GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS 011112
Phil Reynolds
GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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{*} CHILD'S EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES HIKES LYMPHOMA RISK
{*} FAITH MOVES MOUNTAINS; CAN GROUP PRESERVE ONE?
{*} RESERVOIR WATER GIVES DELAWARE RIVER A BOOST
{*} NEW POLICIES THREATEN TO DRY UP WETLAND PROTECTION
{*} U.S. REPORTS SHARP RISE IN EMISSIONS
{*} A NEW STRATEGY FOR SAVING STREAMS: RIP THEM UP
{*} ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS HOPE MCGREEVEY KEEPS PROMISES
{*} MOBILIZING THE REGION #342
{*} CLEAN UP OF THE ESSEX COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER - NOV 18
{*} NJ CLEAN WATER COUNCIL 2001 PUBLIC HEARING - DEC 12
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CHILD'S EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES HIKES LYMPHOMA RISK
Date: 10 Nov 2001
From: chyve...@my-deja.com (Chive Mynde)
Children who have been exposed to household insecticides and
professional extermination methods within the home are three to seven
times more likely to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) compared with
children who have not been exposed to pesticides.
These are the results of a study published in the December 1 issue of
the journal CANCER, an international publication of the American
Cancer Society.
The study indicated that a child's risk of developing NHL was similar
for both maternal exposure to pesticides during pregnancy (in utero)
and direct (postnatal) exposure to pesticides.
Significant variations in risk were associated with various NHL
morphologies. For instance, the use of household insecticides
increased the risk of lymphoblastic lymphoma by 12.5 times.
The term "pesticides" refers to a group of chemicals that have in
common their ability to kill insects, plants, mammals (particularly
rodents), or fungi.
"A limited number of these compounds may be capable of inducing
lymphoma, particularly when used around the home," comments chief
researcher Jonathan D. Buckley, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., from the Department
of Preventative Medicine at the University of Southern California in
Los Angeles.
Lymphoma, the third most common childhood malignancy, occurs at a
rate of 21.7 per million in children age { 15 years. Approximately 60%
of these cases are NHL.
In the current study, the Children's Cancer Group evaluated the
correlation between home pesticide use or occupational exposure to
pesticides and the incidence of NHL in a pediatric study sample.
The study included children and adolescents age { 20 years who were
diagnosed with NHL between February 1986 and June 1990. Tumors were
classified according to cell type (predominantly B-cell or T-cell).
Telephone interviews with the participants' mothers included
questions regarding occupational and home exposure to pesticides
around the time of pregnancy and direct exposure of the child to
pesticides.
From a total of 268 NHL pediatric cases examined, 49 of the patients
had lymphomatous leukemia, whereas the other 218 patients were
diagnosed with various NHL morphologies, including lymphoblastic
subtype (38%), Burkitt lymphoma (28%), undifferentiated (non-Burkitt)
lymphoma (12%), and large-cell NHL (19%).
Frequency of household insecticide use by the mothers around the time
of the pregnancy (in utero) was associated with a 2.62-fold greater
risk of NHL for limited applications (1-2 days per week), compared
with a 7.33-fold greater risk for regular use (on most days).
Professional home extermination was related to a 3-fold greater risk
for developing NHL. Direct (postnatal) exposure of the child to
pesticides was associated with a 2.4-fold greater risk, whereas
occupational exposure and the use of pesticide sprays in the garden
demonstrated an increased risk, although not statistically
significant.
When the researchers focused their analysis on the association
between different types of pesticide exposure and the development of
different NHL morphologies, they observed the risk for developing
lymphoblastic lymphoma was 12.5 times greater after a child's exposure
to household insecticide use.
The risk of developing Burkitt lymphoma was observed to be 9.6 times
greater after occupational exposure to pesticides. The risk for
developing large cell lymphoma or Burkitt lymphoma was 6.7 and 8.0
times higher, respectively, after professional insect extermination.
The authors note that the most statistically significant correlation
between exposure to pesticides and the risk for developing NHL were
observed for those children who were directly exposed to pesticides.
The risk for developing lymphoblastic subtype lymphoma and large cell
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was 10.9 times and 6.5 times greater,
respectively, for these children compared with children who have not
been exposed to pesticides.
The researchers also noted a 7.1 times greater risk for Burkitt
lymphoma among these children. Overall elevations in the risk
associated with pesticide exposure were present for both the younger
(age { 6 years) and older (age } 6 years) study participants.
Due to the small number of cases studied and the difficulties in
accurately determining the duration and intensity of pesticide
exposure, the investigators stress that the findings of this study
should be interpreted with caution, and should be further examined in
subsequent studies involving larger study samples.
(Reference: "Pesticide Exposures in Children with Non-Hodgkin
Lymphoma," Jonathan D Buckley, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., Anna T. Meadows, M.D.,
Marshall E. Kadin, M.D, Michelle M. Le Beau, Ph.D., Stuart Siegel,
M.D., and Leslie L. Robison, Ph.D., CANCER 2000; 89:11.)
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FAITH MOVES MOUNTAINS; CAN GROUP PRESERVE ONE?
Date: 011112
From: http://www.nj.com/
PHILLIPSBURG RIVERVIEW ORGANIZATION RECEIVES
GRANT FOR SCOTT'S MOUNTAIN.
By Peter Hall, Express-Times, 01/11/12
A local conservationist is looking for help from six Warren County
communities to save a valuable natural area.
Phillipsburg Riverview Organization Chairman Mike King has a grant
from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation to develop a strategy to
preserve Scott's Mountain.
The slopes of Scott's Mountain touch Franklin, Greenwich, Harmony,
Lopatcong, Washington and White townships.
The 30,000-acre mountain contains the headwaters of five creeks and
is "the scenic centerpiece" of Warren County, King said.
He has asked the mayor of each township to provide $1,000 to match
the $6,250 grant. King is also asking for two people from each
township to help form a committee.
So far only Lopatcong Township has committed money while White
Township Mayor Walter Menegus said several residents have expressed
interest in the committee.
"The motivation for (Preserve Our Scott's Mountain) is to create a
preservation plan before Scott's Mountain is engulfed by sprawl," King
said. "The loss of the forests and farmland is imminent."
King said the grant will be used to map resources and identify areas
that need to be protected. The group, dubbed Preserve Our Scott's
Mountain, will also research laws to prevent development on steep
slopes and where it would spoil a scenic vista.
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(C) 2001 New Jersey Online. All Rights Reserved.
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RESERVOIR WATER GIVES DELAWARE RIVER A BOOST
Date: 011110
From: http://www.nj.com/
Staff Report, Express-Times, 11/10/01
Harmony Twp. - For the fourth time in the 13-year history of the
Merrill Creek Reservoir, the water it stores is being used to increase
water flow in the Delaware River, according to a statement released by
the company Thursday.
Completed in 1988, the 650-acre reservoir was built by seven electric
utilities to enable them to replace river water used by their
generating facilities during droughts.
A drought warning was issued by the Delaware River Basin Commission
on Tuesday.
On Oct. 29, the commission had declared a drought watch.
"When either a drought watch or a drought warning has been declared,
and the adjusted river flow at the gauge in Trenton falls below 3,000
cubic feet per second for two consecutive days, we release water from
the reservoir to equal the amount that was used by the generating
stations the previous day," said David K. Burd, the Merrill Creek
Reservoir director, in the statement.
Since the drought watch began, more than 388 million gallons of water
has been released, lowering the reservoir level more than two feet.
With these releases and the dry conditions in the region, the
reservoir stands almost six feet below its normal operating level.
"Having the water available from the reservoir makes it possible to
maintain flow in the river," Burd added. "Without it, the utilities
would have to cut back the production of electricity during droughts,
which would have a serious effect on business and industry as well as
residents of the region."
When it's necessary, water is released from the reservoir through a
3.5-mile, 57-inch diameter pipeline that connects it to the river,
Burd said.
The reservoir is located atop Scotts Mountain in Harmony Township.
Currently the reservoir contains more than 14 billion gallons of
water - or about 92 percent of its usable capacity, Burd said.
Even if all of the generating units served by the reservoir are
operating at full capacity, that is still enough water for
significantly more days than the longest drought recorded, which
occurred in the mid- 1960s, Burd said.
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(C) 2001 New Jersey Online. All Rights Reserved.
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NEW POLICIES THREATEN TO DRY UP WETLAND PROTECTION
Date: 011112
From: "Dennis W. Schvejda" {dsch...@igc.org}
By Deborah Schoch, Los Angeles Times, 11/12/2001
A new policy by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could substantially
weaken protection of the nation's remaining wetlands, including the
ragged remnants of marshes and streams in California, federal
officials and environmentalists say.
Critics say that a corps letter, dated Oct. 31 and written without
the knowledge of other federal agencies that oversee wetlands,
retreats from a decade-old policy that the nation's amount of wetlands
cannot be reduced.
"This letter signals the end of no net loss of wetlands within the
regulatory program," said Julie Sibbing, wetlands legislative
representative for the National Wildlife Federation. At corps
headquarters, however, regulatory chief John Studt denied his agency
is backing off the "no net loss" approach embraced in 1989 by the
first President Bush.
"There is absolutely no variation from that policy," Studt said. But
several other federal officials familiar with the policy, all
requesting anonymity, said the letter's contents suggest otherwise.
Marshes, swamps, creeks and other wetlands filter water pollution,
soak up flood waters and provide habitat for migrating birds and other
creatures. America has lost more than 50% of its historic wetlands. In
California, farming and development have destroyed more than 90% of
the state's wetlands, the worst record of any state.
Under 1980 regulations written by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the corps has required builders who fill or destroy wetlands
to offset the losses by restoring or creating wetlands elsewhere.
But the Oct. 31 letter states that developers now can use dry land to
partially offset wetlands losses if that land helps protect remaining
wetlands.
The letter also advises corps regulators across the country that in
some cases developers can compensate for destroying wetlands by simply
bolstering protection of other, existing wetlands--an approach that
would seem to allow a net decline of wetlands acreage.
"If they fill an acre and preserve an acre, you've had a net loss of
an acre," said a federal official who requested anonymity.
Some biologists say the approach could have an especially detrimental
impact in California and the arid Southwest, where natural streams and
marshes are scarce, and so many have been drained or filled.
The letter, written by high-ranking corps officials, is meant to
guide 38 district offices nationwide as they negotiate with
developers, mining companies and others seeking to build on salt
marshes, line creeks with concrete and fill ponds and swamps.
Corps officials called the letter an effort to improve wetlands
protection in response to major criticisms raised earlier this year by
a panel of the National Academy of Sciences.
"This is an extremely positive thing for the aquatic environment,"
said Studt.
The corps regulatory office that oversees wetlands in Southern
California and all of Arizona has more stringent rules than many
offices for protecting wetlands slated for development. The chief of
that office could not be reached Friday to comment if the stronger
rules would remain in place despite the Oct. 31 letter.
Studt said the corps is trying to meet recommendations made by the
National Academy of Sciences panel. In particular, he pointed to the
letter's emphasis on taking entire watersheds into account when
deciding how to offset wetlands losses. It means, he said, that the
corps will now look at how a wetland targeted for alteration plays a
role in the functioning of a connecting system of rivers and other
waterways.
The letter also firms up the timing of compensatory projects--whether
restoring, creating or preserving wetlands--by stating that before
construction begins in aquatic areas, compensatory plans must be
approved, a site secured and financing assured.
The biologist who chaired the National Academy of Sciences panel was
cautious in commenting on the Oct. 31 letter.
"I can see positive, and I can also see potential for abuse," said
Joy Zedler, who holds the Aldo Leopold Chair in Restoration Ecology at
the University of Wisconsin. She complimented the corps on such steps
as looking at entire watersheds, but questioned how that approach
would be enforced. She also said she was not sure how the agency
intended to keep track of wetlands lost and gained. Zedler's panel had
faulted the corps for poor record-keeping and had called for a
national database.
Breaking with past practice, the corps did not consult with the EPA
or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before issuing its October
letter.
To some regulators, that flies in the face of a 1990 memorandum of
understanding between the corps and the EPA intended to guide the
agencies in enforcing wetlands protections under the Clean Water Act.
"Normally, when you have a regulatory guidance letter that this one
did, there is usually a fundamental discussion among the other
resource agencies, a heads-up," one federal official said. "That did
not take place."
The EPA had convened a forum Oct. 1 and 2 on federal wetlands
protection that included representatives of state governments,
consultants, conservation groups and major corporations. A key topic
was how to address the National Academy of Sciences panel's concerns.
Although corps regulators in Washington were invited, no one showed
up.
"We had conflicts and other priorities that we had to attend to,"
said Studt at the corps. While the meeting was a good idea, he said,
"it was not in our judgment a landmark meeting."
Studt said the corps was within its rights to issue the letter
without consulting with the EPA or other agencies.
"We view this as entirely the corps' authority under 404(a)," a
section of the Clean Water Act that allows the corps to issue permits,
Studt said. The corps did not confer with other agencies on the
letter, he said, because "we wanted to get it out in a timely way to
improve mitigation."
Others say, however, that the roles of the corps and EPA are
fundamentally intertwined when it comes to protecting wetlands.
"In issuing permits, the corps is required to apply guidelines issued
by EPA" under the Clean Water Act, said Hugh Barroll, an EPA attorney
who deals with water issues at the agency's regional office in San
Francisco.
# # #
Dennis W. Schvejda, Co-Conservation Chair
New Jersey Chapter Sierra Club
Web: http://sierraactivist.org
Join our Action Network & receive alerts:
http://www.actionnetwork.org/add.tcl?domain=SierraClubNJ
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U.S. REPORTS SHARP RISE IN EMISSIONS
Date: 10 Nov 2001
From: chyve...@my-deja.com (Chive Mynde)
By John Heilprin, Associated Press Writer, November 10, 2001
Washington (AP) - The government reported a steep increase in U.S.
emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide as international negotiators
were wrapping up talks to complete a global warming pact President
Bush (news - web sites) has rejected.
The unusually large 3.1 percent jump in carbon dioxide emissions in
the United States in 2000 was the biggest since the mid-1990s. At
fault, the Energy Information Administration said Friday, were strong
economic growth, more use of fossil fuels due to colder weather and a
drought that impeded hydroelectric power generation.
Carbon dioxide produced from burning fossil fuels is the most
prevalent of the so-called greenhouse gases, whose growing
concentration in the atmosphere is thought to be warming the earth.
Many scientists believe the warming, if not stopped, will cause severe
climate changes over the next century.
A report prepared by the National Academy of Sciences (news - web
sites) for the White House concluded in June that global warming was a
real problem that is getting worse. Bush had expressed skepticism,
requesting the report to sort out the science.
The United States and other industrial countries agreed in 1992 to
pursue voluntary actions to roll greenhouse gas emissions back to 1990
levels by 2000.
After realizing that goal would not be achieved, the same industrial
nations agreed in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, to mandatory commitments to
reduce emissions to those levels by 2012.
Bush decided in March to abandon the Kyoto treaty and draw up a
separate action plan for the United States. Bush has said climate
change should be dealt with through voluntary actions and technology
that curb emissions without harming the U.S. economy.
The government's new report - which showed U.S. emissions in 2000
were nearly 14 percent higher than in 1990 - coincided with the last
day of talks in Morocco aimed at reaching a deal on rules to cut
greenhouse gases and enforce the Kyoto pact. U.S. representatives
remained on the sidelines as other nations' negotiators tried to
overcome a deadlock.
Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) Administrator
Christie Whitman said the United States has offset its greenhouse gas
emissions in other ways, such as eliminating more than 35 million
metric tons of carbon equivalent through EPA's voluntary climate
change programs.
"Just because you're not mandating everything from the top doesn't
mean you're not making a difference," she said in an interview. "We're
not going to obstruct any actions that any other country wants to
take."
Whitman also said the Bush administration's own climate change plans
"got knocked off-track by Sept. 11, but the president's very
interested in it and he asked at the last Cabinet meeting where we
are. The staff has been working on it right along."
But Senate Environment Chairman James Jeffords (news - web sites),
I-Vt., said the United States, as the largest contributor to global
warming, should take a more active international role and take more
responsibility for its share of the problem.
Controversy at the talks hinged on whether countries falling behind
on mandatory cuts can use "flexible mechanisms" such as pollution
credits.
The figures reported Friday are higher than a 2.7 percent preliminary
estimated increase for 2000 emissions that the Energy Department
released in June.
According to the Energy Department, the United States released 1,583
million metric tons of carbon from fossil fuel burning in 2000, or 47
million metric tons more than in 1999. The 3.1 percent growth rate was
the biggest since a 3.6 percent increase in 1996.
Transportation, mostly exhaust from motor vehicles, accounted for 515
million metric tons, or 33 percent.
The numbers "underscore the urgent need for the United States to
begin cutting its emissions," said Eileen Claussen, a former State
Department climate treaty negotiator and now head of the private Pew
Center on Global Climate Change.
- - -
On the Net:
Energy Information Administration: http://www.eia.doe.gov/index.html
Pew Center on Global Climate Change: http://www.pewclimate.org
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A NEW STRATEGY FOR SAVING STREAMS: RIP THEM UP
Date: 011110
From: http://www.nytimes.com/
By New York Times, November 9, 2001
Windham, NY - Within the perfect green bowl ringed by the Windham
High Peak, Black Dome and Thomas Cole Mountains, bulldozers tore up
Vincent Charbonneau's upper field, the one where his daughters were
wed. Mr. Charbonneau praised their efficiency.
Work crews had plugged up the stream that runs through his land. He
took pictures of the dry bed.
"They're rescuing it," Mr. Charbonneau, 87, said from his front porch
as his Catskills panorama was being dismembered. "The stream never
stays in the same place. It gouged out our land."
It may have looked like a landowner's worst nightmare, but Mr.
Charbonneau understood that the heavy- equipment operators were
pulling apart the landscape in order to put it back together as nature
had intended _ part of the emerging science of natural stream
restoration.
Since August, Greene County contractors have erased and redrawn a
1.1-mile stretch of the Batavia Kill, the stream that flows through
here on its way to becoming New York City drinking water. Decades of
straightening and narrowing the stream to make way for houses and
roads have speeded up erosion, allowing too much clay to tumble into
the current.
Now the federal government says too much soil is flowing throughout
the 125-mile New York City watershed. It has ordered the city to clean
up that water, or spend up to $8 billion on a filtration plant.
And so the city's Department of Environmental Protection has begun
paying special heed to its far-flung tributaries, creating the
hellish-looking scene here at the watershed's northern reaches _ as
intrusive as an Interstate highway expansion but actually an act of
salvation.
"We like to say we're restoring nature," said René VanSchaack,
executive director of the Greene County Soil and Water Conservation
District. "I know it's hard to imagine, but in five years you will
never know we were here."
This is the third of up to 10 projects by the agency that will make
over about seven miles of the Batavia Kill. Like the others, it
involves obliterating the stream's route and drawing a new one
engraved with the bends and curves that are a stream's lifeline.
Forty years ago, this stream had many twists and turns, and the water
moved swiftly. Willows sunk deep roots that held the banks during
storms. Trout thrived thanks to the water's speed, depth and chill.
But over time, erosion caused by storms was intensified by the dams
and bends built into the stream by homeowners, farmers and engineers.
"They put up a bridge or built a house right in the stream's path, "
said Douglas Dekoskie, design engineer for the project. "Then they got
flooded out. So they put up a berm and straightened the channel so
they wouldn't get any more water.
"The stream would eventually right itself," he said, "but someone
kept coming back in with a bulldozer and messing with it."
Like wildlife that loses its habitat, the Batavia Kill showed the
strain. Mr. Charbonneau noticed it jumping its banks with more
ferocity after a storm, and he came to expect water to carve through
his fields. With its banks eroded, the stream spread out and lost its
natural shape. Trout lost the fast currents that provided oxygen. Silt
flowed into the swimming area of neighboring C. D. Lane Park.
The Department of Environmental Protection said such sediment
attracted microorganisms. Sifting it at the reservoirs would mean far
more treatment and expense than keeping the water clear from the
start.
The Greene County conservation district is the first agency to bring
stream restoration to New York. The group, under contract with the
city, began restoring the kill in 1996.
A year later, the city, state and federal governments began a five-
year program to cut pollution flowing to 19 watershed reservoirs. The
$660 million deal includes many programs, including stream
restoration.
This is fine with Mr. Charbonneau and 10 neighbors who get a free
repair of the unruly stream, even if has cost them some serenity. It
also worked out for Mr. VanSchaack and Mr. Dekoskie, who got a chance
to study this new science of building streams that imitate the
original.
Mr. VanSchaack hopes that New York City's conundrum will direct up to
$7 million to Greene County projects, which would normally draw less
than a third of that amount if the pressure to send better water
downstream were not focusing so much attention upstream.
To develop their blueprint, his staff spent three years monitoring 21
miles of the Batavia Kill, observing unaltered sections that had held
strong against floods, and damaged sections that had failed nature's
tests. They drew a better stream on computer, adding 19 meanders.
Later, they used bulldozers to etch a new stream bed, and filled it
with gravel from Mr. Charbonneau's field.
Today, the Batavia Kill courses through its new, gravelly path.
Boulders steer the water around new curves. The first of more than
10,000 willow and dogwood saplings have been planted, and Mr.
Charbonneau's upper field has sprouted new grass. The trout are
expected to make a comeback. And in 90 days the water will arrive at
the taps of Brooklyn and Queens.
"I lived in Manhattan 10 years and I was always very proud of the
water," said Mr. Charbonneau's daughter Patricia, 41. "I'd say, `You
can drink the water. I know where it comes from.'"
* * *
Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company
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ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS HOPE MCGREEVEY KEEPS PROMISES
Date: 12 Nov 2001
From: "David Pringle" {davidp...@mindspring.com}
By Jack Kaskey, Staff Writer, (609) 272-7213
Atlantic City Press, November 12, 2001
Jim McGreevey pledged to do more to control sprawl, clean up the
state's rivers and make environmental lawbreakers pay for their
crimes.
Now builders, businesses and environmentalists are waiting to see how
the governor-elect goes about keeping his promises.
The gubernatorial campaign was remarkable, said Barbara L. Lawrence,
executive director of New Jersey Future, because the candidates for
the first time discussed how to stop development from sprawling into
the countryside, leaving cities to deteriorate.
McGreevey said he would increase the muscle of the State Plan, New
Jersey's blueprint for preserving open spaces and for directing growth
into development centers.
"He committed to implementing the State Plan, but he didn't say how
he was going to do it," Lawrence said. "Put me down in the hopeful
column."
McGreevey promised to assemble a Sprawl Policy Council in the
Governor's Office to ensure that all state agencies make decisions
consistent with fighting sprawl. The council would include key Cabinet
members and agency chiefs.
DEP commissioner
Before he can convene a sprawl council, McGreevey must choose his top
environmental officer, the commissioner of the Department of
Environmental Protection.
Topping the list of potential nominees, environmentalists and
builders say, is Jeanne Fox, who previously held the job in the waning
months of former Gov. Jim Florio's administration. For the next seven
years, she held the corresponding federal post, administrator of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 2, which includes New
York and New Jersey.
Ousted when Christie Whitman became her boss at EPA, Fox became an
advisor to McGreevey's campaign. Her husband, Stephan DeMicco, was his
campaign manager.
Fox would not say whether she would accept the job of DEP
commissioner if offered it again.
"I really don't want to talk about that," Fox said. "It's really
Jim's prerogative."
Using a big stick
Only McGreevey can say for sure who his nominee will be, but it won't
be Bob Shinn, the current DEP commissioner and former farm equipment
salesman from Burlington County who has headed the DEP since Whitman
appointed him in 1993.
Business and industry will be sad to see Shinn go.
"Bob Shinn has made tremendous progress at cleaning up the air, land
and water while at the same time establishing a more cooperative
relationship with the regulated community," said Chris Biddle,
spokesman for the New Jersey Business and Industry Association.
Whitman declared early in her administration that New Jersey is "open
for business," directing the DEP to see industry as a partner in
solving the state's environmental problems.
"There has been a tremendous change in the attitude of environmental
agencies in general," Biddle said. "The idea that businesses are all
naughty children who have to be corralled with a big stick is really
out-of-date thinking."
Some environmental groups, however, said the DEP has kept them at
arm's length while striking deals with polluters and people who build
on environmentally sensitive land.
Jeff Tittel, director of the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter, said
McGreevey will bring the DEP back into balance.
"Part of it is going to be getting DEP to do DEP's job again:
enforcing laws and making sure violators are held accountable," Tittel
said. "We have some good environmental laws and regulations on the
book and we can do a lot by just enforcing the laws. That is something
that hasn't happened in the last eight years."
McGreevey promised to restore the state's office of environmental
prosecutor, which was abolished by Whitman.
Enforcing the law is not just the right thing to do, it is a
necessity for a state facing an uncertain economic future, he said.
"Budgetwise, we are going to have to make sure that people who break
the law pay the fines. If they don't, it comes out of our pocket."
Water and sprawl
A top priority for the new administration and Legislature is going to
be improving the health of New Jersey's degraded streams, rivers and
estuaries, said David Pringle, campaign director for the New Jersey
Environmental Federation.
McGreevey understands that protecting water supplies is interwoven
with combating sprawl, he said.
"The key is to have development in tune with the carrying capacity of
the land," Pringle said. "We now have an opportunity to undo the
damage Gov. Whitman did to the environment in New Jersey."
Even builders are eager to see whether McGreevey can change the
state's approach to environmental protection.
Patrick J. O'Keefe, CEO of the New Jersey Builders Association, said
the past eight years have been characterized by "elitism and
ineptitude" at the DEP.
"We've gotten the worst of all worlds," O'Keefe said. "We've gotten
environmental policies that don't protect the environment but that do
impede the economy."
He believes McGreevey will restore competence to the DEP.
O'Keefe said builders support implementation of the State Plan, but
not in the piecemeal way DEP is using it to regulate developments on
septic systems and along the coast.
If the State Plan is to be implemented, McGreevey must issue an
executive order requiring all municipalities to make their zoning laws
consistent with the plan, he said.
Pinelands and Route 55
The Pinelands Preservation Alliance also is looking forward to
McGreevey taking office in January, said Carleton Montgomery, the
watchdog group's executive director.
McGreevey promised to appoint conservation-minded people to the
Pinelands Commission, which is particularly important at a time when
six of the governor's seven commission appointments are due for
replacement or reappointment, he said.
Environmental groups accused Whitman of appointing members who
resisted the commission's mission of preserving the million-acre
Pinelands area.
McGreevey's election also is important because the governor has veto
power over commission decisions, Montgomery said.
Finally, the election is likely to end, at least temporarily, the
decadeslong push to extend Route 55 over environmentally sensitive
wetlands in Cape May County.
One of the prime proponents of the extension was Assemblyman Jack
Gibson, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, who lost his seat to Jeff
Van Drew, a Democrat from Dennis Township, which would be bisected by
the proposed four-lane highway. Van Drew has refused to endorse the
highway, saying less costly road upgrades and signage could help
alleviate summer traffic tie-ups.
Of course, McGreevey will have many other issues besides the
environment vying for his attention when he takes office. But the
Sierra Club's Tittel said environmental protection will be much easier
for the new governor to tackle than other problems, such as
auto-insurance reform and education.
"By just doing his job, he'll be an environmental hero," Tittel said.
* * *
NJ Environmental Federation
1 Lower Ferry Rd.
Trenton NJ 08628
Tel: 609-530-1515
Fax: 609-530-1508
Email: dpri...@cleanwater.org
Web: http://www.cleanwateraction.org/njef/
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MOBILIZING THE REGION #342
Date: 12 Nov 2001
From: Tri-State Transportation Campaign {ts...@tstc.org}
[Excerpt: Full text at http://www.gsenet.org/newsstnd/mobil.htm]
A Weekly Bulletin from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign
Electronic Edition Number 342 November 12, 2001
- - -
TORRICELLI'S PUSH FOR HUDSON TUNNEL FUNDS
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee included a $2 billion earmark
toward construction of a second Hudson River commuter rail tunnel in a
$66 billion economic stimulus package last Thursday. The provision was
championed by New Jersey Senator Robert Torricelli. For almost a
decade, a consortium of NJTransit, the Port Authority and the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority have prepared preliminary plans
for a second passenger tunnel, but have made little progress toward
realizing the project.
Prior to September 11th, physical limits on the number of trains per
hour that can be sent safely through the existing NY-NJ tunnel
constrained NJ Transit in planning rail service expansion. After the
loss of the PATH's southern line, Penn Station-bound morning rush hour
train ridership jumped dramatically, making the need for additional
train capacity more acute. The resultant crowding on Northeast
Corridor and other lines has put start dates in question for NJ
Transit projects already close to completion, like the Secaucus
Transfer station.
Senator Torricelli included the rail tunnel funds in the bill as part
of an amendment to the economic stimulus bill authorizing $9 billion
in federally backed bonds for Amtrak. Under the legislation, bond
holders would receive federal tax credit in lieu of interest payments.
The majority of the funds would be used for investment in high-speed
rail corridors around the country. Although a significant first step,
the committee's bill still faces large hurdles.
When the full Senate considers the stimulus package proposal this
week, the Democratic majority hopes to approve it intact. However, the
bill will have to go to conference committee for reconciliation with a
House bill that strongly emphasizes tax cuts over infrastructure
investment. The Bush Administration favors the House's approach.
Friday, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill called the Senate bill
"pathetic," citing various pork allocations, though he didn't attack
the Amtrak or NY-NJ provisions. The bill also includes $5 billion for
rebuilding lower Manhattan.
Depending on whether the tunnel route extends past New York Penn
Station to Grand Central or on into Queens, the cost of construction
ranges between $3-$5 billion. The Port Authority has committed up to
$1 billion for the project.
- - -
NJ ANALYSIS SHOWS LARGE COMMUTING SHIFT
An analysis by NJTransit to aid the agency's planning reveals
dramatic changes in how New Jersey residents are traveling into
Manhattan's central business district during the morning rush hour.
The internal analysis presents eastbound trips by car, bus, ferry,
and rail before and after the September 11th attacks, as well as trips
made before and after the beginning of the Manhattan carpool
requirement on September 27-28th and before and after the opening of
the Holland Tunnel on October 15th. Comparisons are based on recent
data from NJTransit, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, and
the New York City Department of Transportation. Significant findings
include:
* As of October 22nd, the number of trips by all modes from NJ into
Manhattan south of 60th Street from 6- 10am had dropped by 5.7%
from pre-Sept. 11th levels. This represents a rebound since Sept.
25th when overall trip numbers were depressed by 13.5%.
* 48.5% fewer personal cars entered Manhattan through the Lincoln and
Holland Tunnels in the weeks following September 11th - a reduction
of over 14,000 vehicles. This number dropped further by 4,700
vehicles after the carpool rule went into effect, but returned
almost to pre-carpool levels (-47.5%) with the opening of the
Holland Tunnel. NJTransit estimates that 18.4% fewer people are
driving cars (or being driven) into Manhattan.
* Overall AM rush hour transit ridership (rail, bus, and ferry) on
October 22nd was slightly lower (3%) than before September 11th
attributable in part to the complete loss of lower Manhattan PATH
service - previously used by almost 50,000 morning commuters - and
an 8% reduction in bus transit ridership, the majority off of buses
that use the Holland Tunnel.
* In the weeks immediately following September 11th, almost 24,500
additional riders took the PATH uptown line, an increase of 91.7%
passengers, between 6- 10am. NJTransit took 10,300 additional
passengers to Penn Station during the morning rush, a jump of over
30%. Private cross-Hudson ferries served 9,250 additional riders
during this period, up 60.5%.
* Perhaps surprisingly, the number of PATH riders decreased slightly
(2%) in October after the carpool requirement went into effect. Bus
ridership also remained stagnant. However, NJTransit Penn Station-
bound morning trains gained 4,500 new riders, while ferries added
over 2,500 passengers, with particularly large gains between
Monmouth County and Manhattan.
- - -
BUZZ GROWS FOR BUS RAPID TRANSIT
Two counties in central New Jersey made separate announcements in
November that they are considering construction of a bus rapid transit
(BRT) system to ease traffic congestion on high-volume roadways.
Bus rapid transit refers to buses traveling along dedicated lanes or
special guideways that allow higher speeds, generally serving
permanent station stops. BRT has gained popularity as a less expensive
and more flexible option than light or commuter rail, particularly
suited to urban and suburban areas where business and residential
centers may not be directly on main travel corridors. Although the
Federal Transit Administration is offering grants for pilot BRT
programs, CT's Hartford-New Britain busway is the only project so far
underway in the broad metro area.
The Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association will conduct
a study of the feasibility of a BRT system in Mercer County, primarily
on and around the Route 1 corridor. Simultaneously, Somerset County is
working with the Regional Center Partnership - a public/private
Somerset planning organization - on bus rapid transit potential for
Routes 22, 28 and 206. Along Route 22, the BRT system is being
considered in the context of adding two lanes to the highway between
I- 287 and the Route 202/206 interchange.
In the case of both Route 1 and 22, rapid buses are being studied
because development density along the corridor is seen as too low to
support light rail. However, BRT also requires a certain density and
level of existing bus ridership to be successful. Most flourishing BRT
systems in the United States operate in urban settings like San
Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, suggesting
that the technology could better serve counties like Westchester,
Nassau, Hudson, Bergen and NYC outer boroughs. These and other
questions may be discussed at the upcoming Nov. 29 Bus Rapid Transit
conference in Manhattan (see calendar).
- - -
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
The Campaign needs an energetic staff member committed to public
policy advocacy, likes to write, and is computer literate.
Send resume and writing sample to:
Tri-State Transportation Campaign,
240 West 35th Street #801, NYC 10001
fax: 212-268-7333 e-mail: ts...@tstc.org
- - -
CALENDAR
November 28, 8am
Regional Business Partnership Transportation Symposium and Newark
Insiders Forum. NJTPA conference room, 1 Newark Center, 17th floor.
973-242-4219.
Check http://www.tstc.org for more calendar items
* * *
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
240 West 35th Street #801 , New York, NY 10001
tel. (212) 268-7474 fax (212) 268-7333
ts...@tstc.org http://www.tstc.org
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CLEAN UP OF THE ESSEX COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER - NOV 18
Date: 12 Nov 2001
From: "camille gutmore" {cgut...@hotmail.com}
Who: Essex County Group and Singles Section of NJ Sierra Club
What: Clean up of the Essex County Environmental Center in Roseland
(bring gloves)
When: Sunday, November 18 at 10 AM
Where: Meet at the Master Gardeners Extension, 621 Eagle Rock Ave.
Take 280 to exit 4A. At first traffic light (Eagle Rock Ave) turn
right onto Eagle Rock Ave. The center is about one half mile on the
left.
Why: This was once a viable environmental center offering learning
experiences to students and adults. Now, closed for ten years, we want
to once again make it a natural resource for the citizens of Essex
County.
Note: Free coffee and donuts for participants!!
For more information call Joyce at 973.744.1994.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
NJ CLEAN WATER COUNCIL 2001 PUBLIC HEARING - DEC 12
Date: 011111
From: clean...@dep.state.nj.us
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT:
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES
-Date:
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
-Time:
4:00 p.m. - CWC Presentations
4:30 p.m. - Public Testimony
The hearing will adjourn at the conclusion of the public's comments.
-Place
Holiday Inn - Monroe
390 Forsgate Drive
Jamesburg, NJ 08831
609-655-4775
-Directions
Exit 8A NJ Turnpike
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/watershedmgt
- - -
THE NJ CLEAN WATER COUNCIL
Under New Jersey law, the Clean Water Council is responsible for
making recommendations to the Commissioner of the Department of
Environmental Protection on matters and programs pertaining to water
pollution control.
Each year the Council holds a public hearing in order to solicit the
public's views on an important issue pertaining to state water
quality. Members of the public are invited to participate in the
discussions or to make a statement at the hearing or in writing. In
addition, Council members will be available to listen to and respond
to citizen's comments after the hearing.
Anyone wishing to comment in person is asked to reserve a time period
by contacting Ursula Montis, New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection, Division of Watershed Management, POB 418, Trenton, New
Jersey 08625, by fax at (609) 633-7020 or by email at
clean...@dep.state.nj.us. The Council encourages the submittal of
detailed written comments to augment your testimony. Written comments
will be accepted until December 12, 2001.
- - -
SUMMARY STATEMENT
. . .
THE PROBLEM
New Jersey has taken significant actions over the last two decades to
upgrade the quality of water from point source dischargers. As a
result, the water quality in many of our streams and other water
bodies has been significantly improved, enhancing the quality of life
in this state. One of the biggest challenges facing the state is
addressing nonpoint sources of pollution. This results from runoff
from existing development - roads, driveways, parking lots, structures
and lawns. New development is currently being regulated for stormwater
runoff with new rules and regulations to be promulgated and
implemented shortly. The question we need to answer is: To what extent
do we mitigate non-source pollution from what is in place -
structures, infrastructure, human activities and daily life style?
(Questions 1-4)
. . .
INSTITUTIONAL AND GOVERNMENTAL IMPLEMENTATION
Under current regulatory stormwater management procedures, all new
development and redevelopment is subject to some degree of runoff and
water quality remediation. To adequately address stormwater runoff
from existing developed sites, there are alternate courses of action.
They include: Retrofitting existing stormwater and drainage structures
for runoff attenuation and water quality, and new construction of
stormwater facilities with both volume and water quality mitigation
capability. With these alternatives there are financial investments
necessary to successfully implement new measures.
(Questions 5-6)
. . .
PERSONAL RESPONSE
Through the collective actions of individuals, we unwittingly produce
negative water quality impacts. Examples include the handling of pet
wastes, over-application of lawn fertilizers and insecticides and
improper disposal of household waste. Rapid disposal of site and roof
drainage creates an increase in stormwater flows and flooding and
further reduces ground water recharge. The irony of our drainage
practices that entail getting the water off our property, results in
increased demand for use of tap or well water to water lawns and
gardens.
(Questions 7-8)
- - -
THE CWC REQUESTS THOSE TESTIFYING TO FOCUS ON THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. Are we as a society willing to alter our lifestyle to decrease
flooding damage and water quality deterioration?
2. Currently we regulate stormwater (runoff and water quality) only on
new development and re-development, through institutional
governmental regulation. What should be done about existing
unchanging development?
3. If we are to deal with stormwater impacts created by our society
and lifestyle will we do it individually, governmentally or both?
4. Where should stormwater runoff go: retain it on each individual
site (property), build more detention basins at governmental
expense or flood downstream and expend tax dollars for flood
relief?
5. Should the cost for stormwater management be paid through existing
revenue sources, the creation, of a new annual dedicated tax
similar to the open space trust fund, or through monthly service
fees paid to stormwater utilities based on a runoff or pollution
generation factor for each property?
6. Recognizing that stormwater management is a complex undertaking and
needs to be implemented in a coordinated fashion. Who should be the
lead entity(s) in planning, implementation, and enforcement, in
this effort?
7. What actions are you as an individual willing to undertake to
improve water quality?
8. Are you willing to allow more infiltration of precipitation on your
property even if it means new excavation or having standing water
after a rain event?
- - -
PUBLIC HEARING - NOTICE OF INTENTION TO ATTEND
__ I plan to attend the December 12, 2001 Clean Water Council public
hearing.
__ I plan to testify at the public hearing.
Name _________________________________________________________________
Affiliation __________________________________________________________
Title ________________________________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip _______________________________________________________
Tel/Fax/Email ________________________________________________________
* * *
New Jersey Clean Water Council
Division of Watershed Management
POB 418
Trenton NJ 08625-0418
Tel: 609-633-7020
Fax: 609-777-0942
Email: clean...@dep.state.nj.us .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Back issues of the Garden State EnviroNews are available at
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::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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