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 Platform Update
January 2009
ACTION ITEMS
SITE REMEDIATION: The latest amended version of the Licensed Site Professional (LSP) legislation -- S-1897 (Smith) and A-2962 (McKeon/Cryan) – should be available for review next week according to partisan staff. This bill 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. Senate Environment Committee Chairman Bob Smith has indicated that he would like to have a follow-up hearing on February 2 and then schedule the Senate Environment Committee to vote on the amended legislation on February 23. Passing legislation that improves the site remediation process, utilizing the recommendations from the State Chamber’s 2007 Site Remediation Benchmarking study, is a primary goal of the P4P Environment Coalition.
NJ GLOBAL WARMING EMISSIONS PLAN: Several stakeholder meetings have been held this month regarding the draft Global Warming Response Act Recommendation Report. Through a combination of the Energy Master Plan and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the plan highlights additional measures the state will need to implement in order to reach the 2020 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels. Discussions at the meetings have included: creating tax incentives for green buildings; developing and implementing an effective methodology for measuring vehicle miles traveled (VMT); expanding mass transit; and the possibility of using alternative fuels. The final meeting – for industrial stakeholders – is scheduled for January 22 from 2-5 PM in DEP's Public Hearing Room. After the stakeholder meetings are all complete, the DEP will review the comments made during the meetings and submitted via e-mail and prepare a revised report that will go to the State Legislature. The DEP anticipates the revised report will be completed in March. For more information on the current report, go here.
ENERGY BILL TO CREATE GREEN JOBS: Governor Corzine today signed into law A-1185 sponsored by Senators Smith and Bateman, Assemblwomen Oliver and Lampitt, and Assemblymen Chivukula, DeAngelo and Wolfe. This bill allows state, county and municipal governments and school boards to implement energy conservation measures, such as insulation and more efficient lighting, without the need for upfront spending. The savings would be used to defray the contract costs. During the first year of the program, the investment could potentially generate $20 million in energy savings and create 500 “green” jobs. Passing legislation or promulgating regulations that reduce energy consumption, stimulate “green jobs”, and provide incentives to the business community, is a primary goal of the P4P Environment Coalition.
ADVOCATING SOUND SCIENCE: Before former DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson left Trenton, she sent an internal memo out to her DEP senior staff regarding the creation of an external Science Advisory Board (SAB) modeled, in part, on EPA's Science Advisory Board program. The SAB aims to 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. Now appointed by President Obama to head EPA, Lisa Jackson testified at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last week that she would stress scientific integrity and the rule of law in making policy at the agency, stating that "science must be the backbone of what EPA does." Additionally, Senator Oroho, Assemblywoman McHose and Assemblyman Chiusano introduced S- 2452 and A-3624 last week which would establish an Environmental Science Review Board and Environmental Policy Review Board at DEP to review proposed environmental regulations for consistency with planning policies and science. Passing legislation that establishes a Science and Policy Review Board to review proposed environmental regulations is a primary goal of the P4P Environment Coalition.
ITEMS OF INTEREST
BUSINESSES, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS CALL FOR EMISSIONS CUTS: A coalition of leading corporations and environmental groups have forged a detailed blueprint for limiting greenhouse gases in the hope of shaping and pushing forward climate-change legislation this year. The U.S. Climate Action Partnership’s 32 members include corporate giants such as General Electric, ConocoPhillips, Duke Energy, DuPont and General Motors. Their plan for a cap-and-trade system calls for a 42-percent cut in emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels, rich incentives for the first few coal plants to capture and sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and a carbon market board to examine offsets and contain costs. The plan would also require any coal plant permitted after January 1, 2015, to emit no more than half the CO2 now considered normal and require any newly permitted plant today to have the ability to be retrofitted to meet that standard.
REP. FRELINGHUYSEN BECOMES RANKING MEMBER ON HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE: Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ-11) has been named the next ranking member of the Energy and Water Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, adding the new panel assignment while continuing to serve on the Defense Subcommittee. Appropriations Ranking Members are the senior Republican Members on each of their respective subcommittees and serve as the Republican lead on the issues within their subcommittee’s jurisdiction.
AGENCY ACCEPTS PETTY’S ISLAND OFFER: The 13-member Natural Lands Trust, an independent arm of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, voted unanimously last week to accept Citgo Petroleum Company's donation of the 392-acre Petty's Island as a nature center and park. The offer appears identical to Citgo's original proposal from 2004 - agreeing to continue cleaning the partially-contaminated island and grant $2 million to the trust for the island's preservation and $1 million for educational and cultural resources. The island today is an oasis for wildlife, such as bald eagles and herons. The next step in the process is approval by the state Attorney General's office and Citgo executives.
ENVIRONMENT-TIP-OF-THE-MONTH: The next time you need to stay at a hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast, consider staying at a “green establishment”. These are environmentally-friendly properties whose managers are eager to institute programs that save water, save energy, and reduce solid waste. One such organization to use as a reference is the Green Hotels Association, which bring together hotels interested in environmental issues. For example, they have been offering towel rack hangers and sheet changing cards which ask guests to consider using their towels and linens more than once. For more information, go to www.greenhotels.com
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
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