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 Historical content remains viewable.

Dismiss

GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS 030530

0 views

Skip to first unread message

GSENet

unread,

May 30, 2003, 12:02:39 AM5/30/03

030530

GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{*} NJDEP AND PA POWER PLANT SIGN AGREEMENT
{*} EXPLORING THE LINK BETWEEN HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
{*} EPA PROMISES TO CONTINUE CLEANUP OF EDISON SUPERFUND SITE
{*} APPEALS COURT BACKS QUARRY LIMITS
{*} COUNT HORSESHOE CRABS IN OUR BAY
{*} MONEY GONE, U.S. SUSPENDS DESIGNATIONS OF HABITATS
{*} IMPERILED SPECIES CONSERVED UNDER NEW GRANT PROGRAM
{*} SPECIES AT RISK: IS HELP ON DISK?
{*} BURLCO FREEHOLDERS APPROVE LAND-BUY CONTRIBUTION
{*} TRASH TO TREASURE IN THE MEADOWLANDS
{*} PA HONORS GOVERNOR MCGREEVEY
{*} BOY EARNS AWARD FOR ECOLOGICAL WORK
{*} EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER
{*} EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - GIS SPECIALIST
{*} GEMS LANDFILL MEETING - JUN 2
{*} EVENT CANCELLED

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

The Garden State EnviroNet (GSE) gratefully acknowledges volunteers
Gerald Cullins, Bambi Dingman, Jeff Hook and Paul Neuman for their
contributions to today's issue. If interested in helping out, please
send an email message to mai...@gsenet.org.

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

NJDEP AND PA POWER PLANT SIGN AGREEMENT

Date: 29 May 2003
From: "depnews depnews" {depnews...@dep.state.nj.us}

NJDEP AND PA POWER PLANT SIGN AGREEMENT TO PROTECT WARREN COUNTY AIR:
POWER PLANT TO BURN CLEANER FUEL; CLOSE COAL-FIRED UNITS BY 2007

May 29, 2003

Trenton - New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell today announced an agreement 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.

"This agreement with PPL will greatly reduce the impact of air
pollution from Martins Creek on communities in Warren County, New
Jersey," said DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell. "The agreement
marks the first time that a state has been able to negotiate the
shutdown of a coal-fired power plant outside its borders - an
essential complement to New Jersey's efforts to set more protective
emission requirements for facilities inside the state."

Warren County residents and the New Jersey DEP have worked for years
to address local air quality concerns resulting from Martins Creek
plant emissions. Studies by the federal Environmental Protection
Agency identify the plant's sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions as the
principle reason for poor air quality in Warren County, which is
located across the Delaware River from the Pennsylvania facility and
has been in SO2 nonattainment since 1988. In addition, a survey by the
Belvidere Environmental Commission in Warren County has found that the
rate of asthma in town is twice as high as the state average. A more
comprehensive study of asthma rates in the entire region is underway.

The agreement with PPL stems from New Jersey DEP's challenge of a
Pennsylvania-issued permit that authorized PPL to build a 600-megawatt
natural gas-fired generating unit at its Martins Creek site. Under the
newly signed agreement, the DEP has agreed to withdraw its appeal of
that permit, allowing development of the cleaner burning, 600-megawatt
natural gas facility to move forward. In return, PPL has agreed to
reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from Martins Creek's four existing
units as follows:

* By May 2004, burning cleaner coal and oil with lower sulfur
contents; and

* By September 2007, ceasing operations of the two 1950s-vintage
coal-fired generating units at the site.

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.

In addition to reducing emissions and agreeing to annually monitor
its stack emissions and report data to the NJDEP, PPL is providing
$100,000 to help fund a comprehensive air monitoring project in Warren
County being conducted by Roche Vitamins. The monitoring project is
collecting data for an ongoing regional study on asthma rates of
residents in Warren County.

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: Amy Cradic, (609) 984-1795
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

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

EXPLORING THE LINK BETWEEN HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

Date: 030528
From: http://ens-news.com/

By J.R. Pegg, Environment News Service, May 28, 2003

Washington, DC - The global environment is changing - with far
reaching and complex consequences for human health - and the world's
efforts to address global health issues will fall short unless
policymakers embrace this link, say global health experts who have
gathered in Washington for the 30th annual conference of the Global
Health Council.

The theme of the four day conference, said the organization's
president and CEO Nils Daulaire, is to bring the voice of the global
health community "to the front lines of the ongoing dialogue about
international environmental policy."

The interactions between health and the environment are complex,
Daulaire said, but that should not tempt humanity to shy away from
studying these important connections.

"We know our health depends on the air we breathe, the water we drink
and the food we eat," Daulaire said

"Advocates for global health share common ground with the
environmental movement, and the goals of both our movements are the
same - the creation of a sustainable world where life can flourish and
where justice is our common currency," Daulaire said.

But creating this sustainable world will be anything but easy.

The world seems distracted by issues of war and security, Daulaire
said, even as the outbreak of SARS demonstrates the ability of an
infectious disease to jump from the environment to humans and to
rapidly spread across the world.

"Most of us do not see ourselves as environmental activists,"
Daulaire told attendees at today's opening session. "But each person
in this room is an infectious agent for change."

Some 2,000 health and development professionals, policymakers and
advocates from more than 60 nations have gathered at this week's
conference to discuss the consequences of global environmental change
on human health.

It is the lack of political will and financial commitment that
undermines efforts to address global health and environmental issues
and no crisis exposes this more than the fight against AIDS, said
Stephen Lewis of Canada, United Nations Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in
Africa.

Lewis, in a rousing speech at this morning's plenary session, said
that at first glance Africa seems to be "under some kind of
otherworldly curse."

But upon closer examination, Lewis explained, it is clear that
"Africa reaps what the world sows - and with a vengeance."

Lewis traveled to four nations in Southern Africa last year to
explore the link between food shortages and HIV/AIDS. What he found
was not only a link between these two, but an interconnection to
destructive weather patterns that many believe are linked to climate
change.

Populations weakened by AIDS/HIV are decimated by food shortages,
Lewis explained, which in turn are heightened by unfriendly trade
policies and increasing extreme weather.

"What we are dealing with in southern Africa, entwined with
everything else - make no mistake about it - is the most ominous
environmental threat on the planet: climate change," Lewis said.

Lewis noted that the concern that climate change would
disproportionately affect the world's poor was identified by the first
International Conference on Climate Change in 1988, but the
industrialized world has not heard its own warnings.

The rich nations of the world are stuck in a "cycle of self
centeredness," Lewis said.

"We are responsible for climate change," he said. "We are responsible
for the extremes of weather. It is our greed which serves to
compromise food security in Africa and stokes the pandemic in the
process."

And climate change is occurring more rapidly than scientists thought,
explained Paul Epstein, associate director at Harvard Medical School's
Center for Health and the Global Environment.

Epstein cited evidence of decreasing polar ice, warming ocean waters,
and increased rain at higher latitudes as well as decreased salinity
in the North Atlantic, but he said the "most profound part of climate
change" is the extreme weather events.

Yet it is perhaps the more subtle elements of climate change - warmer
winters, warmer nights and shifts in the onset of spring and fall -
that pose the greatest challenge for those focused on global health.
Biological systems are responding to the warming of the climate,
Epstein said, and this has implications for vectors of infectious
diseases.

"We are seeing geographic shifts of vector borne diseases," he said,
citing new findings of malaria at higher elevations and the rapid
spread of West Nile virus in the United States.

Warmer weather gives insects, such as the spruce bark beetle, a much
greater window for destruction on forests. A disease like West Nile,
Epstein said, hits wildlife and could skew the predator prey
relationship with implications for human health.

"We are in the midst of an emergence of new diseases," Epstein said.
"How will we respond?"

The response of the international community to global health and
environmental concerns is very much a target for this week's
conference. Past promises of grand action have left many waiting for
results, said Thais Corral, executive director and founder of REDEH,
the Brazilian based Network for Human Development and a co-chair of
the conference.

In her speech Corral detailed disappointment with the implementation
of the lofty goals of sustainable development first explored at the
Rio Summit in 1990.

The global community has stumbled in its effort to address the
underlying issues of poverty that cause many of the world's health and
environmental problems, Corral explained, and this failure falls
hardest on the world's women and children.

"The road has been much more rough and complicated than expected,"
Corral said.

The impact of poverty on global health can not be understated,
according to Corral and others at the conference. Some 25 percent of
the world's population has 70 percent of the wealth and nearly half of
the world lives on less than $2 a day.

Roughly 113 million primary school age children in the developing
world are not in school, and 60 percent are girls.

Health, development and education programs are still not reaching
those most in need, Corral said, and "women continue to be grossly
invisible and under represented."

And the reason some 800 million people are malnourished is because of
poverty, not because the world does not produce enough food, added
Margaret Catley-Carlson, chair for the Global Water Partnership and
former director of the Canadian International Development Agency.

"Poverty always makes environmental impact on health worse," said
Catley-Carlson, who is a conference co-chair.

This link is perhaps most clear, Catley-Carlson said, when
considering issue of water.

Access to clean water is the "single greatest health factor," she
said, as some 29,000 people die daily because they do not have such
access. The World Health Organization estimates that some 76 million
people will die for lack of safe drinking water between now and 2025.

To reach the goals set out by the UN, some 280,000 people each day
would have to be given access to clean water by 2025, she explained

"This is not going to happen under the current circumstances,"
Catley-Carlson said.

Providing individuals with a reliable and affordable supply of clean
water is a vital step in improving the lives of the world's poor,
explained Mike Muller, director general of South Africa's Watery and
Forest Affairs Department.

Muller detailed how his nation has committed to ensuring all of its
citizens have access to water and said this has helped lay the
foundation for other positive change.

Convenient access to clean water and sanitation "is about much more
than public health," he said. "It is about dignity, it is about human
rights, it is about the right to have an environment protected for the
benefit of present and future generations."

In 1994 some one third of South Africa's population did not have
access to safe drinking water, but since then some nine million people
have been provided with a stable and safe water supply.

"We have demonstrated in a very practical way that by addressing
poverty, we could mobilize the social and political support we needed
to protect our natural environment, a lesson with global
implications," Muller said.

But the global implications of this are not so clear. South Africa,
while a developing country, has much greater resources than many
developing nations. And issues of global health and the environment
always come back to poverty and to the industrialized world's
willingness, or lack thereof, to support efforts to improve the
conditions of the poor.

Speakers at the conference expressed dismay at the stalled efforts by
the world's rich nations to address climate change. Pick a global
health threat - malaria, HIV/AIDS, polluted water, industrial
chemicals - and there is a legacy of under funding and blustery
rhetoric.

Lewis noted that the international global fund to combat AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria is nearly out of funding. Even the latest
pledge by the United States, which the Bush administration touted as
$15 billion over three years, only amounts to $200 million in
guaranteed funding per year for this fund.

The UN estimates that just to combat AIDS, the world needs some $15
billion a year by 2007.

"What is so intolerable about the continued funding crisis is not
just the staggering loss of life, so much of it completely
unnecessary, but what it says about us, the donor nations and our
lamentable, incomprehensible behavior," Lewis said.

"We know what we are doing, but we do it anyway."

* * *

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

EPA PROMISES TO CONTINUE CLEANUP OF EDISON SUPERFUND SITE

Date: 29 May 2003
From: "Peter Montague" {Pe...@rachel.org}

By Joe Tyrrell, Star-Ledger Staff, May 29, 2003

After 12 years of lobbying by Edison residents, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency will resume cleaning up the former
Chemical Insecticide Corp. site within weeks.

Residents still want some details about the removal of an estimated
200,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the old industrial
property, which overlooks Route 287 from Whitman Avenue.

But traffic through the largely residential area should be minimal,
EPA spokeswoman Elizabeth Zimmermann said yesterday. The agency plans
to ship the soil to out-of-state disposal sites using a rail spur
instead of trucks, she said.

In October, former EPA Administrator Christie Whitman committed $19.1
million of the estimated $40 million cleanup cost. But even with the
imminent exhaustion of a polluter tax fund that financed the
Superfund, Zimmermann said money will be available to complete the
work on the site.

"Work is not going to end when that original sum runs out,"
Zimmermann said. "We will continue it using money" from the agency's
budget.

The contractors, the Army Corps of Engineers and Conti Environmental
of South Plainfield, will begin moving onto the property next week,
but excavations won't start until July 7, she said. In the meantime,
the agency will hold an informational meeting at 7 p.m. June 18 at the
Edison municipal building.

The Edison Wetlands Association and Mayor George Spadoro are hosting
their own session there at 6 tonight with an EPA representative. The
scope of the project makes it worth discussing, said mayoral aide
Robert Pye.

"This will be a landmark because it's been going on for so long, and
there's not that many other New Jersey sites being worked on" because
the end of the federal tax fund has slowed the Superfund program, Pye
said.

Robert Spiegel, the wetlands association's executive director,
recalled its formation 12 years ago in response to obvious
environmental problems at CIC, including rabbits whose fur had turned
green from chemicals dumped on the site.

"I've been fighting for this for more than one-quarter of my life,"
Spiegel said, adding he wants to make sure the EPA's funding
commitment is real. The $19.1 million "is enough to get us a great big
hole," he said. "They're telling us that with a great big hole, we're
more likely to get funds than places where cleanups haven't started -
provided there are funds."

Planning needs to address potential problems with the cleanup, such
as driving rodents and other wildlife from the 5.7-acre site into
residential neighborhoods, he said. When preliminary work was done in
the 1990s, contractors also discovered the area had been used to
manufacture flares as well as pesticides, he said.

"During one of the well installations" to monitor underground
chemicals, "they actually had an explosion from black powder,"
apparently left from the flare business, Spiegel said. Besides the
wells, some 10,000 cubic yards of soil was removed and a protective
cover put on top. But the remaining task is much larger, and safety is
crucial, he said.

"We're very happy that the cleanup is being done and we'll look back
some day on this as a bad memory," Spiegel said. "But we have to make
sure it's done the best possible way."

* * *

Joe Tyrrell covers Edison. He can be reached at
jtyrrell@starled ger.com or (732) 404-8084.
Copyright 2003 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved.

# # #

Rachel's Environment & Health News
Environmental Research Foundation
POB 160
New Brunswick NJ 08903-0160
Tel: 732-828-9995
Fax: 732-791-4603
Email: e...@rachel.org
Web: http://www.rachel.org

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

APPEALS COURT BACKS QUARRY LIMITS

Date: 28 May 2003
From: "Robin O'Hearn" {roh...@earthlink.net}

APPEAL DECISION ON SADDLE MOUNTAIN QUARRY

By Jan Barry, Staff Writer, May 28, 2003

Ringwood - The borough's multi-year effort to limit operations at a
quarry owned by Braen Stone Industries has the backing of the state
appeals court.

In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel upheld a 2001 ruling by
state Superior Court Judge Burrell I. Humphreys, who set an annual
production limit on the quarry. That ruling was appealed by the quarry
owner under a subsidiary name, Saddle Mountain L.P.

However, the Appellate Division ruling, dated Friday and released
Tuesday, dismissed objections by Skylands CLEAN, a local environmental
group representing nearby residents, that the judge's production
figure was too high. The residents objected to noise, dust, and
traffic from the quarry.

Citing previous court decisions, the appellate panel ruled that
Ringwood has a right to set limits on quarry operations, because the
business is a non-conforming use in a residential neighborhood.

But the judges were not convinced by Skylands CLEAN's argument that
the production limit should have been the production level in the year
before a 1996 agreement between the borough and quarry owners that
settled a previous lawsuit. Humpreys decided on a higher amount based
on production in the year after the agreement. His ruling cut the
amount of stone-blasting and crushing in half from its peak.

"We are satisfied that Judge Humphreys' limitation on the quarry's
annual extraction to 413,532 tons is supported by the evidence
presented," the judges concluded.

Borough officials were delighted by the decision.

"I think it was a very significant win," said Mayor Jerry Holt, "and
should go a long way toward accommodating the people who live in that
neighborhood."

Joanne Atlas, Skylands CLEAN vice president, said the ecology group
was glad to see Ringwood's position upheld.

"It's great news for us and the people of Ringwood," Atlas said.
Although private property rights need to be recognized, she added, the
ruling "makes it clear that private property interests cannot be
allowed to ride roughshod over the well-being of the community."

Jerome Vogel, the quarry's lawyer, disagreed with the decision. He
said he will have to discuss with his clients whether to appeal to the
state Supreme Court.

"I disagree with two things: The law didn't provide for a restriction
at all, and I felt the restriction he [Humphrey] did put on was based
on some unknown standard," Vogel said.

* * *

# # #

Robin O'Hearn, Director
Skylands CLEAN, Inc.
973-616-1006
roh...@skyclean.org

POB 85
Ringwood, NJ 07456

551 Ringwood Avenue
Wanaque, NJ 07456

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

COUNT HORSESHOE CRABS IN OUR BAY

Date: 030529
From: http://www.ahherald.com/

OLD OAK TRAIL
By Joe Reynolds, AH Environmental Commission Member

Atlantic Highlands Herald, 29 May 2003

Since my arrival to the Bayshore watershed region nearly 13 years ago
from South Jersey, I have listened to countless tales from baymen and
old-timers who swear to seeing masses of horseshoe crabs during the
1940s and 50s from South Amboy to Highlands. During the horseshoe
crab's mating season in the spring, our beaches would be swarming with
males and females.

Unfortunately, from talking to several watermen, local scholars, and
from my own empirical experiments, the current population of horseshoe
crabs seems to be declining in our bay waters. While there are no
accurate population figures for horseshoe crabs in Raritan and Sandy
Hook bay waters, most people no longer observe extensive populations
of horseshoe crabs and their distribution seems to be getting less
every year. A speculative range is anywhere between a few dozen to
around 60 at any one place.

In contradiction to the horseshoe crab population in the Delaware
Bay, there is very little research currently be carried out by New
Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) to the ecology
and preservation of horseshoe crabs in Raritan and Sandy Hook bays.
This is a shame. Horseshoe crabs are important living things in the
Bayshore's coastal food web, since their eggs are a significant food
source to many notable and characteristic species, such as the
endangered loggerhead sea turtle, diamondback terrapins, gulls, song
sparrows, mourning doves, foxes, and raccoons.

Consequently, little is known about the ecology of our horseshoe
crabs in Raritan and Sandy Hook bays. Despite the fact that a number
of local factors might be contributing to the species' demise in our
region, including the loss of habitat and an increase in runoff and
sediment.

Furthermore, unlike the horseshoe crab population in the Delaware
Bay, there is very little guardianship and responsibility from NJ DEP
to our horseshoe crabs in Raritan and Sandy Hook bays. I am not sure
why? When you ask someone from NJ DEP to the reason, they hesitate a
bit and then declare that migratory shorebirds, such as red knots,
sanderlings, and sandpipers, which need to feed on horseshoe crab eggs
in the spring, do not stop along the Bayshore region. Yet, numerous
birders every year report seeing red knots, sanderlings, and
sandpipers at Sandy Hook or along Raritan Bay beaches.

This is why I am asking for your help. Residents of the Bayshore
region need to demonstrate to NJ DEP that our horseshoe crab
population is prolific in our estuarine environment and worthy of
protection.

Recently, NJ DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife is asking for your
help this spring to identify horseshoe crab spawning habitat. The
information will help the State of New Jersey create a Fishery
Management Plan for Horseshoe crabs.

The spawning season in the Mid-Atlantic region for the Horseshoe crab
occurs generally from the end of May to the end of June. Peak times to
watch for activity is around the full moon period. Either on or about
May 31, June 14, or June 29. Horseshoe crabs commonly like to spawn on
sandy beaches that are protected from the turbulent wave action of the
Atlantic Ocean, such as in bays, coves, and lagoons.

So, get to the beach now and start counting horseshoe crabs in our
bay waters. Report you observations to NJ DEP at their special website
set up for this project: http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/hcidform.htm and
fill in the questionnaire entitled, "Horseshoe Crab Spawning Habitat
Identification Form." You may also call in your observation toll free
at 1-866-652-2824. Please leave your name and telephone number so
someone from NJ DEP can contact you to record you information.

Horseshoe crabs have been around for more than 350 million years. It
would be a disgrace if something should happen to cause their
disappearance in our bay waters. Thus, the more we know about our
horseshoe crab population in the Bayshore region, the better are our
odds of ensuring their survival.

- - -

Contact Joe Reynolds
sosa...@comcast.net

Lenape Woods Preserve
http://www.ahherald.com/atlantichighlands/lenprsvshots.htm

* * *

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

MONEY GONE, U.S. SUSPENDS DESIGNATIONS OF HABITATS

Date: 29 May 2003
From: "Peter Montague" {Pe...@rachel.org}

By Jennifer Lee, New York Times, May 29, 2003

Washington - The United States Fish and Wildlife Service says it will
temporarily stop designating tracts of land as critical habitats under
the Endangered Species Act within a matter of weeks because the
program has depleted its money for this fiscal year.

At the same time, the agency said it would negotiate with plaintiffs
and the federal courts to move back pending deadlines for designating
certain areas as critical habitat.

"We are out of money, or will be in a few days," said Craig Manson,
the assistant secretary of the Department of Interior who oversees the
Fish and Wildlife Service.

Designations as critical habitat, defined as geographic areas that
"contain habitat features essential for the conservation of a
threatened or endangered species," are required under the 1973
Endangered Species Act to curb development that may threaten those
species.

The agency says it is caught between federal law and court decisions.
Federal law forbids agencies to spend money beyond what Congress has
given them. But the agency must also comply with court-imposed
deadlines that have resulted from a growing number of lawsuits by
environmental groups seeking to force the agency to designate tracts
of land as critical habitats.

While the program's $6 million budget is the same as last year's, the
number of court-imposed deadlines has grown, leaving the agency about
$2 million short of the money it needs to designate critical habitats
for 33 species before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, Mr.
Manson said.

Democrats and environmental groups say the administration has
willingly walked into this situation. The agency, they note, has not
requested more money from Congress to continue financing the program
after being told that it could not reapportion money from elsewhere.

"It is outrageous that this administration is shortchanging funding
for implementing the Endangered Species Act and not even bothering to
request supplemental appropriation from Congress," said Representative
Nick J. Rahall II, Democrat of West Virginia, who is on the
subcommittee dealing with fish and wildlife.

Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological
Diversity, an organization in Tucson that has brought a number of
lawsuits on critical habitat, said, "They've engineered a budget
crisis." Mr. Suckling said Congress had given the agency the full
program financing it had asked for in this year's budget.

But others say the situation is not entirely a political creation.
They say critical habitat concerns stretch back to the Clinton years,
when the number of lawsuits by environmental groups first started to
rise.

President Bill Clinton's interior secretary, Bruce Babbitt, asked
Congress to impose budget restrictions on the critical habitat program
to prevent it from cannibalizing all of the money for the Endangered
Species Act, saying this was not the best use of those resources.
Time-consuming, court-mandated critical habitat analyses were draining
resources and scientists from other protections for endangered
species, like listing additional species.

"This is a sinking ship if they don't watch it," said Jamie Clark,
director of the Fish and Wildlife Service in the Clinton years. "It is
a very real problem. They have more court orders than they have money
to deal with."

John Sidel, an endangered species scientist for the Forest Service,
said: "Designating critical habitat is a long, torturous process. In
the past, people avoided it because they wanted to get species listed
without getting dragged down by the critical habitat designation
process."

But court orders have piled up because the law says critical habitat
has to be designated at the time a species is listed as endangered - a
fact environmental groups have used to force designations. Of 1,250
species on the list, about 400 have designated critical habitats.
Court cases have imposed a number of other species on the agency,
which Mr. Manson says has created a backlog of cases that will take it
through 2008.

"The system is broken because the decision-making process that should
be with the Fish and Wildlife Service has been usurped by litigation,"
said Tom Sansonetti, assistant attorney general for the Environment
and Natural Resources Division.

The administration has taken an unfavorable view of critical
habitats. The Fish and Wildlife Service has begun inserting a
"disclaimer" into critical habitat designations and news releases. It
opens with the statement, "Designation of critical habitat provides
little additional protection to species."

But others say that the problems with critical habitat designations
lie more in "when," and not "if."

"Critical habitat is better timed as a function of recovery program
rather than as a decision made at the time of listing," Ms. Clarke
said. But she emphasized that the agency must not stop protecting
habitat.

* * *

# # #

Rachel's Environment & Health News
Environmental Research Foundation
POB 160
New Brunswick NJ 08903-0160
Tel: 732-828-9995
Fax: 732-791-4603
Email: e...@rachel.org
Web: http://www.rachel.org

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

IMPERILED SPECIES CONSERVED UNDER NEW GRANT PROGRAM

Date: 28 May 2003
From: Mitch...@fws.gov

A PROMISE FULFILLED - LANDOWNERS RECEIVE MORE THAN $9.4 MILLION TO
CONSERVE IMPERILED SPECIES UNDER NEW GRANT PROGRAM

Under the new Private Stewardship Grant program envisioned by
President Bush when he was still Texas governor, the Interior
Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced 113 grants
totaling more than $9.4 million to individuals and groups to undertake
conservation projects on private lands in 43 states for endangered,
threatened and other at-risk species.

President Bush originally proposed the creation of the Private
Stewardship Grant program during a speech in Lake Tahoe, Nevada in
June 2000. The grants announced today, the first ever awarded under
the program, will benefit species ranging from the whooping crane in
Nebraska to the bald eagle in the state of Washington. Each grant must
be matched by at least 10 percent of the total project cost either in
non-federal dollars or in-kind contributions.

"Conservation, and especially the conservation of imperiled species,
must be a partnership between the American people and their
government," said Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton. "By making these
grants, we are empowering citizens to restore habitat on their land
and take other steps to protect and recover endangered, threatened and
at-risk species."

"Judging from the number of truly innovative grant proposals we
reviewed, landowners across the U.S. are eager to work with us to
conserve at-risk species," said Service Director Steve Williams. "We
anticipate this public/private partnership will result in significant
conservation achievements for wildlife and wildlife habitat."

The Private Stewardship Grants Program provides federal grants on a
competitive basis to individuals and groups engaged in voluntary
conservation efforts on private lands that benefit federally listed
endangered or threatened species, candidate species or other at-risk
species. Under this program, private landowners as well as groups
working with private landowners are able to submit proposals directly
to the Service for funding to support these efforts. President Bush
has requested funding of $10 million for this program in 2004.

For a complete list of Private Partnership Stewardship grant awards,
please visit:
http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/private_stewardship.html .

* * *

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National
Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 540 national wildlife
refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management
areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery
resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The
agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered
Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally
significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as
wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation
efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program, which distributes
hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting
equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

News releases are also available on the World Wide Web at
http://news.fws.gov

Questions concerning a particular news release or item of information
should be directed to the person listed as the contact. General
comments or observations concerning the content of the information
should be directed to Mitch Snow (Mitch...@fws.gov) in the Office of
Public Affairs.

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

SPECIES AT RISK: IS HELP ON DISK?

Date: 030529
From: http://www.philly.com/

By Kaitlin Gurney Inquirer Staff Writer, May 29, 2003

Evesham - The stone sign welcomes visitors to "The Sanctuary," but
for two rare breeds of snakes, this tony neighborhood has been
anything but.

The name of the Pinelands development - mired in controversy and
court cases since endangered timber rattlesnakes and threatened
Northern pine snakes were found there - has become a rallying cry for
preservationists who urge greater protection for jeopardized species.

The maelstrom could swirl anew, they say, unless the Pinelands
Commission updates its plan for managing growth in the Pine Barrens by
consulting an advanced state database that maps habitats for protected
wildlife throughout the state.

According to the Landscape Project, as the computerized database is
known, a stretch of rugged pitch-pine forest a little more than a mile
from the Sanctuary in Evesham is home to the same two breeds of
snakes. Records show that the Sanctuary's developers, the Samost
family and Steliga Homes, are planning for a 300-home development
there tentatively called Kenilworth.

John Stokes, executive director of the Pinelands Commission, said the
database is a valuable planning tool that might help the commission
determine whether the southern Evesham area containing the rare snakes
is appropriate for development. A study of the area near the Sanctuary
is slated for the fall.

But the commission is not ready to change its 23-year-old Pinelands
zoning map on the basis of an untested Department of Environmental
Protection database, Stokes said.

"The DEP itself is still trying to figure out how best to use this
tool," he said. "Until we talk to them more, we'll continue, as we
have in the past, to review developments on a project-by-project
basis."

Watchdog groups and DEP officials say that is a mistake.

"The Sanctuary was an example of a learning experience, of poor
decisions made based on imperfect information. But here we are 13
years later, about to make the same mistake," Carleton Montgomery,
executive director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, said on a
visit to the Evesham forest last week, pointing at a laptop with
Landscape Project data indicating that snakes lived nearby.

"The Sanctuary problems make it clear that the Pinelands Commission
needs to look at the information the Landscape Project provides and
revisit the Pinelands management plan," Montgomery said.

In 1994, state biologists began using endangered-species sightings
and satellite land-use maps to craft the animal-habitat map with
Geographic Information Systems software. The tool, available only in
the last two years, has been used to help create the state's plan to
combat sprawl, called the Blueprint for Intelligent Growth Map, or the
"Big Map."

DEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell visited the Pinelands Commission
last month and urged it to redraw the Pinelands zoning map, known as
the Comprehensive Management Plan, using Landscape Project data. The
plan, which designates some areas of the Pinelands for growth and
others for preservation, conflicts with both the Big Map and Landscape
Project information about endangered species, he said.

Campbell also used the Sanctuary as an example of why, he said, the
commission needed to change its strategy.

"What happened at the Sanctuary is a great example of why it's
important to move to Landscape Project-based regulations. We need to
develop habitat-conservation plans for all the areas the project
indicates threatened and endangered species exist," he said. "It is my
strong view that this would both strengthen protection for wildlife
and better serve developers by giving them an idea of what to expect.

"There is no disagreement between the Pinelands Commission and DEP,
just an effort to reconcile our approaches," Campbell said.

So far, the Pinelands Commission has decided to review just one other
area in the growth region, Stokes said. In Jackson Township, Ocean
County, the Northern pine snake and timber rattler have been found on
land planned for housing, a golf course, and recreation fields. As in
Evesham, the commission will review the snakes' habitat before making
decisions on those areas, Stokes said.

While development is encroaching on the sandy Pinelands soil in areas
such as Evesham or Jackson, Buena Vista Township in Atlantic County is
decidedly remote. There, tall oaks rise amid scraggly pines, blueberry
and huckleberry bushes, and even pink lady's slippers, and the only
sign of sprawl is a placard on Route 54 advertising 200 acres for
sale.

The woods surrounding this major thoroughfare are in the Pinelands
Commission's growth area. Yet the Landscape Project shows that the
tract contains a long list of endangered and threatened species,
including bald eagles, Cooper's hawks, barred owls, eastern tiger
salamanders, and Pine Barrens tree frogs.

"The pressure for development is not here yet, but it will be," said
Eric Stiles, vice president for conservation for the New Jersey
Audubon Society, as he stared at a woodpecker's nest through
binoculars. "This is just one example of an area that conflicts with
the zoning, but there are many others. Endangered species are our
cultural heritage at stake."

No other state has a computer database listing every acre of
endangered-species habitat, and the Pinelands Commission should take
advantage of the tool, Stiles said.

"When the state Pinelands Act was passed in 1979, it was cutting-edge
and visionary, and it still is in many ways," he said. "But like
software needs an upgrade, so do regulations. The Landscape Project is
a great product that the Pinelands Commission would be foolish not to
use."

* * *

Contact staff writer Kaitlin Gurney at 856-779-3910 or
kgu...@phillynews.com.
(c) 1995-2003 Knight Ridder Digital, Inc. All rights reserved.

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

BURLCO FREEHOLDERS APPROVE LAND-BUY CONTRIBUTION

Date: 030529
From: http://www.phillyburbs.com/

Burlington County Times, May 29, 2003

The Burlington County Board of Freeholders has approved a $1.8
million contribution to a nearly $9 million open-space acquisition
made by the Eastampton Township Council last year.

The freeholders voted unanimously last night to allocate funds from
the county's dedicated tax for land preservation toward the purchase
of 162 acres of open space at Monmouth and Woodlane roads in Eastamp-
ton.

The land had been slated for a 577-unit development.

The $1.8 million contribution is the largest amount ever given to a
municipality by the freeholders for a single open-space acquisition.

* * *

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

TRASH TO TREASURE IN THE MEADOWLANDS

Date: 29 May 2003
From: "carol" {ca...@njconservation.org}

THE STATE WE'RE IN
By Michele S. Byers, Executive Director
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
May 28, 2003 - Volume XXXIII, No. 20

Trash to treasure.

One person's trash is another's treasure, an old adage. That proves
true over and over again.

Conservationists are turning trash into treasure on a grand scale in
the Hackensack Meadowlands, in northern New Jersey. A tentative
agreement has just been reached among environmental advocates,
business executives and elected officials to set aside 8,400 acres as
a Meadowlands Preserve.

The trash, in this case, is quite literal and quite extensive. During
the 1970's, landfills in the Meadowlands received over 10,000 tons of
trash every day from New York City and North Jersey towns. Today, one
landfill remains open for clean construction waste and a miasma of
chemicals continues to leach into the surrounding waters.

The treasure in the Meadowlands comes from nature's astounding
resilience. Despite decades of the worst kind of environmental
degradation, the Meadowlands has taken only a few years to begin a
remarkable ecological rebound. A view that once encompassed piles of
garbage has been transformed into beautiful wetland habitat.

And the transformation goes way beyond the view: in the late 1960's,
the Meadowlands was home to only 120 species of birds and 13 species
of fish. Today, 265 bird species and 43 aquatic species live in the
Meadowlands!

The `do-it-yourself magic' in the Meadowlands comes from a grassroots
effort led by New York-New Jersey Baykeeper, which has evolved into a
significant coalition of environmental activists, elected officials
and others, with strong leadership from Congressman Rothman. Captain
Bill Sheehan, with Hackensack Riverkeeper, deserves an enormous amount
of credit for his organization's involvement in this effort.

Ironically, one of the last members to join the coalition has
presented the greatest threat to preserving the Meadowlands -
developers.

Plans were afoot to build a massive retail complex that would have
filled hundreds of acres of wetlands on the Empire tract - the largest
contiguous block of habitat in the northern portion of the
Meadowlands, which the US Fish & Wildlife Service called vital to the
region's ecological viability.

However, after extensive negotiations, the developer agreed to move
the project to the site of the Meadowlands sports complex, and donate
the 600-acre tract to the state. That will bring the total number of
preserved acres to 6,600. A commitment of $3 million from the NJ
Meadowlands Commission and $4.5 from the federal government will
preserve more than 90-percent of the 8,400-acre target and fund
studies to determine the best way to clean up the marshes.

Go visit the 1,200-acre John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, south of
Philadelphia, to get a glimpse of what the Meadowlands could be. The
Heinz Refuge draws 120,000 visits a year. The Meadowlands Preserve
could end up over seven times larger, in a metropolitan area with four
times the population.

The result will be northern New Jersey's Central Park - a vast,
vibrant open space that is the beating heart of one of the most
densely populated regions in the country.

I hope you'll contact me at 1-888-LAND-SAVE for
in...@njconservation.org and Captain Bill Sheehan the Hackensack
Riverkeeper at cap...@waterkeeper.org. Websites are: Andy
http://www.njnybaykeeper.org or Bill at
http://www.hackensackriverkeeper.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 x101
Fax: 908-234-1189

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

PA HONORS GOVERNOR MCGREEVEY

Date: 29 May 2003
From: "depnews depnews" {depnews...@dep.state.nj.us}

PENNSYLVANIA HONORS GOVERNOR MCGREEVEY
FOR HIS ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP ALSO AWARDS DEP'S CAMPBELL

May 29, 2003

Trenton - Governor James E. McGreevey is being honored tonight by the
Pennsylvania Environmental Council, which has bestowed its highest
award to New Jersey's chief executive for his leadership on smart
growth and open-space protection.

Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell of the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection is accepting the organization's prestigious
Curtin Winsor Award on behalf of Governor McGreevey at the
organization's 33rd Annual Philadelphia Dinner.

The statewide, nonprofit, educational organization, founded in 1969,
has advocated for policies, laws and regulations on key environmental
issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The council has directed
its efforts in three major areas: sustainable use of land and natural
resources; protection of watersheds; and innovative solutions to
environmental problems.

"Combating sprawl and protecting our open space and environment are
among my most important priorities for improving New Jersey's quality
of life. Recognition from such an effective environmental advocacy
group is tremendously rewarding and I thank you," Governor McGreevey
said. "I am committed to continue with our aggressive agenda to
preserve our remaining open space and farmland, protect our drinking
water supplies and revitalize our cities and older suburbs."

The Governor has taken new and unprecedented measures to safeguard
New Jersey's water resources, strengthen environmental enforcement and
promote many smart growth policies.

"I'm deeply honored to be chosen for this award because I consider it
a privilege to serve Governor McGreevey and the people of New Jersey
as steward of our air, water and other precious natural resources,"
Campbell said.

On Earth Day 2003, a historic package of regulations proposed by the
Governor on Earth Day 2002 was adopted, strengthening protections for
nine drinking water reservoirs and six river and stream segments by
upgrading their status under the Clean Water Act to Category One.
Governor McGreevey is the first New Jersey governor to use this
regulatory tool to provide the highest level of protection to the
State's drinking water resources. The Governor has announced plans to
provide this Category One designation to other water bodies throughout
New Jersey.

Under Governor McGreevey's leadership, the administration has
introduced new reforms to its brownfields program to encourage and
accelerate the cleanup and redevelopment of New Jersey's polluted
sites. The Governor has also committed to create two new state parks
and establish or improve 200 local parks.

As part of his environmental and community enhancement efforts,
Governor McGreevey has committed to planting 100,000 trees statewide
to help urban and older suburban communities improve their air
quality, reduce their energy costs and summertime temperatures, and
improve the quality of life in neighborhoods. Five hundred trees have
already been planted in Camden using money from a clean air
enforcement settlement.

"To stop mindless sprawl in its tracks, we need to work together -
the state, counties, towns, developers, nonprofit organizations and
environmentalists. Our fight against sprawl will shape the New Jersey
that we will leave to our children and grandchildren," McGreevey said.

The Winsor award is given in memory of the Council's founder and
longtime president, Curtin Winsor. Winsor retired as chairman of the
organization in 1989 and died in 1998 at age 92.

* * *

Contact: Mary Helen Cervantes, 609-292-9289
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

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

BOY EARNS AWARD FOR ECOLOGICAL WORK

Date: 030529
From: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/morris/

NATURALIST AN ACORN, BUT STANDS LIKE AN OAK

By Lori Silverstein, Star-Ledger Staff, May 29, 2003

When the Garden Club of New Jersey presents its most prestigious
award - the Gold Medal - to an individual, the recipient is usually a
longtime advocate of the environment, someone who has touched New
Jersey's landscape, perhaps through legislation, reports or research.

Winners have included former Gov. Thomas Kean, a state Department of
Transportation official, and Rutgers professors.

Yesterday, someone with only a fraction of their years of experience,
but with no less passion or devotion to environmental issues, accepted
the award.

Dressed in a black suit and tie, 9-year-old Jordan Matelsky
gracefully, and with articulation that belied his years, accepted the
honor just after receiving a standing ovation.

"Some people think that if you're a kid, you can't make a difference
in the world, but I think that even though we're small, kids can make
a very big difference," Jordan said.

The Succasunna third-grader was receiving recognition for his
creation of a Morris County chapter of Kids For A Clean Environment
(KidsFACE), a nationwide organization that spreads information about
the environment to children and encourages their involvement in nature
activities.

He launched the chapter last year at his birthday party. Instead of
the roller-skating rink or swimming pool, Jordan chose to have his
party at the protected wetlands area of the Black River Barn in
Randolph, where party-goers planted trees and, of course, received
membership information for KidsFACE.

Since then, his group has signed on about 30 young members. On Earth
Day this year, he pulled together more than 2,000 kids to decorate and
write environmental messages on grocery bags. And a boat trip to help
pick up litter in the Meadowlands is in the works for September.

This activism and leadership in protecting the environment is what
prompted the state garden club to select the youngest-ever award
recipient.

"His credentials were so wonderful and he's so deserving. I think
it's phenomenal, (to see) anyone his age with so much interest in the
environment." said Marilyn Litvack, awards chairwoman.

At the annual meeting, Jordan did not just accept his medal. Rather,
like any seasoned activist, he used it as a platform to encourage more
help for the environment.

"How many times have we driven past litter on the ground and not
picked it up, hoping someone would clean it? Who do we expect will
clean it up? When was the last time we planted a tree or did something
to help save an endangered animal or cleaned the water or air...

"So even though I am only 9, I would like to challenge each person
here today to teach someone else how important and how simple it is to
help our planet become healthy again," he said to a crowd of club
members.

Jordan's concern for the environment goes as far back as he can
remember. At age 4, he began sending emails to others alerting them to
a "Save the Whales" campaign.

Although his parents have always supported his causes, it is not
their doing, they said. Environmental activism was always his idea and
his motivation.

"It's not that we don't care about the environment...This has always
been his issue," said his mother, Robin Matelsky.

And his father, Paul Matelsky, said it has never been unpleasant work
for his son, who used to come home with pockets full of litter.

"It's something he feels so strongly about, it doesn't take that
extra effort. It's a labor of love," said his father.

Jordan, who used to organize litter pickups during recess at the
Kennedy School in Succasunna, tapped the side of his head and
explained it was simply his conscience that drove him to help the
environment.

"I thought it was about time. I've been caring about it my whole
life. I said, 'It's time to act now,'" he said.

For more information on the KidsFACE chapter, contact Jordan at
mckid...@juno.com.

* * *

Lori Silverstein works in the Morris County bureau. She can be reached
at lsilve...@starledger.com or 973-539-7910.
Copyright 2003 The Star-Ledger.

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

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER

Date: 29 May 2003
From: Sally Kean {sk...@raritanbasin.org}

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER

Outstanding opportunity at Somerset County office of major water
utility. Watershed Protection Specialist responsibilities include
watershed assessment, development and implementation of watershed
protection programs, and public education and outreach initiatives,
etc.

We require a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Science, Civil or
Agricultural or Sanitary Engineering, Environmental Planning or other
field related to water resource management. Two years related
professional work experience or possession of Masters Degree in one of
the above fields is also required. Must have computer abilities.
Background in land use or environmental planning preferred.

Good starting salary and excellent benefits.

To apply, email resume to jkl...@njwsa.org or send to:

New Jersey Water Supply Authority
Attn: Human Resources
POB 5196
Clinton NJ 08809

EOE

# # #

Sally P. Kean
Administrative Assistant
Raritan Basin Watershed Management Project
550 Weston Canal Rd., Somerset, NJ 08873
PO Box 287, South Bound Brook, NJ 08880
(732) 356-9344 X23
(732) 356-9461 (FAX)

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

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - GIS SPECIALIST

Date: 29 May 2003
From: Sally Kean {sk...@raritanbasin.org}

GIS SPECIALIST

Outstanding opportunity at Somerset County office of major water
utility. Geographic Information Specialist responsibilities include
watershed applications of GIS, GPS and geographic data in the
development and implementation of watershed protection programs at the
site, subregional and regional level.

We require a Bachelors Degree in Geography, Cartography,
Environmental Science, Planning, or a related field, including GIS
training. One year related professional work experience or possession
of Masters Degree in one of the above fields is also required. Must
have computer abilities. Background in land use or environmental
planning preferred.

Good starting salary and excellent benefits.

To apply, email resume to jkl...@njwsa.org or send to:

New Jersey Water Supply Authority
Attn: Human Resources
POB 5196
Clinton NJ 08809

EOE

# # #

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

GEMS LANDFILL MEETING - JUN 2

Date: 29 May 2003
From: "Peter Montague" {Pe...@rachel.org}

ASSEMBLY PANEL TO HOST GLOUCESTER TWP. HEARING
ON GEMS LANDFILL WASTEWATER DISCHARGE

May 29, 2003

Gloucester Twp. - The Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources
Committee chaired by Assemblyman Robert J. Smith will hold a special
hearing Monday evening to discuss remediation alternatives for the
GEMS Superfund site.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has proposed to process
200,000 gallons of wastewater per day from the GEMS (Gloucester
Environmental Management Services) Superfund site through the public
sewer system or dump it directly into the Holly Run Stream.

The hearing will begin 7 p.m. Monday, June 2, in the Court Chambers,
Gloucester Township Municipal Building, Chews Landing-Clementon Road
and Hider Lane, Blackwood.

"The treatment of wastewater from the GEMS Landfill site has been
such an important issue for residents of Camden and Gloucester
counties, it warrants another hearing for the public to voice their
concerns," said Smith (D-Gloucester). "The state must take every step
necessary to ensure the health and safety of residents near the
landfill, Holly Run and other local waterways."

Smith and Assemblyman Louis D. Greenwald (D-Camden) have introduced
legislation (A-3174) that would prevent disposal of wastewater from
the GEMS landfill site into the Holly Run stream or the Delaware River
via the county's sewer system. The bill is intended to encourage the
construction of an environmentally friendly on-site treatment and
disposal system.

"Anytime there is discussion of transporting radioactive water
through the local sewer system or dumping it into a stream, the public
must be involved and problems must be resolved," said Greenwald. "We
cannot be complacent while the health of our residents and the local
environment are being compromised."

Greenwald will take part in the hearing as a substitute committee
member. Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Vice-Chairman
Douglas Fisher (D-Cumberland) also will attend.

Located in Gloucester Township, Camden County, the 60-acre GEMS
landfill was the last stop for toxic sludge from a waste treatment
plant in Northeast Philadelphia. In 1980, the landfill was closed and
ranked 12th among the 546 worst Superfund sites in the nation due to
its high levels of asbestos and solvents.

During the second phase of remediation at the site, state and federal
environmental officials detected additional toxins known as
radionuclides in waters in and around the GEMS landfill. Not only were
the radionuclides found to have polluted the adjacent Holly Run
Stream, but the treatment mechanism constructed at the site to filter
the wastewater before discharge was not designed to filter or treat
the additional toxins.

An alternative to the EPA plans would require the GEMS Trust, which
is charged with financing and remediating the Superfund site, to pay
for the design and construction of an upgraded treatment system at the
landfill. The treated wastewater would then be discharged on site into
the ground.

Beth Auerswald
(609) 292-7065

Assemblyman Smith
(856) 232-6700

# # #

Rachel's Environment & Health News
Environmental Research Foundation
POB 160
New Brunswick NJ 08903-0160
Tel: 732-828-9995
Fax: 732-791-4603
Email: e...@rachel.org
Web: http://www.rachel.org

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

EVENT CANCELLED

Date: 29 May 2003
From: "Eric Stiles" {est...@njaudubon.org}

Re:
Garden State EnviroNews - 030529
2003 WORST YEAR EVER FOR SHOREBIRDS - MAY 30

The event has been cancelled.

* * *

Eric Stiles, NJ Audubon Society
Office - 908.766.5787
Cell - 908.240.9316

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tina Bologna - Editor - bol...@gsenet.org

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

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

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

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

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

0 new messages