,
Selected Health and Welfare Benefits Methods, and Benefit Analysis
Results," EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC, 1999.
13. EPA, "Regulatory Impact Analyses for the Particulate Matter and
Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards and Proposed Regional
Haze Rule," Washington, DC, 1997,
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/naaqsfin/ria.html.
* * *
(c) 2003 Tech Central Station
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE BRIDGES OF NEW JERSEY'S COUNTIES
Date: 27 Aug 2003
From: "carol" {ca...@njconservation.org}
THE STATE WE'RE IN
By Michele S. Byers, Executive Director
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
August 27, 2003 - Volume XXXIII, No. 33
Not long ago, rivers and streams posed real barriers to travel and
commerce. Almost any body of water had to be circumvented, sometimes
taking days to reach a ferry or shallow ford.
Just as bridges link two sides of a river, they are also important
links in our history. Today the innumerable small bridges you'll find
throughout New Jersey gives us a glimpse into the past and can also
connect us with the natural world.
In Hunterdon County, for example, you'll find a nationally
significant collection of stone arch bridges and culverts, and more
metal truss bridges than anywhere else in New Jersey.
So when Preservation New Jersey included Hunterdon's metal truss
bridges in its first "10 Most Endangered Historic Sites" list, it's no
wonder many rallied to preserve them. The result is a unique map and
brochure entitled Spanning History: The Historic Bridges of Hunterdon
County, published by the East Amwell Historic Preservation Committee
and the Amwell Heritage Society.
Driven by the need to get crops to market, 19th century farmers made
the first concerted effort to bridge Hunterdon's many creeks and
streams with stone arch bridges. Today, about 100 still exist, with
the oldest dating back to 1820. Hunterdon County has the largest
concentration of such bridges in the nation, and they certainly remind
us all of the area's agricultural roots!
However, as canals and railroads spread across the state, they
ushered in a new, more utilitarian bridge. Resembling oversized
erector sets, metal truss bridges were marvels of 19th and early-20th
century `modern' engineering. They varied greatly in size - from large
railroad bridges over rivers to small footpaths over fast-flowing
streams. While lacking the rustic charm and craftsmanship of their
stone forefathers, metal truss bridges more than make up for it in
their diverse designs and functions!
Also among Hunterdon's bridges is New Jersey's last remaining covered
bridge, Green Sergeants' Covered Bridge, traversing the Wickecheoke
Creek in Delaware Township. Originally a wooden truss bridge built on
stone abutments dating from 1750, the Green Sergeants' Covered Bridge
foreshadowed its metal descendants. Back in the 1980s it took a
grassroots campaign and a lawsuit to prevent modernization
improvements that would have destroyed it 's historic look and
character.
We're so used to driving over them that we take bridges for granted.
In heavily developed areas, you may not even realize how many bridges
you cross in the course of your everyday travels, or how much longer
your trip would take without them.
Every county in New Jersey is home to a special collection of
bridges! Take a moment to spot them, and think about the historic
stories they may have to tell!
Spanning History is available for free at Hunterdon County libraries,
historic and cultural sites, and the East Amwell Municipal Building
(1070 Route 202, Ringoes NJ 08551), or by mail from the East Amwell
Historic Preservation Committee at the same address.
- - -
I hope you'll contact me at 1-888-LAND-SAVE or
in...@njconservation.org, or visit NJCF's website at
http://www.njconservation.org, for more information about conserving
New Jersey's precious land and natural resources.
* * *
Carol K. Banhart
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Bamboo Brook
170 Longview Road
Far Hills, NJ 07931
Phone: 908-234-1225 x105
Fax: 908-234-1189
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SPRAWL & HEALTH - PRESS RELEASE
Date: 27 Aug 2003
From: "Rebecca Marie Hersh" {rhe...@njfuture.org}
August 27, 2003
A new national report, being released tomorrow (Thursday, August 28)
at 4pm, finds a link between sprawl and public health - specifically,
people who live in more sprawling areas are heavier, have higher blood
pressure, and have greater body mass indexes than those who live in
less sprawling areas. The study is the first national research to find
a direct link between sprawl and obesity. I have attached a press
release with New Jersey-specific results. You can find the full report
Thursday after 4pm on the web at http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org.
There is a national teleconference, specifically for the news media,
on the study tomorrow (Thursday August 28th) at 10am. You are invited
to participate. Please call Chuck Alexander at 301-652-1558 to reserve
a line for the audio conference. To access the audio conference, call
1-800-550-7131 and reference the "Sprawl and Health Conference Call"
and the ID # 237050.
The following experts will be participating in the teleconference:
M. Katherine Kraft, PhD, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Reid Ewing, PhD, National Center for Smart Growth, University of
Maryland
Michael Greenberg, PhD, American Journal of Public Health and the Edward
J.
Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University
Richard Killingsworth, MPH, American Journal of Health Promotion and
Active Living by Design, University of North Carolina
Richard Jackson, MD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Allen Dearry, PhD, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
A replay of the audio conference will be available from 1:30 p.m.
(ET), August 28 until 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, September 3. To
access the playback recording, call, 1-800-615-3210 and reference the
conference ID number above.
Sincerely,
Rebecca M. Hersh
New Jersey Future
609/393-0008 x102
rhe...@njfuture.org
- - -
RESIDENTS OF SPRAWLING NJ COUNTIES FACE HEALTH IMPACTS OF SPRAWL
Trenton - A new national study finds that New Jersey residents who
live in more sprawling counties are more likely to be obese and have
high blood pressure than those who live in less sprawling counties.
The increased risk is associated with living in auto-oriented areas
that suppress walking and bicycling.
The peer-reviewed study, appearing in this month's edition of the
American Journal of Health Promotion, found that residents of
Hunterdon County, the most sprawling county in New Jersey according to
the study, are the most likely to face high blood pressure and obesity
- the health problems related to sprawling development. On the other
hand, residents of Hudson County, the densest county in NJ according
to the study, are least likely to face high blood pressure and
obesity.
"This study shows that building more compact communities with
sidewalks and bike lanes are important strategies in the fight against
obesity and hypertension," said Rebecca Hersh of New Jersey Future, a
smart-growth advocacy group. "These diseases are big problems in our
communities, and helping people avoid them through increased physical
activity is important to improving public health."
People who live in more sprawling counties are likely to walk less,
weigh more, and are more likely to have high blood pressure, according
to the research, which was based on health data collected from more
than 200,000 residents of 448 counties in major metropolitan areas
across the United States. Nationally, the study found that every
fifty-point increase in the degree of sprawl was associated with a
weight gain of just over one pound for an average person. The study
says these results may indicate that people in more sprawling areas
have fewer chances to stay fit through routine physical activity,
because they cannot walk to the store or other destinations close to
their homes.
The study controlled for factors such as sex, age, education, and
race or ethnicity. The study used national land use data to assign
sprawl scores to counties, and an annual national health survey
conducted by the Centers for Disease Control to investigate the health
status of residents in those counties.
"This study shows quite clearly that the way we build our communities
affects our well being," said Ms. Hersh. "It is extremely important to
remember this fact as we build new communities and redevelop our older
ones, many of which already have the sidewalks, mass transit, and
mixed-use development that enable people to live healthier lifestyles.
People need more choices that allow them to walk out their doors and
get physical activity. Smart growth offers them these choices."
Smart growth is growth that focuses on rebuilding older towns,
suburbs and cities, rather than building on last open lands. By
offering alternatives to auto-dependent, sprawling development, smart
growth increases choices of communities and homes to live in, and
choices of how to get around.
New Jersey Future has several recommendations for New Jersey that
will help ensure smart growth success and healthier lifestyles:
IMPLEMENT THE STATE DEVELOPMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT PLAN
Use the State Plan as the smart growth starting point for municipal
and regional decisions about land use. Provide positive incentives for
municipalities and developers to be guided by the State Plan - and, by
so doing, speed NJ's progress toward smarter growth.
Reduce Municipal Dependence on the Property Tax. New Jersey's
property tax system increases the cost of shelter in New Jersey by
placing an inordinate tax burden on housing. It inhibits smart growth
by driving all municipalities to chase and compete for development,
even when it adds to traffic, erases open land, distorts the housing
mix in favor of upper income housing, favors commercial development,
and spills over into adjoining municipalities.
ENACT AN EQUITABLE AND EFFICIENT HOUSING POLICY
Fully half of NJ's municipalities did not build a single unit of
multi-family housing in the 1990s. Another 246 municipalities offer no
affordable housing at all. The growing distance between jobs and
affordable housing is a major cause of traffic congestion and the
inability of people to walk or bike to work. An effective affordable
housing policy will: level the playing field by treating all
municipalities the same; link affordable housing to places where jobs
are being created; build a variety of sizes and types of housing for
all family configurations; results in more units with less litigation
and delay without spurring sprawl; and increase predictability for all
involved, along with the certainty that affordable housing will be
built.
CREATE A CABINET-LEVEL POST FOR SMART GROWTH
No other policy area cries out as loudly for inter-agency
coordination as smart growth. Cabinet-level coordination is essential
for sustaining consistent progress, for ending subsidization of
sprawl, for overcoming policy and administrative roadblocks, and for
cost and spending efficiencies. The Smart Growth Policy Council
created in 2001 is a good first step, but is not sufficient.
IMPROVE NEW JERSEY'S HIGHWAY AND TRANSIT SYSTEMS
New Jersey's major arterials and many local roads have exceeded their
capacity. Municipal land use plans and practices indicate that
congestion will greatly exceed current levels if present development
trends continue. The efficiency of our transit system could be greatly
improved with supportive development near transit nodes. More bicycle
lanes and sidewalks are necessary. In general, land use policy and
transportation policy need better coordination.
- - -
The report, "The Health Effects of Sprawl," is available at
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org. Smart Growth America is a coalition
of nearly 100 advocacy organizations, including New Jersey Future,
that have a stake in how metropolitan expansion affects our
environment, quality of life and economic sustainability. SGA's
coalition partners include national, state and local groups working on
behalf of the environment, historic preservation, social equity, land
conservation, neighborhood redevelopment, farmland protection, labor,
and town planning.
* * *
New Jersey Future is a nonprofit research and policy group and the
state's oldest and largest smart growth organization.
New Jersey Future
137 W. Hanover Street
Trenton, NJ 08618
http://www.njfuture.org
609/393-0008 x102
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CONFERENCE ON DRINKING WATER PROTECTION - SEP 13
Date: 27 Aug 2003
From: Joe Deckelnick {jde...@optonline.net}
NJ ENVIRONMENTAL FEDERATION TO HOLD FREE CONFERENCE
DRINKING WATER PROTECTIONS FOCUS OF REGIONAL CONFERENCE
August 27, 2003
Belmar - The NJ Environmental Federation (NJEF), the state's largest
environmental group is co-sponsoring a regional conference on drinking
water and protecting its sources on Saturday, September 13 from 9AM to
4 PM. The conference is being held at the Hilton Hotel in King of
Prussia, Pennsylvania and admission and meals are FREE.
Almost one million Americans are sickened each year from drinking
contaminated tap water. Protecting the source of their water from
pollution is the most effective and inexpensive way to protect the
health of water consumers. Preventing contamination of these sources
also helps protect watersheds and aquifers, improving the overall
quality of the environment.
Millions of people in the mid-Atlantic region get their drinking
water from rivers and streams throughout the region, including the
Delaware, Ohio, Potomac and Passaic Rivers. New federal and state
source water assessment programs will expose sources of potential
contamination to the rivers, streams and aquifers that provide our
drinking water. These programs provide an opportunity to address
issues like chemical pollution, unregulated contaminants and runoff of
pesticides and fertilizers resulting from sprawl and other sources.
The conference focuses on learning how you can use these new
initiatives to protect your rivers and streams and find out what other
communities and states are doing to protect their sources of drinking
water. The conference is co-sponsored by: Campaign for Safe and
Affordable Drinking Water, Citizens Campaign for the Environment,
Clean Water Action, Clean Water Fund, and Clean Water Network. The
conference is funded in part by a cooperative agreement with the US
Environmental Protection Agency.
To register for the conference, contact Rick Loomis
(rlo...@cleanwater.org) of Pennsylvania Clean Water Action at
610-434-9223 or Joe Deckelnick (jdeck...@cleanwater.org) of NJEF at
732-280-8988. You can also register online at
http://www.cleanwaterfund.org/swp.
- - -
CONFERENCE AGENDA
9:00 AM - Registration & Free Continental Breakfast
9:30AM - Opening Plenary
- Safe Drinking Water and Healthy Communities Through Source Water
Protection
10:45AM - Workshops
- Tools for Protecting Watersheds (Surface Water).
- Tools for Protecting Groundwater using the source water protection
program.
12:30PM - Lunch
- Speaker from NJDEP on state initiatives to protect drinking water
sources.
1:45PM - Workshops
- Stormwater Management: How your community can better manage
stormwater and protect surface and groundwater.
- Wellhead Protection Ordinances: New tools for protecting
groundwater supplies.
- Smart Growth: Using zoning to protect water resources.
3:30PM - Closing Plenary Session
* * *
Joe Deckelnick
Central Jersey Organizer, NJEF
Field Director, VEC
1002 Ocean Avenue
Belmar, NJ 07719
732-280-8988 - voice
732-280-0371 - fax
732-604-0489 - cell
email to: jdeck...@cleanwater.org
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
PEQUANNOCK WATERSHED HIKE - SEP 13
Date: 27 Aug 2003
From: Pequan...@aol.com
PEQUANNOCK RIVER COALITION WATERSHED HIKE - SEPTEMBER 13TH
INFO AND DIRECTIONS:
Celebrate the end of summer with us as we explore the Pequannock
Watershed. Our hike route along the Macopin River is one of the most
scenic in our region. The event will focus on education and enjoyment,
not exercise. The 4-mile route will be covered at a leisurely pace.
Please join us!
WHERE:
Participants will meet at the Charlottesburg Rest Area on Rt. 23
north in West Milford. From 287 and south: Follow Rt. 23 North about 8
miles from Rt. 287. Watch for the traffic light at Echo Lake Road in
West Milford. The rest area is on Rt. 23 north 1/2 mile past the Echo
Lake Road light. From the north: Follow Rt. 23 south to the exit at
Echo Lake Road. U-turn at Echo Lake Road onto Rt. 23 north. The rest
area is 1/2 mile north on Rt. 23.
WHEN:
We ask that you arrive by 9:30 AM. The hike begins at 10:00 AM and
will end by 2:00 PM.
WHAT TO BRING AND WEAR:
Comfortable hiking clothes and sturdy footwear are a must. Since this
is a rain-or-shine event a rain jacket may be a welcome addition. A
bag lunch and beverage should be included and binoculars or cameras
are worthwhile options. All of this will fit nicely in a small day-
pack. We will bring a few extra packs for those who don't have one.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Fun, great scenery and some interesting info. This will not be a
foot-race! Frequent stops will be made to examine, discuss and explore
natural features and signs of our local wildlife with a lunch break
scheduled along the way. The trail, like most in the Highlands is
uphill-and-down. The total route is about 4 miles.
For additional information reach us by phone at 973-492-3212 or via
email at in...@pequannockriver.org.
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GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL SOCIAL - SEP 25
Date: 27 Aug 2003
From: "Athena Sarafides" {Athena.S...@dep.state.nj.us}
USGBC NJ CHAPTER SOCIAL
Thursday, September 25, 2003 at 5:30 PM
Sandy Hook, NJ
Join the NJ Chapter of the United States Green Building Council
(USGBC) as we partner with the American Littoral Society for an
afternoon and evening of education, information and mastication as we
celebrate the beauty and bounty of the New Jersey Shore.
Thursday, September 25th
12 pm to 5:00 pm - Beach Party - An optional afternoon of swimming and
beach hiking.
5:30 to 9:00 pm - Clambake and Networking Including Presentation by
Tim Dillingham, the Executive Director of The American Littoral
Society. LEEDTM, The B.I.G. Map and New Jersey Coastal Development
Cost is $45 for local members and $55 for non-local members of the
USGBC NJ Chapter.
Location - Littoral Society Headquarters, Building 18, Officer's Row,
at historic Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook National Park.
For information on the USGBC NJ Chapter go to:
http://www.usgbc.org/Chapters/newjersey/
Reservations are now being taken through acteva - so have a credit
card handy. To register -
http://www.acteva.com//booking.cfm?bevaID=53098 Or visit
http://www.acteva.com hit event signup - type in LEED and you'll find
the Clambake event.
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ANJEC ALERT - SAVE THE DATES - Oct 16, 21
Date: 27 Aug 2003
From: "ANJEC" {in...@anjec.org}
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:
LAND-USE CONSIDERATIONS IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT
A NJEC Urban Roundtable Series Sponsored by the Association of New
Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) and the New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection (NJ-DEP) Environmental Justice Program.
North, Central NJ: Newark, Thursday, October 16, 2003, 5:30-9 pm
Archdiocese of Newark
South Jersey: Camden, Tuesday, October 21, 2003, 5:30-9 pm
Student Center, Rutgers University
(A light supper will be provided)
This Roundtable will provide a forum and learning opportunity for
community stakeholders including municipal officials, concerned
citizens, and community organizations interested in developing
strategies to incorporate and achieve Environmental Justice locally.
Topics will include:
- Overview/history of Environmental Justice
- Local land use and planning
- DEP regulatory programs
- Local issue/local action case studies Speakers to include: local
advocates, NJDEP staff, and a national authority on environmental
justice and land use policy.
WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE?
Environmental justice serves to rectify historical and current
patterns of pollution and prevent future injustices to protect public
health and the environment. Environmental justice initiatives also
foster public participation and education in environmental decision-
making among minority and low-income communities.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Municipal Officials, City Planners, Environmental Commission Members,
Non-Profit Organizations, Community Development Officers.
(Full brochures with directions and registration will be mailed in
September)
TO PRE-REGISTER:
Please send the following information to in...@ANJEC.org or fax to
(973) 539-7713: name, title, affiliation, organization, address, phone
and fax numbers, and email address. PLEASE INDICATE WHICH ROUNDTABLE
YOU WILL BE ATTENDING.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact (973) 539-7547 or in...@anjec.org
* * *
Association of NJ Environmental Commissions (ANJEC)
POB 157
300 Mendham Rd
Mendham NJ 07945
T: 973-539-7547, 609-737-7263
F: 973-539-7713
E: in...@anjec.org
W: http://www.anjec.org
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Phil Reynolds - Editor - reyn...@gsenet.org
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Back issues of the Garden State EnviroNews are available at
http://www.gsenet.org/library/11gsn/11gsn.php
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