President: Anne
Poole
Legislative Director: Michael Pisauro
Ocean And Coast In Jeopardy - by Michael L. Pisauro, Jr.
This very well may be the decade of the Oceans. Two major reports, the Pew Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy were released.
Read More ...Collaborations -
Environmental organizations have different missions and niches but many common or overlapping interests. The campaign against the "Fast Track" law is an example.
Read More ...Do Your Part! - by Eric Rush
The CleanPower Choice Program from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities' Office of Clean Energy is a statewide program that allows you to support the development of clean, renewable sources of energy.
Read More ...Clean Air Council Meeting - by Dennis A. Poole
The February 8, 2006 Clean Air Council meeting was held at the offices of Schering-Plough in Summit, NJ. I attended as a member of the public and NJEL.
Read More ...NJEL To Present Environmental Awards On April 30 -
On Sunday, April 30 the New Jersey Environmental Lobby (NJEL) will host its 2006 Awards Reception.
Read More ...Hamilton Township, Mercer County - A Green Town -
On February 6, Hamilton Township in Mercer County became the third municipality to receive the GREEN TOWN designation.
Read More ...Thanks To Our Volunteers -
The New Year's Greetings and Winter Newsletters that you received were prepared for mailing by members Joyce & Joe Marks and Frank & Margie Gatti.
Read More ...
Ocean And Coast In Jeopardy - by Michael L. Pisauro, Jr.
This very well may be the decade of the Oceans. In 2003 and 2004 two major reports, the Pew Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy were released. While not in complete agreement, the general conclusion of both was that our oceans and coasts are in jeopardy. Inappropriate development is allowing pollutants into our waterways/bays and oceans and this is degrading fresh water and marine habitats. Commercial fishing stocks are under severe pressure from pollution and over fishing. Because of the importance of the coastal and marine areas to our state, NJEL is working with both state and national organizations for solutions to these issues
New Jersey has 127 miles of coastline. It also has 454 square miles of open ocean waters, and over 800 square miles of tidal estuarine rivers, shallow back bays and larger bays. There resources are being attacked and pressured from a multitude of sources and there are no easy solutions. Between 1995 and 2001, urbanization increased in New Jersey and 28% of that urban expansion occurred in four of the twenty-one counties: Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May. As we develop our lands we increase impervious cover: the roads, parking lots, driveways, buildings, patios and even our lawns. This impervious cover prevents rain from seeping into the ground and recharging aquifers. Instead, the rain is directed rapidly into our streams and rivers, causing flooding. The runoff picks up dirt, oil, grease, pet waste, pesticides, and nitrogen from fertilizers. and dumps these "non-point source" pollutants into our waterways. The U.S. Ocean Commission noted that "every year more than 28 million gallons of oil enter" our waters. Many people do not realize that we are also continuing to directly discharge pollution into our rivers, bays and oceans.
Experts believe that a watershed becomes impaired when impervious surface covers more than ten percent of the land draining into it. In New Jersey there are 14 watersheds that drain into the Atlantic Ocean. Six of those watersheds have more than 10% impervious cover. All of the Raritan Bay's watersheds and more than one-third of the Delaware River/Bay watersheds exceed this ten percent number. The impairment of these watersheds is having serious impacts. According to the Pew report there were five "dead zones" along our coast. These dead zones are areas where marine life is not supported because of depletion of oxygen and degradation of habitat.
Estuaries where marine life spawns and matures is being filed in or otherwise destroyed. Pollution and over-fishing is reducing fish stocks which we rely on for food and other products. According to the U.S. Commission, of the 267 major fishing stocks which we rely on commercially, 20% are either over-fished or soon to be. We do not have enough data on another 30 percent to know their status. The Pew report categorizes an even greater amount as over-fished-almost one-third. Even though the results of over-fishing are clearly observable by fisherman and the consumer (in the prices we pay) we continue to impair the habitat that fish need to spawn, mature and live. We have ignored science when we set fishing limits and our steps to recover fishing stocks have not been sufficiently aggressive. The fish we do eat is contaminated by unacceptable levels of mercury, dioxin and PCBs; some of this pollution is coming from the fossil fuels that we burn and some coming from inappropriate disposal.
Water and air pollution, land use, energy production and fishing management are destroying our coast and oceans. This does not even take into account a recent report on the impacts that global warming is likely to have on New Jersey's environment. That is an article for a different day.
Coastal and marine environments are governed by a myriad of federal, state and local laws and regulations, administered by numerous agencies with disparate missions.
The Bush Administration notes, in its reply to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, that there are 140 Federal laws being administered by 20 different Federal entities, including EPA, NOAA, and the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, Interior, Transportation. The laws they administer are even more varied. They include: Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, and others.In New Jersey there are several government entities with authority over our fragile coast. There are also several state laws which impact the health of that ecosystem. Among the laws are: Coastal Area Facility Review Act, Wetlands Act of 1970, Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act, Tidelands Act, Marine Fisheries Management and Commercial Fisheries Act; Municipal Land Use law, the State Plan. These laws and others are administered by different state departments, agencies, and local jurisdictions. There are the municipalities with their zoning/land use and environmental ordinances, there are the counties, DEP, DOT, the State Planning Commission, the Pinelands Commission and others who all have some control over the way we use or abuse our coastal and ocean resources.
As you can see, we face many serious impacts not only to the environment but also to our own health and economic well being. If our shores become increasingly congested and polluted, how will this impact our tourism industry? Tourism is the State's second largest industry and the seashores contribute significantly to this. How will our property values in the shore communities fair? New Jersey has a large and economically important fishing industry. If fishing stocks are depleted what will happen to this industry?
The solutions will out of necessity be complex, but we must begin the process to find those solutions and implement them. In future articles I would like to review some of the relevant laws so that NJEL's members have a better understanding of where we have been and where we may need to go to ensure that future generations have a coastal environment that we can be proud of.
Collaborations -
Environmental organizations have different missions and niches but many common or overlapping interests. The campaign against the "Fast Track" law is an example.
Collaboration makes us more efficient and effective. NJEL welcomes opportunities to work with other groups in protecting New Jersey's environment. Recently, NJEL signed on to a letter opposing changes in the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) requirements. (See article about the NJEL Awards Reception). Crafted by the New Jersey Work Environment Council (WEC) and NJPIRG, the letter was submitted to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency during the public comment period. WEC coordinated the sign-on by numerous environmental groups.
NJEL has also joined the Coastal Ocean Coalition, a project of the Conservation Law Foundation, Environmental Defense, the Marine Conservation Biology Institute, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. NJEL is one of eight Coalition partners. The COC was formed to help states take the actions needed to correct the past damage and defend against the current threats to the nation's ocean resources. Elsewhere in this newsletter, Mike Pisauro describes the work of two national panels that evaluated the condition of our nation's ocean resources and made recommendations for Federal action. The COC has examined those recommendations and identified those that can actually be taken at the State level. The COC has published Ocean Protection in New Jersey-A BluePrint for State-Level Action. The mission of the COC and its partners is to make the Blue Print not just a collection of recommendations, but a reality. For the Executive Summary and the full report, visit www.OceanBluePrintNJ.org and www.CoastalOceanCoalition.org.
Watch for Mike's future articles on the topics addressed by the two national commissions and the Coastal Ocean Coalition.
Do Your Part! - by Eric Rush
The CleanPower Choice Program from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities' Office of Clean Energy is a statewide program that allows you to support the development of clean, renewable sources of energy. By choosing CleanPower, you're choosing to support the generation of renewable energy sources that diversify our energy supply and help create a healthier environment. Solar power. Wind power. Low-impact or small hydro power. Landfill gas power. Clean power, that's good for New Jersey and will always be there for us.
Whether you are a PSE&G customer or JCP&L you should have received in your bill recently a pamphlet describing this program. If not, their respective websites or www.njcleanpower.com has all of the details. Effective in April, Atlantic City Electric and Rockland Electric customers will also be able to participate. One-third of the alternative power that is offered comes from wind power, something that NJEL stands behind 100%. You will not notice a change in how your power is delivered nor will you notice any difference in the performance of the power you do receive.
With events in the country and around the world impacting our economy and our state, choosing CleanPower makes more sense than ever. You'll be making the choice to:
· Minimize and eliminate pollutants released into the environment from fossil fuels
· Lessen our dependence on foreign sources of fossil fuels
· Reduce global warming
· Help conserve our resources
· Diversify the fuel supply, making for more stable energy prices
· Lessen respiratory ailments for children and senior citizens
· Create jobs and help the economy by encouraging investment in environmentally friendly facilities
There are four companies that currently produce renewable power for distribution in New Jersey: Green Mountain Energy, Community Energy, Jersey - Atlantic Wind, and Sterling Planet. The charges are in addition to your normal monthly charges. Cost per month ranges from $.09 to $.29 per kilowatt hour. Check your electric bill for your actual monthly usage to determine your cost.Let's reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and make our environment healthier today!
Clean Air Council Meeting - by Dennis A. Poole
The February 8, 2006 Clean Air Council meeting was held at the offices of Schering-Plough in Summit, NJ. I attended as a member of the public and NJEL. The significant agenda item was a status report on the Paterson Air Quality Project by Linda Bonanno, Ph.D., Research Scientist at the Department of Environmental Protection. The project will monitor the concentration of approximately 60 air pollutants in and around the city of Paterson. The project is funded by a grant from the US EPA. Dr. Bonanno's report was about the set up and location of the monitoring devices. Data will be available in 12-18 months and will be presented to the Clean Air Council.
As part of its charter, the Clean Air Council holds an annual public hearing on a current air quality topic. This year the hearing topic is Indoor Air Quality. The public hearing will be held on Wednesday, April 5th in the NJDEP Public Hearing Room in Trenton. The agenda should be available on the Clean Air Council's web site, www.state.nj.us/dep/cleanair after March 15.
NJEL To Present Environmental Awards On April 30 -
On Sunday, April 30 the New Jersey Environmental Lobby (NJEL) will host its 2006 Awards Reception. The Frank J. Oliver Environmental Award will be presented to U. S. Congressman Rush Holt and N. J. State Senator Barbara Buono for their outstanding records on environmental issues.
Most recently, Congressman Holt joined other members of Congress in opposing the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to weaken the reporting requirements for the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). The TRI rules were developed as part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). After the disastrous toxic release at a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, Congress pass EPCRA to ensure how much of the most dangerous chemicals are released into the air, water, and ground. After years of reporting that not only provided communities with information that is vital to protecting residents' health, but also provided an incentive for companies to reduce their output of toxics, the EPA was proposing a 20-year backward step that would have benefited only polluters.
Senator Buono was a sponsor of the School Integrated Pest Management Act, the strongest school pesticide legislation in the nation. The Act aims to reduce the use of toxic pesticides in schools and reduce the exposure of children in instances when they are applied. Senator Buono also was instrumental in establishing the prohibition against smoking in college dormitories in New Jersey.
These are only some of the environmental issues, too numerous to mention here, in which Congressman Holt and Senator Buono have protected New Jersey residents. They have also worked to support the interests of New Jersey residents in many other areas, including consumer protection, voters' rights, insurance, driving safety, and child protection. For more information on the legislative accomplishments of these outstanding legislators, visit the web sites www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/Buono and http://holt.house.gov.
NJEL will also present its second Environmental Legacy Award to Edward Lloyd, a former member of our Board of Trustees and for many years the Director of the Rutgers Law Clinic. Ed is now the Evan M. Frankel Clinical Professor of Environmental Law at Columbia University and he continues to donate his time to environmental justice issues. Ed is also serving with distinction as a member of the New Jersey Pinelands Commission. He has devoted his life and career to the interests of the residents of New Jersey and we are looking forward to expressing our appreciation.Hamilton Township, Mercer County - A Green Town -
On February 6, Hamilton Township in Mercer County became the third municipality to receive the GREEN TOWN designation. The presentation was made at Anchor Thread Park, in the historic Village of Groveville. The site of a defunct textile mill on Crosswicks Creek, the property was acquired and rehabilitated by the Township in a 2-year project. After demolition of collapsing buildings and extensive debris removal, the township made improvements that included new trees and landscaping, pedestrian paths, a gazebo, benches and a canoe launch. Buildings that were still structurally safe were retained and preservation of the main factory building is part of the ultimate plan. Recognizing the value of the site as a part of New Jersey's industrial history, the Township designated the Park as "A Park Dedicated to America's Working Men & Women."
Hamilton initiated its GREEN TOWN application after the Environmental Education Fund's (EEF) intern, Jessica Costantini, explained the program at an Environmental Commission meeting. Hamilton's Director of Public Works, Richard Balgowan, led the Township's application process. Township Departments and the Environmental Commission, chaired by Haig Kasabach, provided the documentation of compliance with the GREEN TOWN criteria. The EEF evaluation team was particularly impressed by Hamilton's rehabilitation of the Anchor Thread property, as well as by its initiatives in integrated pest management and use of biodiesel fuel.
The Board of Trustees of EEF congratulates Hamilton Township's residents, employees, and elected officials for their commitment to environmental responsibility. It should be noted that in Hamilton, as in most New Jersey towns, Environmental Commissioners serve their towns as volunteers. The members of Hamilton's Environmental Commission are to be congratulated for making their town a GREEN TOWN.
For more information on Anchor Thread Park, Hamilton's other parks, and township news, visit Hamilton's web site www.hamiltonnj.com
Thanks To Our Volunteers -
The New Year's Greetings and Winter Newsletters that you received were prepared for mailing by members Joyce & Joe Marks and Frank & Margie Gatti.
The Environmental Education Fund has benefited from the artistic talents of members Theresa Preziosa and Terrence Poole. Theresa and Terrence illustrated the curriculum materials used in the Watershed Protection/Integrated Pest Management school presentations. In addition, Theresa illustrated a topical brochure on organic foods. That brochure, and others that were developed by Board member Susan Hobart and EEF project manager Joana Clark, will be distributed as part of our public education efforts.
In her very first week as a dues-paying member, Monica Dytko spent many hours preparing our Awards Reception invitations for mailing. Thanks to all of you!
