Platform Update

October 2008

NEW PLATFORM AGENDA: On October 16, the State Chamber’s Board of Directors approved the new Platform For Progress Environment Action Plan. Consensus Items include:

• Support the NJ objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% below 2006 by 2050 through advocacy of selected Energy Master Plan (EMP) initiatives which promote energy efficiency, renewable and zero/low-carbon sources and stimulate the growth of “green” jobs.
• Revise the site remediation process so that it is more cost effective, protects the public health, adds to the quality of our environment and promotes economic development.
• Advocate for reasonable and financially responsible environmental laws and regulations, utilizing sound science and applying federal standards where appropriate.
• Ensure that the business community messages on key environmental issues are represented to the press and media.
• Reform the Administrative Procedures Act (APA).

The objective of the P4P Environment Coalition is to create guiding principles of environmental policy that assure that an appropriate balance is achieved between protecting the environment and building a strong economy.

GOVERNOR CORZINE NAMES NEW CHIEF OF STAFF: On Oct. 24, Governor Corzine officially announced that DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson would serve as his new chief of staff, replacing Brad Abelow. She will assume her new responsibilities on Dec. 1. “As head of the Department of Environmental Protection, Commissioner Jackson has tackled some of the most serious environmental challenges ever faced in New Jersey, from global climate change to alternative energy,” Governor Corzine said. “Lisa’s leadership, work ethic, and skills at handling complex issues make her a perfect fit to manage the day-to-day operations of the Governor’s Office.”

Click here for the Governor’s press release.

SITE REMEDIATION: Significant progress has been made to amend the Licensed Site Professional (LSP) legislation (S-1897) sponsored by Senator Bob Smith. S-1897 proposes that New Jersey borrow aspects of a Massachusetts program (a major recommendation of the State Chamber's Benchmarking Study on Site Remediation) to allow certified professionals to proceed through the investigation and remediation of selected sites with a minimum of DEP oversight.

DEP Assistant Commissioner Kropp has completed various stakeholder meetings with industry, engineers, builders, lawyers, environmentalists and the financial community. The Department is scheduled to discuss suggested changes with Senate Environment Committee Chairman Bob Smith and Assembly Environment Committee Chairman John McKeon on Oct. 29. A revised version of the legislation should be available in early November. Senator Smith has also announced a joint hearing of the Senate and Assembly Environment Committees on Nov. 13 to discuss the amended bill.

ENERGY MASTER PLAN: By 2020, New Jersey should derive 30 percent of its electricity from solar, wind and other sources of renewable energy, the state's new Energy Master Plan (EMP) recommends. The plan, nearly two years in the making, aims to shift the state away from relying on traditional fossil fuels, boost development of cleaner, less- polluting energy sources and cut energy use 20 percent by 2020.

Governor Corzine projected that the plan would lead to the creation of up to 20,000 “green” jobs and help cut energy costs for customers who have experienced double-digit increases in their electric bills in each of the last three years. The plan largely reflects much of what was proposed in a draft issued in April, but expands targets for having the state's electricity needs met by solar and wind power while increasing the overall goal for renewable energy from 20 percent to 30 percent. It also calls for a study to determine whether New Jersey needs a new nuclear power plant.

State Chamber President Joan Verplanck said at the EMP press conference last week that she is "pleased with the emphasis the plan places on spurring investment, creating jobs and preparing the workforce for the many opportunities associated with the green economy."

For a copy of the EMP, click here.

Click here for the chamber’s statement on the EMP.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

REORGANIZATION AT DEP: As a result of the state’s Early Retirement Initiative (ERI) in August, the DEP has been involved in an agency-wide program review initiative, which is in response to challenges facing the Department that are associated with the state's budget problems, as well as the loss of 119 DEP staffers through the ERI. According to DEP Commissioner Jackson, the changes to be implemented as a result of their internal assessment will take place over the coming weeks and months. Two of the more visible changes affect the Office of Policy, Planning and Science due to the creation of a new Office of Climate and Energy and a new Office of Science.

The mission of the Office of Climate and Energy will be to facilitate the department-wide effort to address mitigation and adaptation policies related to climate change. The Office will reside within the Office of Policy, Planning and Science program and will serve to coordinate and facilitate climate change activities throughout the Department. In doing so, the new Office will work with other state agencies to develop recommendations to achieve the statewide 2020 and 2050 greenhouse gas limits, as well as with programs within the Department to implement programs to reduce greenhouse gas limits.

In order to maximize the DEP's interaction with the larger external scientific community and in order to ensure that the Department's decision-making is informed by sound scientific data, analyses and interpretations, DEP is creating an external Science Advisory Board (SAB) modeled, in part, on USEPA's Science Advisory Board program. The SAB will provide a mechanism for the Department to receive unbiased technical and peer review and other advice from non-regulated entities within the state. Membership on the Board will include a team of multi-disciplinary external scientists. The Science Advisory Board will receive support from the Department through staff in a new Office of Science, which will reside in the Office of Policy, Planning and Science. This is a key recommendation from the Platform For Progress Environment Coalition, which called for establishing a science advisory group to analyze regulations.

PERMIT EFFICIENCY REVIEW TASK FORCE: In his recent speech to the State Legislature, Governor Corzine announced his commitment to make the regulatory environment less onerous for businesses by revamping the permitting process under the DEP. Part of the plan is to implement the recommendations that the agency’s Permit Efficiency Review Task Force issued in August. According to former DEP Commissioner and Task Force Chairman Christopher Daggett, Governor Corzine has expressed support for the recommendations, particularly one that called for significant technological improvements at the DEP to allow permitting to take place electronically.

The State Chamber, along with other key industry groups such as the Chemistry Council and NJ Business and Industry Association, selected Tony DiLodovico, principal, Regulatory Compliance at CMX, to represent the associations on the taskforce. Several recommendations have been included in the final report thanks to his efforts. A copy of the report can be reviewed here.

BP SUSPENDS PLAN FOR LNG PLANT: BP has suspended for at least two years plans to build a $1 billion liquefied natural gas terminal along the Delaware River in southern New Jersey. A spokesman cited “global market conditions surrounding LNG.” Last spring, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against New Jersey, which had backed the BP project, in a jurisdictional dispute with neighboring Delaware, which opposed the BP plan. Delaware had claimed that unloading natural gas at the site would have violated a Delaware law that limits industrial activity along the coast. The state owns part of the riverbed where the pier would have been built. New Jersey had approved the project, arguing that each state controlled piers on its side of the river. The plant was designed to handle enough LNG to serve 5 million homes and meet rising demand.

GETTING POWER FROM LANDFILLS: According to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), there are 21 landfills in New Jersey that convert methane gas produced by decomposing trash into electricity. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has targeted eight more potential sites as part of its Landfill Methane Outreach Program. Nationwide, the EPA counts 455 landfills that convert methane into energy. The state’s Energy Master Plan touts landfill methane gas as one of the renewable energy sources that the state hopes will combine to supply 20 percent of New Jersey's electricity consumption by 2020. Energy produced by four landfills in the Meadowlands district powers about 25,000 homes.

Methane gas is produced by micro-organisms that feed off the organic matter in trash. The gas is collected by a large vacuum connected to a network of long cylindrical tubes with perforated bases that are drilled down into the landfill. Inactive landfills are capped with a plastic or rubber covering that helps trap any excess gas from escaping. The raw gas is then processed and converted into electricity and delivered to the power grid.

ENVIRONMENT-TIP-OF-THE-MONTH: Have you ever noticed all those school buses lined up in front of school with the engines running? Do your kids and the environment a favor and ask school officials to adopt a no-idling policy. Idling school buses waste fuel and contribute to poor air quality. Children and the elderly are especially sensitive to diesel exhaust, which causes respiratory problems and worsens allergies and asthma. To learn more about clean school buses, click here.

Click here for previous update.


Michael Egenton
Vice President , Environment & Transportation
New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
216 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: (609)989-7888 Ext. 119
Fax: (609)989-9696
Michael.Egenton@njchamber.com