Water World: EPA adds former NJ truck terminal to national Superfund list
A Matlack truck from the early fifties.
As a result of past industrial activities, the soil and groundwater are contaminated with volatile organic compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Many volatile organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals and can cause cancer in people. PCBs are chemicals that persist in the environment and can affect the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems and are potentially cancer-causing. Contamination from this site is impacting the Grand Sprute Run stream and nearby wetlands that have been identified among New Jersey's most significant natural areas.
NJ Spotlight: Some NJ Trucks Fueling up on Natural Gas Rather Than Dirty Diesel
Photo courtesy of NGV Global News
In a sign that businesses may be shifting to cleaner-burning fuels to power their fleets, a new report suggests that many communities in the metropolitan area are converting garbage trucks to run on natural gas instead of diesel fuel.
According to "Tomorrow’s Trucks: Leaving the Era of Oil Behind," a report released yesterday by the national nonprofit organization Energy Vision, there has been a rapid rise in the use of natural gas to fuel trucks -- a tenfold increase over the past five years.
Mendham-Chester Patch: Most Endangered N.J. Places List Includes Sandy-Torn Mansions, Farmland
The Deserted Village of Feltville is one of the properties named on the 2013 list.
Photo courtesy Sebastian D'Elia Communications Director County of Union
A state historic preservation advocacy group released its list of the most endangered New Jersey sites Wednesday, detailing damage, some Superstorm-Sandy related, that has put 10 landmarks at risk for demolition.
Properties that were classified as the "most endangered" have architectural and historic integrity with an identified threat and Preservation New Jersey, the organization that compiled the list, felt their inclusion could potentially help legislators realize the importance in preserving them. Included on the list is Morris County's Glen Alpin property in Harding Township. The Gothic Revival mansion is threatened by a need for sustainable use, according to Preservation New Jersey.
Daily News: N.J. Gov. Chris Christie: No proof Superstorm Sandy was caused by climate change
Gov. Chris Christie (center) tours the newly rebuilt Lavalette, N.J. boardwalk on Monday. The boardwalk was damaged during Superstorm Sandy. At an event that day, Christie said he thought there was no proof that Sandy was caused by climate change.
Photo by Chris Pedota
New Jersey Gov. Christie said Monday that climate change did not contribute to Superstorm Sandy.
“I don’t think there’s been any proof thus far that Sandy was caused by climate change," Christie said Monday at a ceremony honoring the rebuilding of the boardwalk in Lavallette, N.J. "But I would absolutely expect that that’s exactly what WNYC would say, because you know liberal public radio always has an agenda.”
Asbury Park Press: BYERS: Keep solar plants off N.J. farmland
Photo courtesy of energy digital
But some are not — like solar power plants and farmland. You might think they’d make a perfect pair, since flat, open farm landscapes have easy access to the sun’s renewable energy.
But New Jersey’s farmland is precious. This state we’re in has some of the best soils in the world and a climate that fosters fresh, local food.
NJ DEP: CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION HONORS PRINCETON PLASMA PHYSICS LAB AS NEW JERSEY’S TOP ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARD
The dome at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab in Plainsboro, NJ
Photo by Paul Savage
“The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, long a leader in the area of fusion energy research, is also a leader in the area of being a good steward of the environment,” DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said today. “I commend their efforts at making sound environmental practices that benefit their staff, their community and their state an integral part of the facility’s daily operations.”
Asbury Park Press: Major caveat on buyout plan
South River
Photo courtesy of Hogan Photo
Gov. Chris Christie rode into Sayreville this week on his white horse, pledging to save the day for residents in that flood-stricken town and others with a $300 million home buyout plan.
Sayreville needs the hero on the white horse. The community, surrounded by the Raritan and South rivers, had about 300 homes and apartments damaged by flooding after Sandy. The waters collapsed the foundations of about 40 homes. Thus far, about 275 Sayreville residents have expressed interest in a buyout, while about 100 have done so in neighboring South River.
Hooray for the governor!
NJ Spotlight: Cooling-Tower Controversy Heats Up at Power Plants, Refinery
Photo courtesy of NJ Spotlight
Frustrated by state agencies’ inaction, a coalition of conservation organizations wants regulatory officials to require that cooling towers be built to reduce massive fish kills at two at two big power plants in New Jersey and a refinery in Delaware.
In letters to the heads of the environmental agencies in both states, the groups last week criticized the fact that the three facilities are continuing to operate under expired permits, one of which ran out more than a decade ago.
The Record: Feds taking public suggestions on final cleanup of toxic dump site in Ringwood
Photo courtesy of Thomas E. Franklin
Residents and others seeking to weigh in on clean-up plans at a Ringwood Superfund site have until May 28 to submit their final round of comments or recommendations to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Last June, the EPA decided to postpone a decision on the cleanup method it would use at the site after environmental and community groups pushed to have all of the pollution removed, rather than have it capped, which is one of the options being considered. Some residents have asked that the EPA buy out their homes. The 500-acre Ringwood site includes nearly 50 homes.
The Star-Ledger: $1.3 billion project to raise Bayonne Bridge gets final approval
The U.S. Coast Guard has approved an application to raise the roadway of the Bayonne Bridge, seen here in August. A permit could be issued allowing work to being as early as May 24.
BAYONNE — The U.S. Coast Guard has approved raising the Bayonne Bridge roadway, a project intended to clear a navigational obstacle that threatened the viability of the East Coast’s busiest port and thousands of jobs.
"We’re looking forward to seeing the project proceed," said Chief Warrant Officer Russell Tippets, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, the federal permitting agency for the $1.3 billion project.
A notice of the decision was posted online today by the Federal Register, in advance of Thursday’s official publication. It was the project’s last regulatory hurtle, and the Coast Guard said a permit could be issued as soon as May 24.
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