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GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS 030912

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Sep 12, 2003, 12:03:14 AM9/12/03

030912

GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{*} DEP OBJECTS TO GEMS CLEANUP
{*} THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT: THIRTY YEARS ON THE ARK
{*} CONSERVATION GROUP ISSUES DIRE REPORT
{*} HUGE CLIMATE EXPERIMENT STARTS TODAY - ALL WELCOME
{*} BUSH GETS HEAT ON GLOBAL WARMING
{*} THE ALARMING REPORT ABOUT THE EPA'S RESPONSE TO 9/11
{*} GREAT SWAMP INFO NEEDED TO COMPLY WITH NEW REGULATIONS
{*} BUSH ADMINISTRATION KEEN TO LIMIT CLEAN WATER ACT
{*} CHEMICALS IN SOIL AT SITE OF CHILD CENTER
{*} WHITE TWP: N-VIRO MEADOW LIFE SLUDGE OPERATION TO CEASE
{*} AFFORDABLE HOMES INSTEAD OF WINDY ACRES
{*} ROWAN TOWNHOUSE PLAN OPPOSED
{*} MAHWAH PRESERVES RAMAPO RIVER PROPERTY
{*} ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2003
{*} POSITION FOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AT NEW JERSEY FUTURE
{*} UPCOMING TEACHER'S WORKSHOPS AT SBMWA
{*} CLEAN OCEAN ACTION HOSTS SUNSATIONAL EVENT - SEP 19
{*} ANJHHWC CONFERENCE ON PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP - SEP 19
{*} NJ VOLUNTEER MONITORING SUMMIT - NOV 7, 8

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Many thanks to our volunteers: Jerry Cullins, Vanessa Frey,
Jeff Hook, Ken Krebs, Peter Montague, Paul Neuman, Phil Reynolds,
and to all you folks out there who contribute in so many ways.
If you have a couple hours a week, and would like to help out,
please email us at mai...@gsenet.org.

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DEP OBJECTS TO GEMS CLEANUP

Date: 030911
From: http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/

ENVIRONMENTALISTS HOPE STANCE WILL LEAD TO BUILDING OF TREATMENT PLANT

By Lawrence Hajna, Courier-Post Staff, September 11, 2003

Camden - The state Department of Environmental Protection, in a
stunning move, on Wednesday opposed the controversial plan to
discharge mildly radioactive water from a Gloucester Township
Superfund site to Camden County sewer lines.

Democrats running for state legislative and county freeholder offices
released a letter from DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell expressing
"strong objections" to the plan just as a public hearing on a county
utilities authority permit got under way.

Campbell raised concerns about "substantial noncompliance" by the
GEMS Phase II Trust, former users paying for cleanup, in providing
recent groundwater monitoring data he said is needed to make a sound
decision on the permit.

The Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority is considering
allowing a trust of former users of the GEMS Landfill to discharge
pretreated water into the sewer system. The water contains low levels
of uranium and radium, believed to result from natural minerals under
GEMS, as well as conventional pollutants.

While the DEP's letter does not automatically block the discharge
from occurring, it will likely delay the plan long enough to allow
local lawmakers to reintroduce state legislation to block the
discharge.

Despite overwhelming support in both houses, the bills died when
language differences could not be reconciled before the expiration of
the last legislative session.

"I am very pleased with the DEP's response," said Assemblyman Robert
J. Smith, D-Washington Township, a sponsor of the Assembly
legislation. "I know it is not a panacea, but we believe it's an
effective stop-gap measure at this point in time."

Environmentalists hope this gives new life to their preference -
construction of a full-scale treatment plant at the site that would
inject cleansed water back into the ground.

"This is a step in the right direction. We're very happy about this,"
said Linda Musser of the Gloucester Township- based Citizens Against a
Radioactive Environment. "This is what we wanted, and we're going to
remain diligent and make sure the right thing is done, the proper
cleanup is done."

Freeholder Louis Cappelli Jr., liaison to the utilities authority,
hopes the letter spurs the federal Environmental Protection Agency,
overseeing cleanup, to reconsider a settlement that assigns cleanup
responsibility to the trust.

"This lets the EPA know there's a governor, legislative bodies,
municipalities and the public and environmental groups who oppose
this," he said.

An EPA spokeswoman declined comment, saying she had not seen the
letter.

The letter comes as a surprise because the DEP previously supported
the plan.

But Campbell noted that the GEMS Phase II Trust has apparently failed
to provide key groundwater monitoring data since December, when the
trust ceased testing a pretreatment plant at the landfill.

"While I acknowledge that these objections are being raised late in
the process, DEP has repeatedly brought the issue of noncompliance to
the attention of the GEMS Trust, and had anticipated their addressing
this situation prior to the hearing," Campbell wrote.

Gary Lesneski, a trust attorney, could not be reached.

Campbell urged the utilities authority to defer a decision on the
permit and said the DEP "will exercise its right to appeal" if the
permit is issued.

The authority said it has been proceeding with the permit process
because of a U.S. District Court ruling earlier this year that found
the plan protected the environment by cutting off the flow of
contaminants to area waterways.

Surprised by the letter, authority officials said they are
considering what to do next.

While they said the public comment process will continue, they
acknowledge the situation will probably force a delay in the issuance
of the permit, which had been expected in late October or early
November.

"The end result is unclear, absolutely," said authority staff
solicitor Lisa Kmiec.

State Sen. George Geist, R-Gloucester Township, said he is ready to
reintroduce legislation that would ban the discharge and require a
public accounting of trust funds to determine why an on-site treatment
plant cannot be built.

"This legislation is right, and ripe for final action," he said.

* * *

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THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT: THIRTY YEARS ON THE ARK

Date: 030911
From: http://www.open-spaces.com/

[SPECIAL REPORT - Excerpt - Read the full article at:
http://www.gsenet.org/library/14njs/endgspec.php]

By Jeff Curtis and Bob Davison
Open Spaces Publications, September 11, 2003

The Endangered Species Act (ESA), the current version of which was
passed in 1973, has achieved iconic significance. To those concerned
about the environment, it is at the pinnacle of environmental laws .
the 800-pound gorilla of a law that puts species conservation above
development concerns. To developers and property rights advocates, it
is often viewed as a tool radical environmentalists use to achieve
political goals. This article is an attempt by two conservationists
who have worked with the law over the past three decades to provide a
practical explanation of why the law was enacted, how the law works,
and why it is important. We also will examine why the ESA, of all
environmental laws, has become so controversial and why there are
continued calls for its revision.

Almost 30 years of amendments, and the labors of a generation of
Members of Congress and congressional staff have, for the most part,
managed to enhance rather than diminish the original vision of the
ESA. That vision was driven by a concern over the loss of some of the
country's most notable species.

* * *

Open Spaces encourages web sites to link directly to our online
articles.
Copyright (c) 2003 Open Spaces Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

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CONSERVATION GROUP ISSUES DIRE REPORT

Date: 030911
From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Associated Press, September 11, 2003

Johannesburg - Hundreds of species face possible extinction in the
next two decades if more land is not set aside to protect them, a
study released Thursday said.

The Conservation International study of more than 11,000 species
throughout the world has created a global picture of how they are
protected.

It was released during the World Parks Congress in the coastal city
of Durban where 2,500 international conservationists have gathered.

An urgent addition of 2.6 per cent of the world's land area to an
existing protection system could help stop the imminent extinction of
at least two-thirds of unprotected species, the report said.

Still, many other areas also need protection to safeguard the world's
species, the report said. At least 223 avian, 140 mammalian and 346
amphibian species are currently completely unprotected.

"We need to do something right away. If it's not done, we will
probably see the disappearance of many of these populations in the
next 10 or 20 years," said Gustavo Fonseca, Conservation
International's executive vice-president for programs and science.

"This will represent extinction to the scale that we have not seen
before as a human species," he said.

Restrictions on protected land include rules against hunting and
development.

The planned allocation of increased land for protection would focus
on areas where biodiversity threats are the greatest, such as the
tropical areas, rain forests and islands. These make up 80 per cent of
the areas identified as "urgent priorities" for the creation of new
protected areas.

- - -

Conservation International: http://www.conservation.org
BirdLife International: http://www.birdlife.org

* * *

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HUGE CLIMATE EXPERIMENT STARTS TODAY - ALL WELCOME

Date: 030911
From: http://www.planetark.org/

Reuters News Service, September 12, 2003

Manchester, England - A climate prediction experiment which is
expected to involve two million people around the world and produce a
probable forecast for the 21st century will be launched today.

Anyone with a personal computer can join the project and will be
expected to conduct their own unique version of Britain's Met Office
climate model, simulating several decades of the Earth's climate at a
time.

"Everybody gets their own model so they can do an interesting bit of
research on their PC," Dr Myles Allen, of the University of Oxford,
told a British Association science conference on Thursday.

The results of the experiment will be sent via the Internet. The
simulations will be used to test different model versions and the
results will be collated to predict the 21st century climate.

"We can't predict which versions of the model will be any good
without running these simulations, and there are far too many for us
to run them ourselves," said Allen.

"Together, participants' results will give us an overall picture of
how much human influence has contributed to recent climate change and
the range of possible changes in the future," he added.

Allen said the program, which can be downloaded from:

http://www.climateprediction.net

can run on an ordinary desktop or laptop computer. It is easy to
operate and does not slow down other tasks on the computer.

The project, which is billed as the world's largest climate
prediction experiment, is a collaboration between the Met Office and
several universities including Oxford and Reading.

* * *

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BUSH GETS HEAT ON GLOBAL WARMING

Date: 11 Sep 2003
From: "Peter Montague" {Pe...@rachel.org}

By Keith Darce, New Orleans Times-Picayune, September 11, 2003

Chastising the White House for not doing enough to combat global
warming, Entergy Corp.'s chairman said Wednesday that his company
supports a clean air proposal offered by Democrats in Congress as an
alternative to President Bush's proposed "Clear Skies" initiative.

"The current administration's solution to the enormous climate change
is just to study it to death," said Robert Luft, who heads the New
Orleans-based utility's board of directors. "Make no mistake. If
today's leaders of government and business don't start understanding
the need to take emission reductions seriously, we will leave a grim,
grim legacy for our children and grandchildren."

His comments came in the opening session of the Society of
Environmental Journalists' annual convention at the Astor Crown Plaza
hotel on Canal Street.

Congress for more than a year has been considering Bush's air
pollution reduction proposal, which would cut emissions of mercury,
sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides 70 percent by 2018 through a
program that would allow heavy-polluting power utilities to buy
credits from companies that reduce their emission levels below the new
federal standards set by the bill.

The proposal has drawn criticism for reducing pollution too slowly
and leaving out limits on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants,
which Luft and others say are the main cause of global warning. In
1999, electricity generators - primarily ones fueled by coal -
produced nearly 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the United
States, topping releases from automobiles, other industries and homes.

Entergy and other opponents of the president's plan have thrown their
support behind a competing proposal by Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., that
is similar to Clear Skies but adds limits on carbon dioxide emissions.

Luft also criticized the White House for opposing efforts to more
accurately measure carbon dioxide emissions.

"I'm a lifelong Republican and an admirer of much of what President
Bush has accomplished. Still, I cannot express my frustration with his
performance in this area," the utility executive said. "How are we
ever going to break the cycle of inaction and address this looming
climate catastrophe if we don't even have a handle on how big the
problem is?"

The Carper bill has gained support from some Senate Republicans in
recent weeks, and Washington observers believe it now has a better
chance of winning Senate approval than Bush's initiative. The bill is
viewed by many as a viable compromise in the debate about pollution
reduction, but some environmental groups have criticized the proposal
for not requiring stiffer pollution reductions over a shorter time
period.

Entergy's position runs counter to the one taken by most of the
nation's other large power utilities and the industry's main lobbying
organization in Washington, the Edison Electric Institute, which say
Carper's proposal would cost the industry and consumers 50 percent
more than the Clear Skies initiative.

Luft said Entergy's position in the debate is rooted in the company's
ethical responsibility to support strategies that offer long-term
benefits to both the company and the nation.

He pointed to the company's 2-year-old voluntary initiative to
maintain carbon dioxide emissions from Entergy power plants at 2000
levels through 2005. He said the company is on track to keep its
promise. So far, emissions reduction projects have cut carbon dioxide
releases by 12 percent, he said.

But the company's environmental strategy also could help strengthen
its position in the increasingly competitive energy market.

Carbon dioxide emission limits, such as the ones in the Carper bill,
would be more onerous for utilities that depend heavily on coal-fired
plants to produce their electricity.

Entergy, on the other hand, gets nearly 90 percent of its electricity
from plants that are fueled by natural gas, which produces smaller
levels of carbon dioxide pollution, or from nuclear reactors, which
emit no carbon dioxide.

Luft praised the administration for its efforts to promote the
construction of new nuclear power plants, which he called a critical
and necessary ingredient in the effort to halt global warming.

"It's the only large-scale way to generate electricity that is
essentially emission-free," he said. "I can't imagine seriously
confronting the climate issue without accepting greater nuclear
reliance."

Entergy is the nation's second-largest nuclear power plant operator,
and the company is one of a handful of utilities that have expressed
interest in building the first new nuclear power generator in the
United States in 20 years.

But before that happens, Luft said, the federal government and the
industry must do more to reduce the cost of constructing a nuclear
plant.

"What we really need is new technology," he said.

* * *

Keith Darce can be reached at kda...@timespicayune.com or
(504) 826-3491.
(C) 2003 NOLA.com. All Rights Reserved.

# # #

Rachel's Environment & Health News
Environmental Research Foundation
POB 160
New Brunswick NJ 08903-0160
T: 732-828-9995
F: 732-791-4603
E: e...@rachel.org
W: http://www.rachel.org

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THE ALARMING REPORT ABOUT THE EPA'S RESPONSE TO 9/11

Date: 030911
From: http://www.gothamgazette.com/

By Sam Williams, Gotham Gazette, September, 2003

When the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of the Inspector
General released its long-awaited report on the agency's response to
the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, reporters seized on a
startling allegation - that White House officials and former EPA
director Christine Todd Whitman conspired to downplay the
environmental impact of the World Trade Center collapse in the days
immediately following the attacks. They offered reassurance without
the proper evidence to do so.

But those who take a tour through the remaining 164 pages of the
report might come out even more outraged and alarmed. If anything, the
recent uproar over what the White House suppressed and when it
suppressed it draws attention away from the report's deeper
revelation, something Gotham Gazette writer Eric Goldstein noted in
this space nearly a year ago. Though in many parts heroic, the city,
state and federal government's collective environmental response to
the September 11 attacks exhibited a glaring "leadership gap."

This gap is particularly troubling for New Yorkers. Though September
11 already ranks as the worst single-day environmental catastrophe to
befall the city, it doesn't take much imagination to conjure up
something that could be even worse. From the October, 2001, anthrax
scare to ongoing concerns over a Chernobyl-level disaster at the
upriver Indian Point nuclear power plant, New Yorkers are waking to
the implications of treating the environment and public health as an
afterthought during disaster recovery.

STEP ONE: CLOSING THE LEADERSHIP GAP

Two chapters of the report, about 20 pages total, defend the legality
of the Environmental Protection Agency's behavior at and around Ground
Zero, while at the same time chiding it for not being "proactive"
enough in asserting its authority in various realms. One realm in
particular, cleanup of indoor spaces contaminated by the attack, comes
under special scrutiny. The report notes that in the first months
after the attack agency press releases "deferred to the New York City
Department of Health guidance even though EPA's position on indoor
cleanup was different [from] the city's."

When it comes to explaining this institutional timidity, however, the
report goes timid itself: "EPA does not have clear statutory authority
to establish and enforce health-based regulatory standard for indoor
air," the report notes. "Neither CERCLA [Comprehensive Environmental
Response Compensation and Liability Act] nor NCP [National Contingency
Plan] obligate EPA to undertake response actions."

Buried on page 27, this explanation may turn out to be one true
smoking gun in the entire document. Edward P. Richards, professor and
director of the Louisiana State University's Law, Science and Public
Health program, offers a plain English translation.

"The feds aren't really set up to manage a crisis," says Richards.
"They really depend on the locals."

Two years after the attacks, New Yorkers can look back on the events
of September 11, 2001, in a less emotional light. In addition to soul-
stirring acts of heroism, it is now easy to see the naked battle for
political supremacy at the World Trade Center site in the minutes,
hours and days following the first airliner impact.

It shouldn't be too surprising that this battle favored the locals -
former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, city ironworkers, the New York City
Department of Design and Construction - over the visitors - the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Occupational Safety & Health
Administration, and the EPA. The raw emotions stirred up by the
attacks prompted a can-do spirit which federal agencies were loathe to
undermine.

Still, by deferring to local authority, mistakes were made. By
January, complaints over the city's delegation of actual cleanup
responsibility to individual owners and tenants in buildings
surrounding Ground Zero prompted Jerrold Nadler, the U.S.
Representative whose district includes Ground Zero, to cite a "gross
disparity" in the EPA's handling of the Lower Manhattan cleanup
compared with other contaminated sites around the country.

"New York was at the center of one of the most calamitous events in
American history, and the EPA has essentially walked away," Nadler
said in a February 11, 2002, testimony before the Senate Committee on
Environment and Public Works. Nadler's outcry would lead to the
creation of a multi-agency cleanup effort led by EPA. Still,
complaints lingered, and it wasn't until August, 2002 that the agency
launched a full building-by-building cleanup process.

Aside from federal reliance on local responders and local
contractors, the report also downplays the agency's own second-tier
status within the Bush Administration. It notes that in July of last
year, the Bush Administration, via the Department of Homeland
Security, designated the EPA as the primary agency "responsible for
decontamination of affected buildings and neighborhoods" and
"determining when it is safe to return to those areas" after a
terrorist attack, but neglects to mention the already-overburdened
Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Testing, the internal
division that handles such matters.

In July of this year, a report in CongressDaily revealed that the
Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Testing currently faces
a backlog of more than 1,500 cases as the Bush Administration has
denied repeated requests to boost the division's manpower from 200 to
400 agents. Six Democratic senators and Vermont Independent Senator
James Jeffords subsequently issued a joint request that the EPA's
Inspector General investigate whether even the former count was
inflated by Bush staffers.

The EPA, in other words, may lacks the staff to be a major player in
any post- disaster response scenario.

STEP TWO: CLOSING THE LIABILITY GAP

Admittedly, if EPA officials had declared the World Trade Center and
much of Lower Manhattan a Superfund site on September 12, 2001, they
would have faced far more heat then than they do now. Such
assertiveness, however, might prove necessary in future situations
where no single mayor or governor holds uniform jurisdiction.

It might also preclude what is already shaping up to be a cruel irony
of the September 11 attacks: New York City residents, in addition to
suffering the worst psychological and health effects of the September
11 attacks, may wind up paying the legal bill as well.

Professor Richards notes that the EPA, because of the judicial
branch's traditional deference to the executive branch on matters of
policy, provides a less inviting target for post-disaster legal claims
than the City of New York.

"Getting damages out of the federal government is a pretty unusual
circumstance," Roberts says. "It happens, but you have to show the
government used negligence and it wasn't just a policy decision. After
all, the word policy implies that you have some sort of tradeoff -
public health vs. public security - that the government is taking into
account when it makes a decision."

Because the EPA took a back seat to the New York City Departments of
Health and Environmental Protection in the first months after the
attacks, however, this shield has no effect. U.S. District Judge Alvin
Hellerstein recently served notice that local government agencies will
have less luck pleading "governmental immunity" when he gave the green
light to a victims' lawsuit against the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey.

Is New York City next in line? Judging by the feisty response of
Kenneth Becker, chief of the World Trade Center Unit in the New York
City Law Department, the city is already preparing a major battle.
Taking issue with the agency's attempts to shift the blame on issues
such as respirator usage at Ground Zero and testing for concrete dust
and other non-asbestos particles, Becker's rebuttals merit their own
special 10-age appendix within the report.

"The City believes EPA Region 2's comment that it did not want to
take a more assertive stance because it would create a confrontation
is not valid," writes Becker. "In fact, when at a point in time during
the Response Effort, EPA suggested that its functions be transitioned
to a contractor, the City urged the EPA not to do this and to continue
to maintain an on-site presence and be part of the team."

Jay Cohen, deputy chief of the Law Department's World Trade Center
Unit, says the report reveals no evidence of city negligence. "To the
contrary," Cohen writes, "the report demonstrates the proactive
approach of New York City agencies, in particular the Department of
Environmental Protection."

Even so, the conflicting views encased in the report remains a sore
point. Was the EPA too deferential to local authority or was it too
ready to leave its local counterparts in the toxic dust? The report
suggests that, unless bureaucratic tensions are resolved, future
environmental disasters may look far too much like September 11, 2001.

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

GREAT SWAMP INFO NEEDED TO COMPLY WITH NEW REGULATIONS

Date: 030911
From: http://www.zwire.com/

BASIN INFO NEEDED TO COMPLY WITH NEW REGULATIONS

By Julie Lange, Staff Writer Observer-Tribune, 09/11/2003

Many detention basins located within the Great Swamp Watershed need
to be shored up or retrofitted, and many are yet to be identified in
order to reduce the impact of storm water runoff, the chief cause of
water pollution in the state.

Detention basins and storm sewers were the subject of a recent study
conducted by the Ten Towns Committee, which is comprised of
municipalities within the Great Swamp Watershed.

The committee hopes the study will give member municipalities a leg
up on pending federal and state regulation governing storm water
runoff, expected to take effect by the end of the year.

But at least two municipalities within the watershed, Mendham Borough
and Harding Township, still have not inventoried their detention
basins for lack of funds.

Stormwater runoff within the watershed is collected in detention
basins and carried through storm sewers to local rivers and streams,
ending up in the Great Swamp. As the runoff moves over and through the
ground, it picks up what is known as nonpoint pollution.

Nonpoint pollution includes a wide variety of contaminants, such as
fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides from lawns or farms, bacteria
and nutrients from pet wastes or faulty septic systems, sediment from
eroding stream banks or construction sites, and oil and grease from
roads or driveways.

The pollutants ultimately find their way into sources of drinking
water, such as lakes, streams, rivers, and reservoirs as well as
underground aquifers.

"The study was paramount to our understanding of how to improve water
quality in the Great Swamp watershed," said Ten Towns Committee
Executive Director Harry Gerken on Thursday.

To comply with the new storm water regulations, municipalities need
to determine where storm runoff is picking up pollutants.

"We've done a heck of a job addressing point source pollution over
the last 40 or 50 years," Gerken said, referring to the contaminants
that originate from identifiable sources, such as landfills or
factories. "But for years, there's been a neglect of nonpoint source
pollution. Now we're finally beginning to address the consequences of
storm water runoff on the health of streams."

Up to 60 percent of the state's water pollution problems can be
attributed to nonpoint stormwater pollution, according to the state
Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Nonpoint Pollution
Control.

Of the 10 municipalities represented on the Ten Towns Committee, all
provided information on stormwater outfalls, and all except two
communities, Mendham Borough and Harding Township, provided
information on detention basins located within their borders.

According to the report, Mendham Borough officials responded that
they did not have time to gather the information for the report, which
was completed and released in March 2003. As of Aug. 25, the borough
still had not gathered the requested information so that the report
could be updated.

"We didn't have the money to do it," Borough Administrator Ralph
Blakeslee said Monday.

"We will end up doing it because it's an important part of the new
storm water regulations, but we didn't have it in the budget this
year.

Stormwater run off in the borough affects water quality in the Great
Swamp because it flows into Ironia Brook and the Passaic River as well
as the headwaters of the Passaic River, according to Mendham's Aug.
2002 Environmental Resources Inventory.

Information on detention basins in Harding Township was also missing
from the Ten Towns Committee inventory report. According to Township
Administrator Rich Weidmann, an inventory of catch basins within the
municipality has never been done.

"Some towns have the luxury of a full time engineer, but we've never
had the opportunity to do so," Weidmann said. He added that Harding's
small size puts it in a different category from other towns in the
watershed, so not all of the "requirements apply to us."

But, he said, "Obviously, storm water runoff is a very serious
concern for us, and we will try to do everything we can to complete
the inventory."

Great Brook, Primrose Brook and Loantaka Brook all pass through
Harding Township, and the Passaic River runs along its southwest
border.

Among the eight municipalities that did provide information on
detention basins for the report, F.X. Browne performed field
investigations on 49. The report noted significant erosion problems
within and around many of the detention and retention basins, and many
appeared to be used to full capacity.

The report concluded that routine basin maintenance and retrofitting
basins with multi-stage outlet structures could improve most basins
seen in the watershed.

The report also recommended creating more basins, modified basins and
other storm water management systems, such as bioretention systems for
parking lots, roads, commercial developments and residential areas, to
improve water quality in the Great Swamp watershed.

The Ten Towns Committee is made up of municipal officials from all of
the communities in the Great Swamp Watershed. They include Mendham
Borough and Township and Harding as well as Bernards Borough and
Township, Chatham Township, Long Hill Township, Madison Borough,
Morristown and Morris Township.

The Great Swamp watershed is about 54-square miles in area and is fed
by Black Brook, Great Brook, Loantaka Brook, Primrose Brook and the
Passaic River.

The Ten Towns' 2002 Detention Basin Retrofit and Stormwater Outfall
Inventory provides an accounting of where detention basins and storm
sewers are located in each municipality, so that they can be monitored
and in some cases retrofitted to provide better storm water
management.

The study was funded by a $26,800 USEPA grant awarded in May 2002,
and was performed by F.X. Browne, Inc., an environmental consulting
firm based in Lansdale, Penn.

* * *

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BUSH ADMINISTRATION KEEN TO LIMIT CLEAN WATER ACT

Date: 030911
From: http://www.ens-newswire.com/

Environment News Service, September 11, 2003

Washington, DC - A brief filed Wednesday with the U.S. Supreme Court
by the Bush administration argues that a Florida municipal water
management district should be allowed to pump water contaminated with
agricultural runoff into the Everglades without a Clean Water Act
permit.

Environmentalists, who have been sharp critics of the
administration's interpretation of the Clean Water Act, are alarmed by
the brief, which they say could have serious impacts on federal
protections for the nation's waters.

The case before the Supreme Court concerns contaminated water that
the South Florida Water Management District pumps across a levee
between urban and agricultural areas and the Everglades.

The water contains pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer from
agriculture, as well as oil, grease, and heavy metals from roads and
urban developments.

The amicus brief filed Wednesday by the U.S. Solicitor General
supports the position of the water management district, which says
that no Clean Water Act permit is needed because the water it pumps
into the Everglades was not polluted by the pumps themselves.

Two lower courts have disagreed with this view and have supported the
position of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians and Friends of the
Everglades, an environmental group. These groups argue that pumping
dirty water into clean water meets the definition of a discharge of
pollutants under the Clean Water Act, and therefore requires a
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.

In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the water district has now asked
the court to decide whether conveying dirty water into clean water
should be considered an "addition" of pollution under the Act.

The amicus brief means the federal government has "sided with
polluters who want to avoid any responsibility for the dirty water
they dump into our drinking water supplies, our natural lakes, streams
and wetlands," said David Guest, managing attorney for Earthjustice's
Tallahassee office. "Trying to establish this exemption would overrule
a string of legal precedents that protect clean water."

In its brief, the Bush administration argues that no Clean Water Act
permit should be required if a water management district is pumping
water from one place to another, regardless of how polluted the water
is or how much damage is caused.

Guest and others fear this position, if adopted by the Supreme Court,
would have broad implications for the jurisdiction or reach of the
country's primary water pollution control law, impacting a host of
other lakes and rivers around the United States.

Many water districts or similar entities collect polluted surface
runoff waters and dump them into clean waters.

"Water management districts should not be allowed to contaminate the
Everglades or places like Lake Okeechobee without at least complying
with the Clean Water Act like everybody else," said Manley Fuller,
president of the Florida Wildlife Federation.

"When the District recently dumped polluted canal water into Lake
Okeechobee, it contaminated the lake so much that residents in some
cities were forced to switch to bottled water," Fuller said. "The
pollution was so strong that the water could not be safely treated to
drinking water standards. There is no excuse to create a new exemption
from the Clean Water Act for this kind of pollution."

* * *

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

CHEMICALS IN SOIL AT SITE OF CHILD CENTER

Date: 030911
From: http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/nj/

By Linda Lisanti, Express-Times, Sept. 11, 2003

Phillipsburg - The site slated for the new Early Childhood Center is
contaminated, but district officials say there's no reason to panic.

"We wouldn't put anyone at risk," school board President Rod Pianelli
said. "I don't believe this site will put anyone at risk."

Officials from the School Construction Corp., which is overseeing the
$15 million project, said testing has detected several chemicals in
the soil at the 11-acre tract off Center Street.

These include the metal thallium, as well as PAHs, which are a group
of chemicals that, with chronic exposure, could cause cancer.

No impact to the groundwater was found.

John Ryder, an SCC engineering consultant, said the rear of the
property was once used by a company that manufactured plastics, but he
doesn't believe that to be the source.

The likely culprit, he said, is fill material that had been put on
two portions of the land. That dirt contained coal ash, which is a
known cause for both these common chemicals, he said.

Thallium also can be found in pesticides, low-temperature-melting
glass and industrial emissions. PAHs are in mothballs, asphalt
pavement, plastics, automobile emissions and tobacco smoke.

Ryder said the presence of these chemicals in no way means the site
is no longer suitable. The chemicals have been found on several urban
school sites, he added.

The SCC plans to work with the state Department of Environmental
Protection in developing a plan to safeguard the site.

Rather than removing the contamination - a procedure which is
extremely expensive as well as illegal - Ryder said the company plans
to contain the chemicals using a special soil cover containing clay.
This will prevent the chemicals from filtering through.

Twice a year, the DEP will examine the site to make sure the
remediation is working.

Edward Clark, SCC project officer, said his office also will monitor
the situation throughout the construction process to ensure that the
workers and those living around the property are not exposed to the
contaminants through dust.

"You may not see a noticeable difference than in other projects, but
there will be a more focused approach on safety and dust control,"
Clark said. "Our goal is to prevent human exposure."

With remediation, Superintendent Gordon Pethick said, the site is
going to be exactly what the school district had hoped for when it
decided to target it for the school construction.

Pethick understands initial fears, but said the land will be safe for
students and teachers. They will never be exposed to the contaminated
soil, he said.

"I would not put kids, or staff, or anyone on a site that wasn't
safe," Pethick said.

According to Ryder, a child would have to ingest 200 milligrams of
the chemicals a day from the age of 1 to 30 to see any impact. When
asked if he would send his children to the school, Ryder answered yes.

Based on the information presented by the SCC, Pianelli said he and
the other school board members are comfortable moving forward.

SCC officials said it will take about two months to develop the
remediation plan. In the meantime, the agency is continuing the steps
to purchase the land on behalf of the district.

The New Jersey Department of Education is financing the center's
construction which is part of a larger $111 million state-sponsored
building project, the biggest in the district's history.

Once built, the Early Childhood Center will house 400 to 500 students
in Phillipsburg's preschool and kindergarten programs.

It will be designed in two rings built around a state-of-the-art
media center. The school also will feature a computer room, gymnasium
and cafeteria, art and music rooms, an after-school activity room and
seven small-group rooms.

Adjacent to the school will be a 3,000-square-foot health clinic with
a dentist, doctor and nurse for school and communitywide use.

The new facility is expected to debut in 2005.

* * *

Reporter Linda Lisanti can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by email at
llis...@express-times.com.
Copyright 2003 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved.

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

WHITE TWP: N-VIRO MEADOW LIFE SLUDGE OPERATION TO CEASE

Date: 11 Sep 2003
From: "Bill Rosebrock" {bill...@fast.net}

MEADOW LIFE TOP SOIL OPERATION TO CEASE OPERATION IN NEXT TWO YEARS

By Jacqueline Lindsay, Staff Writer
Warren Reporter, September 12, 2003

White Township - During the Sept. 4 regular Solid Waste Advisory
Committee (SWAC) meeting Organic Aggregates, Inc. owner James Popinko
announced that he plans to "phase out" his Meadow Life top soil
operation over the next two years after his contractual agreements are
satisfied.

Popinko is seeking SWAC approval to be added to the Warren County
Solid Waste Plan, a necessary step to obtain a NJDEP Class B and (c)
Recycling permit. Under the B and (c) permits he proposes to operate a
15-acre recycling facility on his Oxford Township property to recycle
leaves, yard brush, tree stumps, concrete and brick. The facility will
not take in grass or tires.

In recent meetings SWAC members expressed concern with the Meadow
Life product being in close proximity and possibly mixing with other
recycling products on Popinko's property. Meadow Life is made from
sewage sludge, which is the soil[sic] residue screened out of
wastewater. Middlesex County Utilities Authority processes and tests
the Meadow Life to meet state and federal standards for pollution
concentration and pathogen reduction and then delivers the product to
Popinko, who in turn blends it with imported soils on site and
distributes it as top soil.

According to DEP spokeswoman Amy Cradic, the DEP issued notices of
violation to Organic Aggregates, also known as Organic Agriculture, on
April 4, May 1 and Aug. 6 of this year for unauthorized discharge of
pollutants to waters of the state and unauthorized discharge of
pollutants to a quarry pit. The notices of violations were issued
after the DEP found contaminated runoff coming from a Meadow Life
sludge pile at Organic Aggregates running into a tributary of the
Pequest River.

Cradic also reported than on August 28 the DEP issued an Order and
Penalty Assessment to Organic Aggregates which imposes a $15,000 fine
and order to "cease all violations" and comply. The DEP spokeswoman
said Popinko has the right to request a hearing to contest the
penalty, notice of violations or both.

Attorney Don Morrow, representing Popinko, told SWAC members that a
maximum of 25,000 cubic yards of Meadow Life and top soil blend will
be stored on the property at a given time over the next two years.
"Even though the Meadow Life is DEP approved," the attorney said,
"because the county has concerns and this body has concerns Mr.
Popinko is eliminating it."

SWAC members and members of the public continued to debate the topic
and asked if the Meadow Life operation could cease quicker. Popinko
discussed the current contractual agreement he has to supply the
topsoil product to Amboy Aggregates in South Amboy.

Warren County Federation of Sportsmen representative Ty Schulze
introduced a letter from the organization opposing the proposed
recycling operation. "We represent 450 voting households in Warren
County," Schulze said. "Due to his (Popinko's) past record to the
environment (citing recent notices of violation) we feel strongly that
this operation has demonstrated that they cannot handle this type of
operation."

The announcement erupted into further discussion about the DEP
notices of violations issued to Popinko. Morrow said heavy rainfalls
and runoff from other sources could be possible areas of concern.

"I would welcome any proof that the runoff has affected the Pequest
River," the attorney said citing surrounding farms or septic systems
as possible causes of the tributary contamination. "It's a far greater
chance that those impacted it and not this facility."

Engineer Ted Bayer, representing Popinko, said a detention basin will
be installed at the facility to address runoff at the site. Schulz,
however, did not agree that the system would offer adequate protection
against contaminants. "The detention basin does not filter out heavy
metals so they are going into our drinking water," Schulze remarked.

The engineer replied, "There's the potential for that," Bayer said.

To satisfy SWAC requirements Morrow introduced documents outlining a
proposed road maintenance agreement with neighbor Covanta Energy,
equipment noise control information, a 2/1/02 to 10/1/02 contractual
agreement with Middlesex County Utilities Authority, letters from
several local businesses stating they would use the recycling
facility, and proof that Popinko will attend a one-day NJ Compost
Operators Certification Course with Rutgers University on Sept. 9.

The SWAC subcommittee indicated that they wanted the county attorney
to review the information. SWAC will discuss the issue again at their
next meeting on Oct. 2 at 8 pm at the Wayne Dumont Jr. Administration
Building on Route 519 in White Township.

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

AFFORDABLE HOMES INSTEAD OF WINDY ACRES

Date: 030911
From: http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/nj/

DEVELOPER SUES TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOMES INSTEAD OF WINDY ACRES

By Peter Hall, Express-Times, September 11, 2003

Flemington - Citing a belief that the Windy Acres housing development
will never be built, another developer is suing Clinton Township for
the right to build state-mandated affordable housing on a site off
Route 31.

The lawsuit, filed last week on behalf of SJM Communities in
Hunterdon County Superior Court, says recent environmental
restrictions placed on the 292-acre Windy Acres site make it unlikely
the project will provide the number of affordable homes township
officials have anticipated.

The suit challenges the validity of the township's plan to provide
affordable housing under the state's Fair Housing Act. Windy Acres'
911-homes would include 145 of the 392 affordable homes the township
is required by the state Council on Affordable Housing to provide.

COAH is also named as a defendant in the suit.

SJM proposes to build as many as 700 homes on a 138-acre site at
Route 31 and Regional Road near North Hunterdon Regional High School.
The SJM project would include at least 140 affordable housing units,
the suit says.

SJM asks the court to throw out the township's zoning law and appoint
a mediator to develop new zoning that permits affordable housing on
the SJM site. The site is currently zoned for commercial uses and
single family homes.

Clinton Township Mayor Tom Borkowski said the suit is puzzling. He
said the township has an affordable housing plan certified by COAH
that protects it from so- called Builder's Remedy suits like the one
brought by SJM.

The Builder's Remedy is a provision of the New Jersey Supreme Court's
Mount Laurel rulings which establish a constitutional requirement for
towns to provide housing opportunities for people of low income
levels.

Designed to spur towns to comply with COAH requirements, a Builder's
Remedy suit allows a developer to build four market priced homes for
every affordable home it builds if it can prove a town hasn't
complied.

Township Attorney John Coley said he has not seen the complaint but
expects to file a motion for summary judgment to have it dismissed on
grounds the township has satisfied COAH's requirements.

However, Nick Corcodilos, spokesman for Clinton Township Community
Coalition, a group that opposed Windy Acres, said the new Builder's
Remedy suit is the result of inaction by township officials.

Corcodilos said township council members have stymied efforts by
Borkowski to provide the required affordable homes without a
developer's involvement.

SJM's lawsuit adds to a mountain of litigation filed against the
township and others over the Windy Acres plan.

Windy Acres is the subject of a lawsuit filed by Pulte subsidiary P&
H Clinton Partnership to overturn the township planning board's 2001
decision to deny approval for the project. A judgment by Superior
Court Judge Edmund Bernhard in that case is expected soon.

"It is our evaluation of (the Windy Acres case) that the township
will prevail," said SJM attorney Henry Kent-Smith of the Princeton,
NJ, law firm Saul Ewing.

Kent-Smith said new state protection for a stream that crosses the
Windy Acres site is the main reason why SJM should be allowed to build
the affordable homes on its site.

The state Department of Environmental Protection in April designated
the stream - Rockaway Creek - a Category One waterway. That means any
construction in the stream's watershed must have no measurable effect
on the stream's existing water quality.

Applied Water Management, the company contracted to build a sewage
treatment plant for Windy Acres, said in July that it could not meet
the state's standards.

Pulte is now suing Lebanon and Readington Township for access to
those municipalities' sewage treatment plant.

Kent-Smith said the SJM site is free of environmental restrictions
and would be a better site for the township's affordable housing.

SJM would build homes restricted to residents older than 55. The
homes would be clustered near Route 31 and at least half the 138-acre
site would be preserved as open space, Kent-Smith said.

"We are very flexible and willing to work with the town," he said.
"If (the township) prevails in the Windy Acres lawsuit, it is going to
have to meet its affordable housing lawsuit elsewhere."

But Borkowski said SJM's argument is flawed.

If Pulte concedes that it can't provide the required affordable
housing on the Windy Acres site, it is the township's prerogative to
decide how the obligation will be met, Borkowski said.

Corcodilos said the CTCC has urged township officials to develop a
plan to build affordable housing on the Windy Acres site without the
market-priced homes allowed by a Builder's Remedy. The land can
support a smaller development, he said.

"We need to build our affordable housing," Corcodilos said. "Sitting
around and waiting for developers to do it is suicide."

Kent-Smith declined to identify the individuals behind SJM. New
Jersey Department of Treasury records show the company was formed in
August and list Kent-Smith s firm as the agent.

SJM s address is listed as 23 Sutton Road in Tewksbury Twp.

* * *

Reporter Peter Hall can be reached at 610-258-7171
Copyright 2003 The Express-Times.

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

ROWAN TOWNHOUSE PLAN OPPOSED

Date: 030911
From: http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/

By Gene Vernacchio, Courier-Post Staff, September 11, 2003

Glassboro - Environmentalists and residents pleaded with Rowan
University rustees Wednesday to spare one of the borough's oldest
wooded tracts from being cleared for new student housing.

The plan is "an ecological disaster, and it's preventable," said Dan
Dougherty, a 30-year borough resident.

University officials say the decision to put 113 townhouses in the
Rowan Woods tract off Route 322 near Girard Road as part of a $27.3
million project was made after much consideration.

Trustees on Wednesday postponed a vote to authorize negotiations with
a modular townhouse manufacturer at the request of Rowan President
Donald Farish so officials could weigh the concerns.

Farish said he doubted the project would be jeopardized.

"I haven't heard anything from the environmentalists either orally or
in writing that we were not already ourselves aware of," Farish said.

Groundbreaking could be late October, Farish said.

In July, representatives of the West Jersey Sierra Club, New Jersey
Environmental Federation, Delaware Riverkeepers and the Newton Creek
Watershed Association gathered on the proposed construction site on a
7 1/2-acre tract behind Hawthorn Hall.

The entire ecosystem likely will be destroyed, they said.

The site selection decision was not made lightly, said Joe Orlins, a
civil and environmental engineering professor and co-chairman of
Rowan's master plan committee.

A Phillipsburg environmental services firm and a landscape architect
have said there are no threatened or endangered species on the site,
Orlins said in a written statement.

Furthermore, the parcel does not provide a high-grade habitat for
wildlife because it isn't connected to other wooded areas.

Rowan's Department of Biological Sciences once used the woods as a
learning laboratory for courses and research. It has not done so for
several years, Orlins said.

"The department does not object to the development of the site in
relinquishing it for curricular purposes, provided that natural areas
are preserved on the West Campus, or some other suitable nearby
location, for education and research," Orlins said.

State law requires about 1,000 new trees to be planted elsewhere on
campus to replace trees lost in the townhouse project.

Diana Pierce, a nearby resident and founder of Friends of Rowan
Woods, said her group will continue to oppose the townhouses.

"This is a state school," Pierce said. "This is not land owned by
Rowan University, it's owned by the state of New Jersey."

Pierce's group also enlisted the help of Matthew Largess, a certified
arborist from Rhode Island.

Largess told the trustees he intends to call the governor and school
benefactor Henry Rowan in hopes of enlisting support against the
project.

The townhouses would add 464 beds to the school, which has 2,750
students living in 11 residence halls and apartment complexes.

The townhouse plan followed two failed efforts to increase student
housing. They involved attempts to buy the nearby Crossings apartment
complex for $16 million and a vacant assisted-living facility in
Washington Township.

* * *

Reach Reach Gene Vernacchio at (856) 251-3343 or
gvern...@courierpostonline.com
Copyright 2003 Courier-Post.

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

MAHWAH PRESERVES RAMAPO RIVER PROPERTY

Date: 11 Sep 2003
From: "Loving, Boyd" {BLo...@howost.com}

By Brian Aberback, September 11, 2003

Mahwah - The township has received a $300,000 Bergen County grant for
a 15-acre tract along the Ramapo River that it purchased last month.

The township paid a developer $300,000 for the property, on the east
side of the river off Halifax Road. It's being reimbursed with funds
it received this week from the county's Open Space Trust Fund.

"The nice thing about it is it completes a green belt from the
[county-owned] Ramapo Reservation to the south to the [township-owned]
Marty Patrick property to the north," said township Administrator
Brian Campion.

* * *

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

ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2003

Date: 11 Sep 2003
From: rwbr...@njcat.org

In an effort to recognize outstanding environmental performance,
programs and projects in the state, the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the New Jersey Corporation for
Advanced Technology (NJCAT) established the "Environmental Excellence
Awards Program".

2003 marks the forth year of the Environmental Excellence Awards
Program. Awards will be given in the following areas:

OPEN SPACE PROTECTION and PRESERVATION

CLEAN AIR

CLEAN AND PLENTIFUL WATER

HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP

For applications go to http://www.njcat.org

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

POSITION FOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AT NEW JERSEY FUTURE

Date: 11 Sep 2003
From: "Marianne Jann" {njfu...@njfuture.org}

We seek an enthusiastic, highly motivated individual to direct our
statewide fundraising program. Responsibilities include planning and
management of our annual Corporate and Individual Campaigns and our
annual Smart Growth Awards Celebration. A major objective of the
position will be to increase the current level of corporate and
individual giving in New Jersey through identification and cultivation
of corporate prospects and major donors.

The position will work closely with the Board of Trustees, the
Executive Director and the Communications Director in planning,
managing, and implementing all aspects of fund-raising program. The
Development Manager will join a highly successful and motivated staff
that enjoys strong relationships with its constituency and the news
media.

Qualifications: Demonstrated ability to raise funds, an appreciation
of NJF's mission and the ability to effectively communicate it.
Statewide travel. Knowledge of e-Base and Excel a plus.

For more information, contact Sue Burrows, Communications Director at
sbur...@njfuture.org

- - -

Founded in 1987 to promote smarter growth and sustainable
development, New Jersey Future is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public
policy and research organization, and the state's oldest and largest
smart growth group.

* * *

Marianne Jann
New Jersey Future
137 West Hanover Street
Trenton, NJ 08618
Phone: 609/393-0008, ext 101
Fax: 609/393-1189
Web Site: http://www.njfuture.org

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

UPCOMING TEACHER'S WORKSHOPS AT SBMWA

Date: 11 Sep 2003
From: bmu...@thewatershed.org

WONDERS OF WETLANDS
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2003 9am - 2pm
Free workshop

Includes the Wonders of Wetlands, an educator's guide The WOnders of
Wetlands is an acclaimed, comprehensive interdisciplinary workshop
that focuses on wetlands. Providing extensive background information
on wetlands, Wonders of Wetlands includes over 50 fun and effective
learning activities for both indoor and outdoor use! Activities will
focus on three wetland parameters - water, soil, and plants.
Additional information is provided on wetland restoration. To
register, please call Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association at
609-737-7592.

. . .

DISCOVERING WINTER
Friday, January 23, 2004 9:30am - 3:30pm
A workshop for Nature Centers and all educators
Fee: $30 per person

Along with the cold weather, winter brings a host of fascinating
changes. Winter birds forage in bushes and shrubs or hunt in fields.
Trees normally identifiable by their leaves now stand bare and
mysterious, revealing their intricate architecture. This educational
workshop utilizes the outdoor activities to study the ecology of
winter. It is ideal for Nature Center staff, Scout Leaders or any
educator that teaches about nature's cycles. The workshop includes
background information and a variety of hands-on activities and
investigations that explore the wonders of this remarkable season. To
register, please call Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association at
609-737-7592.

* * *

Bonne Mullen, Education Manager
Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association

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

CLEAN OCEAN ACTION HOSTS SUNSATIONAL EVENT - SEP 19

Date: 030911
From: http://ahherald.com/

Atlantic Highlands Herald, 11 September 2003

Sandy Hook - Sunset at Sandy Hook, Clean Ocean Action's annual fall
fundraising event, will be held Friday, September 19, 2003 from 6 -11
p.m. at the SeaGulls' Nest, Sandy Hook.

The evening will feature seafood, fabulous fare and desserts
generously donated by the Jersey Shore's most popular restaurants and
caterers. Music for dancing will be provided by the Average Thom White
Band. Panoramic ocean and bay views and a spectacular sunset make
Sunset at Sandy Hook an unforgettable end-of-summer celebration that
helps support Clean Ocean Action's important mission to protect and
improve the coastal waters of New Jersey and New York.

All guests in attendance will be entered in a drawing for an ocean
kayak, donated by Coor's Light and Shore Point Distributing Co., Inc.

In addition to a silent auction of generously donated gifts, Clean
Ocean Action is pleased to offer an opportunity to win a one-year pass
for the SeaStreak Ferry, valued at $6,228. Tickets for the drawing are
$100 and only 200 tickets will be sold.

Sunset at Sandy Hook is sponsored by Coor's Light, SeaStreak America,
Inc., the SeaGulls' Nest, and Saint Barnabas Health Care System -
Monmouth Medical Center.

Tickets for the event are $70 and a variety of sponsorship
opportunities are available.

For information, reservations, or to purchase tickets for the
SeaStreak drawing, please call Chris at Clean Ocean Action, (732) 872-
0111. We invite you to help support a clean ocean and this sunsational
event.

* * *

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

ANJHHWC CONFERENCE ON PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP - SEP 19

Date: 11 Sep 2003
From: "Laura Macpherson" {waste...@hotmail.com}

ASSOCIATION OF NJ HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COORDINATORS CONFERENCE

Friday, September 19th, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

What: ANJHHWC CONFERENCE ON PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP
(Used Consumer Electronics and Paint)

When: Friday, September 19, 2003
9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Where: Meadowlands Environment Center
2 DeKorte Park Plaza
Lyndhurst, NJ 07071

8:30 - 9:00 a.m. - Registration

9:00 a.m. - Product Stewardship Overview
Moderator: Scott Cassel, Director, Product Stewardship Institute

9:30 a.m. - Focus on Electronics

Panel Discussion With:
David Thompson, Panasonic
Priscilla Hayes, NJ Solid Waste Policy Group
Gray Russell, Montclair D.P.W.
Kara Kwiatkowski, Newtech Recycling
Lynn Rubenstein, Northeast Recycling Council
Katharine Kaplan, USEPA Headquarters
Dana Silverberg, NJDEP

12:00 p.m. - Lunch

1:00 p.m. - Focus on Paint

Panel Discussion With:
John Segala, Amazon Environmental
James Witte, Clean Venture
Priscilla Hayes, NJ Solid Waste Policy Group
Carl Minchew, Benjamin Moore
Ron Hutchinson, Home Depot
Lorraine Graves, USEPA Region II
Guy Watson, NJDEP

Deadline for registration: Monday, September 15, 2003

Please fax or email your registration information (name, business
name, address, telephone and fax numbers, email address) and bring or
mail checks made payable to "ANJHHWC" ($40.00 for non-members; $30.00
for members) to:

Laura Macpherson, Treasurer
ANJHHWC
c/o MCMUA
POB 370
Mendham, NJ 07945-0370
Tele. No.: 973-631-5109
Fax No.: 973-285-8397
Email: lmacp...@mcmua.com

- - -

DIRECTIONS

For more directions: http://www.hmdc.state.nj.us/directions.html.

From the NJ Turnpike:

Take exit 16W to Rt. 3 West. Take Rt. 3 West to Route 17 South
(Lyndhurst Exit). Follow around the ramp to the traffic light (Quality
Inn will be on your left). Make a left onto Polito Avenue. Continue to
the end of Polito Avenue. At the STOP sign make a left onto Valley
Brook Avenue. Follow this road to the end (approx. 1 ½ miles). Cross
the railroad tracks (keep to the left). Meadowlands Environment Center
is the first building on the left after the tracks. The Meadowlands
Environment Center and the auditorium is on the first floor.

From the Garden State Parkway:

From the Parkway North, take Exit 153A; or from the Parkway South,
take Exit 153 to Rt. 3 East. Follow Rt. 3 East to the 2nd Rt. 17 South
Exit (the sign will read: Rt. 17 South/Lyndhurst - Service Road). At
the end of the exit ramp there will be a traffic light, and the
Quality Inn will be directly across the street to your left. Go
straight through the intersection onto Polito Avenue. Continue to the
end of Polito Avenue. At the STOP sign make a left onto Valley Brook
Avenue. Follow this road to the end (approx. 1 ½ miles). Cross the
railroad tracks (keep to the left). Meadowlands Environment Center is
the first building on the left after the tracks. The Meadowlands
Environment Center and the auditorium is on the first floor.

From New York: George Washington Bridge:

Follow signs for the NJ Turnpike. Take Turnpike exit 16W to Rt. 3
West. Take Rt. 3 West to Route 17 South (Lyndhurst Exit). Follow
around the ramp to the traffic light (Quality Inn will be on your
left). Make a left onto Polito Avenue. Continue to the end of Polito
Avenue. At the STOP sign make a left onto Valley Brook Avenue. Follow
this road to the end (approx. 1 ½ miles). Cross the railroad tracks
(keep to the left). Meadowlands Environment Center is the first
building on the left after the tracks. The Meadowlands Environment
Center and the auditorium is on the first floor.

From New York: Lincoln Tunnel:

Follow exit ramp on left for Rt. 495 at Rt. 3. Take Rt. 3 West to
Route 17 South (Lyndhurst Exit). Follow around the ramp to the traffic
light (Quality Inn will be on your left). Make a left onto Polito
Avenue. Continue to the end of Polito Avenue. At the STOP sign make a
left onto Valley Brook Avenue. Follow this road to the end (approx. 1
½ miles). Cross the railroad tracks (keep to the left). Meadowlands
Environment Center is the first building on the left after the tracks.
The Meadowlands Environment Center and the auditorium is on the first
floor.

* * *

Laura Macpherson, Hazardous Waste Coordinator
Morris County M.U.A.
POB 370
Mendham, NJ 07945-0370
(973) 631-5109 - phone
(973) 285-8397 - fax

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

NJ VOLUNTEER MONITORING SUMMIT - NOV 7, 8

Date: 03 Sep 2003
From: "Kyra Hoffmann" {Kyra.H...@dep.state.nj.us}

CALL FOR PRESENTERS

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, in cooperation
with the Watershed Watch Network Advisory Committee, will be holding
the New Jersey Volunteer Monitoring Summit on November 7 and 8, 2003
in Edison, NJ. This conference is the first of its kind to bring
together volunteer watershed monitors from across the State.

We would like to invite you to participate in the summit by becoming
a presenter or developing a session of multiple presenters. Targeted
topics for the summit are:

funding
data management
volunteer recruitment
quality control/quality assurance
data interpretation
case studies
how to start a new program
building a successful program
sustaining your program

If you are interested in participating, please submit a short
abstract (500 words or less) that includes a description of the
presentation or session. Please also include the name of the
presenter(s) and primary contact information. These abstracts should
be submitted by September 25, 2003 to kyra.h...@dep.state.nj.us.
Or fax to 609-777-1282. If you have any questions or would like
additional information, please call the NJDEP, Division of Watershed
Management, Office of Outreach and Education at 609-292-2113.

* * *

Kerry Kirk Pflugh, Manager
Office of Outreach and Education
Division of Watershed Management
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
POB 418
401 East State Street
Trenton, NJ 08625
P: 609-633-7242
F: 609-777-1282
kerry....@dep.state.nj.us

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

Phil Reynolds - Editor - reyn...@gsenet.org
Tina Bologna - Executive Director - bol...@gsenet.org

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

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