Category: Environmental Justice

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UULMNJ’s Environment Task Force is working with the New Jersey Enviornmental Federation to keep regulations protecting our environment in place.

In March, the New Jersey Department of Enviornmental Protection proposed establishing procedures for the waiver of department rules that would allow companies to circumvent over 100 guidelines that protect our water, air and land.

Senators Barbara Buono and Robert Gordon introduced a Senate resolution (SCR239), and Assemblypersons Peter Barnes, Reed Gusciora, and John McKeon introduced the same resolution (ACR206) in the Assembly, putting forth that the proposed rules  to establish a waiver of the DEP rules are not consistent with the intent of the Legislature.

The DEP waiver resolution passed the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee on December 8 and now waits to be posted for a vote before the New Jersey Senate and Assembly.  This legislative session will end soon, and there is only one voting session left, on January 9.

Take action now to stop this attempt to roll back environment regulations by asking Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver to post the DEP Waiver Resolution (SCR239/ACR206) on the January 9th session.

Senate President Steve Sweeney
(856) 251-9801
SenSweeney@njleg.org

Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver
(973) 395-1166
AswOliver@njleg.org

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The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) was selected as the task force’s primary focus at Issues Workshop on October 29, 2011.  By Executive Order, Gov. Christie withdrew New Jersey from RGGI, a 10-state initiative to reduce greenhouse gasses through cap-and-trade. To override this Executive Order, the Legislature needs a simple majority in both houses.  See http://rggi.org for more info on RGGI.

Other possible focus issues included:

• Fracking. There is a meeting of the Delaware River Basin Commission (a federal commission) scheduled for November 21 at the War Memorial, at which a vote about whether to allow fracking in the Delaware River Basin is scheduled to occur.

Late breaking news: The Delaware River Basin Commission’s November 21, 2011 vote has been cancelled.  The vote was to seek approval of regulations that would have allowed shale gas drilling (fracking) in the Delaware River Basin.  The cancellation is the second time the vote has been put off.  This time it is believed to be in response to an announcement by the Governor of Delaware that he would vote against the regulatory/drilling proposal.  There will still be a rally in Trenton on November 21.  http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org or www.fwwatch.org for more information.

• Environmental Rules and Standards. There is a push to weaken NJ’s current regulations to the lower standards of the federal government.
• Energy Conservation
• Susquehanna Roseland Power Lines. There are plans to fast track the enlargement.

PureGen Update: SCS, a Massachusetts-based company, proposed a coal plant in Linden, NJ. This is currently on the wait and see list. The president of the BPU said at the last hearing on the Draft Master Energy Plan that there would be no new coal in New Jersey. People are still concerned

The Task Force is seeking opportunities to collaborate with New Jersey environmental groups. The Task Force voted to join the New Jersey Environmental Federation. The group will also look at the NJ League of Conservation Voters, and Interfaith Power & Light, a multi-faith organization on global climate change that provides education materials, to identify opportunities for collaboration.

Rev. Craig Hirshberg, Rohn Hein, Sally Gellert, and Daphne Speck-Bartynski met with the NJ Environmental Federation Executive Director, Amy Goldsmith on August 29 to discuss areas of mutual interest.  It was agreed to take back to the Task force the idea of working with the Federation to:

• Override the Executive Action of Governor Chris Christie to withdraw NJ from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the nation’s first market-based program to reduce global warming pollution.
• Override the Executive Action of Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that gives them broad authority to grant waivers to exempt companies from over 100 environmental regulations.
• Oppose a bill that would push environmental standards back to weaker, federally set levels.
• Oppose bills introduced to further delay or prevent implementation of revised “Water Quality Management Plans” which protect water quality by regulating where sewer and septic systems can go.

All who are interested are invited to join our monthly conference calls on the third Monday of each month at 7:30pm.  Contact director@uulmnj.org for call-in information.