Environment
New Jersey’s single-use bag ban goes into effect
A New Jersey law barring grocery stores from giving customers single-use paper and plastic bags went into effect Wednesday, marking a long-sought victory for environmentalists even as some call for the state to create more exemptions. The measure, signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in November 2020, exempts food retailers with less than 2,500 […]
On Earth Day, Biden signs order to catalog and conserve old-growth forests
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday to establish a federal strategy to protect old-growth forests, a move the administration says will help curb destructive wildfires and fight climate change. The Earth Day order tasks the Interior and Agriculture departments with creating a federal definition of old-growth and mature forests. Such forests are generally […]
3 big reasons why the Biden climate agenda is floundering
President Joe Biden’s climate agenda took a hit this month when the Interior Department said it would open 144,000 acres of federal land up for oil and gas development to comply with a court order to restart fossil fuel development. The announcement marked yet another setback for a presidential climate plan that was once seen […]
Most residents approve of plastic bag ban, but paper contentious, poll finds
New Jersey’s ban on single-use paper and plastic bags will start May 4, and most Garden State residents are OK with that, a new poll found. A Monmouth University poll released Tuesday found a majority of New Jersey adults, 61%, support the looming ban on disposable plastic bags, but they’re less certain about a provision […]
Environmentalists urge NJ Transit to halt Kearny gas plant plan
Environmental activists descended on an NJ Transit board meeting Wednesday to urge members against a revived proposal for a gas-burning power plant agency officials say is needed to ensure trains can keep running when a storm hits. During the board’s nearly four-hour-long meeting, environmentalists warned about the plant’s impact on residents in its proposed home […]
Cost correction draws more criticism for Murphy’s electrification plan
Opponents of electrification benchmarks in Gov. Phil Murphy’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions redoubled their criticism this week after the state revealed it understated the cost difference between electric and gas boilers. The Department of Environmental Protection, which is mulling new regulations for boiler permits, said in a rule proposal unveiled in December that […]
New federal funding for beach replenishment reignites old debate
Bulldozers on the beach and distant barges dredging sand up from the ocean floor are as much of a Jersey Shore staple as sea gulls, Snooki, and Kohr’s custard cones. They’re around most winters to replenish the sand that storms wash out to sea every year. To John Weber, a local leader of the national […]
Climate groups sue Murphy admin seeking more action to reduce pollution
A coalition of 120 environmental activists have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration they hope will compel the state to issue specific goals to reduce carbon emissions. The group, known as EmpowerNJ, is appealing the state Department of Environmental Protection’s rejection of its petition demanding the state set enforceable benchmarks to achieve Murphy’s goal […]
N.J. and N.Y. announce joint offshore wind program
Nearly one half million acres off the shores of New Jersey and New York will be auctioned next month in an effort to generate more clean energy. The wind energy auction for six lease areas in the offshore area known as the New York Bight will take place on Feb. 23, and will be one […]
Lawmakers may weaken ratepayer advocate’s focus on affordability
New Jersey is taking the first steps in a potential overhaul of the state’s lone utility consumer advocate that would see the Division of the Rate Counsel give greater weight to environmental and equity issues, a move detractors warn could lead to larger rate hikes. The Senate Environment and Energy Committee heard testimony Thursday on a […]
Murphy sets earlier goal to cut state-produced greenhouse gas emissions
Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday accelerated the state’s goal to cut its greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030, signing an executive order that requires the state to meet its carbon reduction target two decades faster than initially planned. Speaking at solar farm in Budd Lake, the governor also announced millions in funding to electrify government […]
Port Authority’s deal with Amazon violated board’s public meeting rules, report says
A new report claims the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved a massive deal for an Amazon cargo hub at the Newark airport through backroom deals with little transparency, and alleges Amazon’s unfair labor practices violate the agency’s code of ethics. Published by Hedge Clippers, a national labor advocacy organization, the report […]