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NJ Highlands News Stories for March 21, 2011

"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment." Ansel Adams

  Live Sustainably. Print this email only if absolutely necessary.

http://www.njherald.com/story/news/20pipelineweb

County gets eyeful of pipeline construction

By PHILLIP MOLNAR
pmolnar@njherald.com

VERNON — When representatives from El Paso Corp. detailed their plan for the Tennessee Gas Pipeline at the Vernon Senior Center in July 2010, it was hard to imagine what putting miles of pipe into the ground would look like.

Two weeks before the Vernon meeting, the State House Commission in Trenton approved a 24-year lease for the Fortune 500 company to build a 23-mile extension to its existing pipeline.

The Texas-based corporation’s “300 Line Project” will traverse through 16 miles of Highlands-protected land in Wantage and Vernon.

Although many Vernon residents got their first glimpse of the natural gas pipeline when construction began in November, many more eyes are now focused on the project since it came to Route 94.

Vernon construction is now concentrated around the resort complex. The new pipeline cuts through woods near Legends Riding Stables, through the field at Minerals Resort & Spa where Oktoberfest takes place, through the center of the Great Gorge Village condos, and has affected at least one ski hill at Mountain Creek.

Pipeline work at Route 94 is set to be completed around May 15, said El Paso Corp. spokesman Robert Newberry. He said workers will eventually bore under the road.

Although construction has not caused any major traffic delays, it did limit routes for skiers and snowboarders.

“(Construction) forced us to truncate the end of the season on Granite Peak,” said Bill Benneyan, the resort’s vice president of marketing.

Also because of construction, Crystal Springs Golf Resort’s Great Gorge course temporarily was cut from a 27 holes to 18, Benneyan said.

Township Manager Gerald Giaimis said he has heard little concern from residents about the pipeline, or its construction.

In early February, a buried transmission line connected to the Tennessee Gas Pipeline exploded in Hanoverton, Ohio. No one was injured, but local officials said people miles away reported hearing a “blowtorch” sound and could see a glow in the sky from the explosion, according to The Associated Press.

The Tennessee Gas Pipeline extends from Louisiana, the Gulf of Mexico and south Texas to the northeast United States. El Paso Corp. owns about 42,000 miles of natural gas pipelines in North America, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For a 24-year-lease on land that traverses the Highlands, where most of New Jersey receives its drinking water, the El Paso Corp. paid $180,000 — $34,000 less than the mid-2010 average sales price of a home in Vernon.

An expansion to the gas company’s pipeline, the Northeast Upgrade Project, is currently stalled. Last month, the state Department of Environmental Protection requested the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission delay its assessment because it said Tennessee Gas Pipeline has not submitted necessary information for the agency’s review.

If the upgrade project is approved, combined with the current 300 Line Project, the company’s capacity would more than double.
Environmental groups have been hammering away at the pipeline since before its approval.

“Basically, New Jersey is getting the pipelines but none of the benefits — except dirty water,” said Kate Millsaps, a coordinator for the New Jersey Highlands Coalition.

Environmental groups — such as the New Jersey Environmental Federation, the Sierra Club and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility — have been critical of the pipeline’s construction, and even the need for it.

Environmentalists are concerned the pipeline would delay, or stop, use of renewable energy sources and cause damage to environmentally protected areas. They are also concerned where El Paso Corp. is getting some of its gas.

The company has begun purchasing gas from companies that use hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” which is pumping chemicals deep underground to collect gas from subterranean pockets, in the Marcellus Shale.

The Shale stretches across parts of the Midwest, Pennsylvania and New York, according to Jeff Tittel, executive director of the state chapter of the Sierra Club.

“They take water, pump in a bunch of chemicals ... and inject it at extremely high pressures,” Tittel said. “It’s pretty nasty stuff.”

Chesapeake Energy Marketing Inc., one of the companies El Paso works with in the Marcellus Shale operation, called modern hydraulic fracturing “a highly engineered, controlled, sophisticated and safe procedure” on its website.

Construction for the 300 Line Project is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 1.

Timeline of pipeline construction:

Copyright © 2011 The New Jersey Herald

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http://newjerseyhills.com/observer-tribune/news/article_72a1f366-5177-11e0-9dac-001cc4c002e0.html

Black Oak GC not part of Highlands deal

Posted: Saturday, March 19, 2011 12:15 pm
BOB THOMAS Staff Writer Recorder Community Newspapers

WASHINGTON TWP.--Although the township is urging DEP to consider additional sewer allocation for the Black Oak Golf Club, it won't be included in an agreement with the Highlands Council expected in May.

Mayor Kenneth Short said the municipality still wants to have the golf course hooked up to the Bartley Road sewer line. However, Short said a previous agreement between the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the golf course restricts the sewer gallonage available to them.

On Wednesday, March 16, Short told committee members that an agreement with the Highlands should be finalized on May 19.

Short said a long list of other waste water questions should be answered positively when the township conforms to the Highlands Council master plan in May.

"If we conform to the Highlands, the Waste Water Management Plan (WWMP) gets almost rubber-stamped by DEP," Short said.

The township has been awaiting action on the WWMP for three years since it was submitted to DEP. Despite numerous meetings between DEP and local officials, including the Washington Township Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA), no final action on the township's proposed WWMP has been taken in Trenton.

Short said a number of delayed projects will be included in the WWMP.

From 10-12 homes on Bartley Road will be allowed to hook into the sewer line. Many of them have failing septic systems located near the South Branch of the Raritan River.

Restrooms connections will also be included for Palmer Park on Bartley Road and Harrington Park on Rock Road.

As previously announced, the Valley View Chapel on East Mill Road will be allowed to hook into the Bartley Road sewer line about 110 feet from its property line. That connection will enable the church to restart its long-delayed expansion project.

Sewer allocation will also be alloted to the municipal property on West Mill Road to the rear of the Long Valley Middle School. The property is used as the site for the annual Fireworks Festival and is farmed during the year.

Short and others have urged use of the property for a community center, such as a YMCA.

The WWMP is also expected to include approval for a sewer line connection to the Mountain View Inn. The once-popular bar and restaurant had applied for a connection more than two years ago to alleviate septic system problems, but has since closed its doors.

Also, several homes on Sand Lane off of Rock Road will be allowed to connect to local sewers.

Short said the township has only committed to meeting the requirements of the Highlands master plan in the Preservation Area. He said no decision will be made on the roughly 20 percent of the municipality that lies in the less-protected Planning Area in May.

"It doesn't mean the Planning Area will be opted-in," he said.

The process of plan conformance includes reworking local ordinances to meet Highlands environmental restrictions. If the township does not opt for plan conformance in the Planning Area, it could, theoretically, carry two sets of land use ordinances on the books, one for each Highlands area.

Not all Township committee members were enthusiastic about the proposed plan conformance.

"I don't particularly like the fact it feels a little like extortion," said Committeeman William Roehrich.

The Highlands Act of 2004 requires master plan conformance for lands in the Preservation Area and makes a decision about the Planning Area a municipal option.

Short said that although the Black Oak Golf Club isn't expected to be included in the WWMP, officials of the club have been in talks with DEP Commissioner Bob Martin.

The club's original plans for a clubhouse facility will be drastically scaled back if a sewer connection isn't permitted.

© Copyright 2011, Recorder Community Newspapers

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http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/nj_transit_works_to_restore_ra.html

NJ Transit works to restore rail service along 81-mile Lackawanna Cutoff

Published: Sunday, March 20, 2011, 9:15 AM

SUSSEX COUNTY — Work has begun on a $37 million project to restore commuter rail service from Andover Township to the Port Morris railyard on the abandoned Lackawanna Cutoff, according to a spokeswoman for NJ Transit.

The 7.3-mile project is part of a larger plan to restore rail service along the entire length of the 81-mile Lackawanna Cutoff from the Poconos to Hoboken and includes a new station in Andover Township in Sussex County.

"It’s starting to take shape," said NJ Transit spokeswoman Courtney Carroll. "(But) we don’t have a detailed construction timeline at this point."

Preliminary site work began last month and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The first phase of the work includes clearing the abandoned line and preparing it for the installation of new tracks from Port Morris to Lake Lackawanna in Byram, said Carroll.

The second phase will occur from Lake Lackawanna to Andover Township. That portion of the project is still awaiting environmental approvals, she said.

The new Andover Township train station will be built off Roseville Road near the Andover Borough border and will have 65 parking spaces, said Andover Township Mayor Phil Boyce.

By comparison, the Dover train station offers parking for 870 vehicles.

Boyce said the township has been a longtime supporter of the cutoff’s restoration and the new rail station.

"The home values will improve in our area, just because of the easier access to the job source in Manhattan and other parts of New Jersey. Having a station in our own town makes train travel that much easier," he said. "It will take pressure of Route 15 and Route 80."

Carroll said the new station has been estimated to cost $1.3 million, but that figure is subject to change.

"It’s difficult this early in the project to pin down an exact cost," she said.

The Andover Township-Port Morris connection is part of a plan to restore the entire Lackawanna Cutoff line, which runs from Scranton, Pa., to the Port Morris railyard. At Port Morris, riders could take a train to Hoboken or hook up at the Dover station with existing lines to Manhattan.

In 2006, the Lackawanna Cutoff restoration was estimated to cost $551 million. There is no state or federal funding yet available for that work, said Carroll.

The cutoff, a line nicknamed for the miles it cut off train trips from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, was built in the early 1900s by the Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad to connect Morris County with Pennsylvania.

In the 1970s, Conrail, the eventual receiver of the property, abandoned the right of way and the track was removed in 1984, according to NJ Transit’s website.

Previous coverage:

• Environmental groups ask NJ Transit to probe pollution in Lackawanna Cutoff rail bed

• Lackawanna Cutoff rail line clears environmental hurdle

• Feds clear way for commuter rail line in Sussex County

• Forums explore Scranton to Hoboken rail revival

• NJ Transit: Lackawanna Cutoff rail line won't carry freight

• Plans move forward to revive Lackawanna Cutoff rail line

© 2011 NJ.com

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http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/phillipsburg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1300593906294470.xml&coll=3

Finesville Dam in Pohatcong, Holland townships slated for partial removal

Sunday, March 20, 2011
By SARAH M. WOJCIK
The Express-Times

POHATCONG TWP. | Township officials want assurances that the owners of private wells affected by the partial removal of the Finesville Dam will get relief from groups sponsoring the removal project.

About 20 homes near the dam are served by wells, according to Pohatcong Mayor Stephen Babinsky. When a large section of the dam bridging Pohatcong and Holland townships is removed, Babinsky worries water levels in old and shallow wells could all but dry up.

"My issue as mayor with this whole situation is only one: how it's going to affect the wells in the neighborhood," Babinsky said. "I want the wells to be tested before they remove the dam."

Musconetcong Watershed Association Executive Director Beth Styler Barry said wells drilled within the past 25 years or that have recently been inspected should not experience problems. About five wells appear shallow enough to be at risk.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service is paying roughly $300,000 to remove an 80-foot section of the 109-foot-long dam. Barry said the department has indicated a willingness to work with any affected property owners.

Township resident Amy Hollander said property owners are seeking assurances.

"I think we would just like to see it in paper with signatures," Hollander said.

Hollander, like Babinsky, lives along Mount Joy Road. Her home is nearest the dam, which she bought for that very reason.

About a dozen township residents turned out to last week's council meeting to get their concerns on the record, Babinsky said. Hollander attended and said she was heartened by the township's willingness to listen.

"I think everybody left feeling very positive," she said. "We're very happy that the township is listening to us, but we have no idea how that's going to be resolved on the federal level."

Toxicity levels safe, study shows

The Finesville Dam was originally built as part of an iron forge along the Musconetcong that helped supply weapons to the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, according to the project's environmental assessment.

The dam has been restored once since 1953 but would need major reconstruction in order to remain. The dam's private owners, James and Jim Grodon, support the work as part of the Lower Musconetcong River Restoration Project.

Following two years of planning, Barry said, the project is ready for design.

Industry along the Musconetcong, including a paper mill upstream, has Babinsky concerned about toxins in the sediment, but Barry said the environmental study has shown there is nothing to worry about.

"We did not come anywhere near the concern levels from the DEP on levels of toxicity," she said.

By the coming fall, Barry hopes work is under way.

"I'd like to be optimistic and say the removal would take place in the fall of 2011," Barry said. "I feel like we've addressed every aspect of the removal so thoroughly that I can't see too much more needing to be done as we move forward."

Attempts to keep history partially intact

Barry said the dam's removal will restore the aquatic ecosystems around the dam and will rid the area of a potential safety hazard. But some residents, like Hollander, worry about the loss of a historic landmark.

"All the homes were built after the dam. So the whole community developed around that specific feature," Hollander said. "It's a real struggle for me."

Barry said the history of the site is not lost on those involved in the project.

"It was the historic community from both Pohatcong and Holland townships that weighed in and said we want you to leave the edges of the dam," Barry said.

Though it will be a sad day when the rushing water from the dam is finally silenced, Hollander said, she has learned to look forward.

"You kind of accept it and try to help make the design as aesthetically pleasing as possible," she said.

Reporter Sarah M. Wojcik can be reached at 610-258-7171, ext. 3631, or swojcik@express-times.com. Talk about issues in your town at lehighvalleylive.com/forums.

©2011 The Express-Times

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http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/118317519_Historic_sites__No_places_for_DEP.html

DEP should not manage historic sites

Sunday, March 20, 2011
BY KEVIN WRIGHT
The Record

Does history repeat itself? Once again headlines speak of the loss of priceless artifacts at a state historic site — historic firearms in Paterson and valuable paintings in Ringwood.

Unfortunately, opportunists seize the occasion — not to do finally what is right and introduce accountability to a state park system that has failed miserably and repeatedly, but to go after Governor Christie’s proposal to privatize state parks and historic sites.

State park superintendents are unqualifed by law, education or experience to administer historic house museums or their artifact collections. Most important, the Legislature never intended for politically appointed dilettantes or recreation managers to administer New Jersey’s rich and distinctive heritage.

The Department of Environmental Protection supervises management of historic sites and property. It is is sadly evident once again that the DEP’s core mission does not embrace historic sites. So let’s get it out of the job.

The Steuben House, River Edge home of collections of the Bergen County Historical Society, is an example of this inability to manage. In April 2007, a flood damaged those collections. The house is managed by Ringwood State Park. The alarm for the flood went from Trenton to the park manager — who lives in Sussex County — who then called the Steuben House. It was never learned how long this warning took to reach its proper destination. Meanwhile, ocean tides rose.

How long will the New Jersey taxpayers suffer before there is change?

In 1998, heavy bronze doors, emblazoned with the Great Seal of the State of New Jersey, were stolen in broad daylight from High Point Monument — the state’s memorial to veterans of all wars, with only a single access road and the monument visible from 12 miles away. This happened right under the nose of the state park service, and it has apparently happened again at Ringwood.

The legacy of cultural vandalism grows sadly year to year: Kuser Manor and its museum collections in High Point State Park, the 1861 Krill Log Cabin in Stokes State Forest, the last buildings associated with the Wawayanda Ironworks, High Breeze Farm in Wawayanda State Park, Waterloo Village, collections of artifacts stored in Ringwood barns, the antique equipment for a Fire Museum, the Steuben House, the Mules Barracks, Long Pond Ironworks and the Hamburg Lime Kilns, and others.

To remedy a half-century of state-sponsored neglect, I recommend the elevation of the New Jersey Historic Sites Council as a separate department within state government (which need not cost a single additional dollar; it would actually save money).

I also suggest the New Jersey Historical Commission, instead of handing out buckets of public dollars in general operating support grants to the same few private dependants, redirect this funding immediately to the rescue and proper administration of our state-owned and operated historic sites.

Kevin Wright, a River Edge resident, is past president of the Bergen County Historical Society.

Reader Comments (1)
1. Sunday March 20, 2011, 9:33 AM - GinaT says:
In the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that Mr. Wright is not only past president of the Bergen County Historical Society but also a disgruntled former DEP employee who was demoted prior to his retirement. Does the state underfund its parks and historic sites? Yes. This is not a New Jersey phenomenon - across the nation private and public historic sites are being underfunded or closed. Even the New Jersey Historical Society has sold part of its collection to honor debts and closed its doors. Moving state historic sites to another department as Mr. Wright suggests - presumably the Department of State where the Lt. Governor is openly hostile to New Jersey history - is not the answer. A dedicated funding source so the state may hire additional staff and purchase proper supplies is the answer. Gina T.

© 2011 North Jersey Media Group

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http://middletown-nj.patch.com/articles/brookdale-community-college-hosts-15th-annual-land-conservation-rally#photo-5331062

Learning Experience: Brookdale Community College Hosts 15th Annual Land Conservation Rally

Event focuses on the many details of conservation, use and protection of open space

By Dw. Dunphy

The Garden State's premier conservationists gathered on Saturday to spread the word on the ways and means of going green and getting space.

The Warner Student Life Building of Brookdale Community College was the space saved for the 15th annual edition of the New Jersey Land Conservation Rally. The educational event was designed to encourage networking and learning for all about many of the state’s open space and agricultural preservation initiatives via private non-profit groups and state government agencies.

Topics for the various workshops reflected various organizations' and programs'  efforts, including: the acquisition and maintenance of properties with historical background; supporting farming within the state while striking a balance between open space and authentic farm preservation; the requirements involved with pesticide removal from older, treated land and much more. In all, there were ten separate umbrella topics with three class/lecture sessions available per topic.

Events later in the day included roundtable discussions entitled Non-Profit Organization Management, Carbon Off-Sets, Acquisition and Development of Wetlands and eleven other subjects.

“We’ve preserved 125,000 acres and are steward to 20,000 acres,” said Carol Banhart of the NJ Conservation Foundation who was also a member of the rally's organization committee. She explained that preservation means much more than just buying and holding a parcel of land from development and that knowing the requirements of a property are crucial to its maintenance.

Michael Buriani, of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), hosted the workshop Changes In Environmental Due Diligence on Land Conservation Projects. In his talk, Buriani spoke of the pitfalls of environmental site remediation, the efforts involved with cleaning up farm dumps, underground storage tanks, urban fill material and historic pesticides.

Christine Hall, from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, presented scenarios of how farm material can seep into rivers and other waterways, and how different types of planning, landscaping and drainage can help minimize the negative effects of fertilizer and pest control run-off.

David Glenn, of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey, discussed the need to maintain the agricultural nature of New Jersey and how open space projects are becoming part of the effort by choice, not by state of forfeiture.

Glenn also raised a point of concern regarding the institution of farming in the state regarding what he termed aging-out. “The average age of a New Jersey farmer is roughly around 50 to 55," he said. "What will happen in 20 years? Will they still be farming at ages 70 and 75?”

Because of the economic issues of the times, Glenn considered that many of the projects involving agriculture are directly involved with financially able people, or as Glenn said, “Perhaps Wall Street types who are now looking for a different way of life.” He also said that there is a large segment of the conservation-minded population that might not go into farming with a clear-headed understanding of its difficulties, but instead fixated on the romance of farming life.

Regardless, Glenn said he welcomes the possibilities of open space partnerships and those willing to join in with them, because it would mean bringing newer generations into the field which, he said, will hopefully increase its sustainability.

Out in the hallway, several vendors and organizations manned tables full of literature, maps and brochures. Lori Jenssen, Executive Director of the New Jersey Forestry Association, said she sees their organization as “a conduit of information from all different sources to landowners.”

She spoke to the idea of such groups, and also suggested people might have the wrong idea about a subject like wood-cutting in forests. She said that sometimes cutting is required and that associations like hers are as active with what should be cut as they are with keeping other forest items as they are.

Ron Farr, of Farr Forestry Services LLC, agreed. “You think about the lifespan of humans," he explained. "Well, trees also have a lifespan; and sometimes, you have to remove old trees to allow new ones to grow. It’s a matter of knowing what, and how, to remove and the approach you take.”

A recurring motif throughout the vendors was the care and maintenance of property, and the advice that one of the best ways to achieve premium property preservation is to reduce waste and energy costs. Xavier Walter, President of The Energy Team, an energy efficiency cooperative, displayed products ranging from small replacement lightbulbs for lamps to LED tube-lighting to replace environmentally undesirable fluorescent bulbs. He also offered large-scale alternatives for field lighting.

Light pollution is an issue to which people don't often ascribe as one which needs a watchdog. However, as Walter's demonstration exhibited, it has a strong impact on the environment.

In regard to the LED (light-emitting diode) lamps, Walter said, “they are less than half the cost to run and last for 50-to-60,000 hours.” Walter added that, with the replacements, the actual LEDs never die out, only the circuitry they connect to, so the bulbs can be refurbished as good as new, and toxic components found in the common counterparts never hit the landfill.

The presentations offered much to think about, information to absorb and healthy conversation regarding all that's green and going greener in “the Garden State” in the year 2011.

Copyright © 2011 Patch

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http://www.ecomotown.com/2011/03/20/proposal-for-a-morristown-ecocenter/

Proposal for a Morristown EcoCenter

by ecomotown on March 20, 2011

On Friday evening, I was able to attend an informational event about the new proposed Morristown EcoCenter at 55 Bank Street in town.  While I had to duck out before the official slide show started, I did take a tour of the humongous building (20,000 sq. ft.) and glean some information that I’m happy with everyone.  (I also got to enjoy some delicious organic wine and local cheese!)

Plans for the proposed EcoCenter, which will be retrofit from the building that most recently housed the BMW and Mini Cooper dealerships,  feature an organic farm-to-table restaurant, rooftop gardens (which will supply some of the food for the restaurant), an eco-friendly retail store, a local food hub, community kitchen, sustainable business incubator companies, creative community space (for movies, talks, etc.) and a research center.  The project will be a joint venture with the building owner Jack McDonald, the Sustainable Business Incubator of New Jersey and community investors (they’re looking for people to step up to the plate).

Kevin at MorristownGreen.com has already done an excellent job of covering the story, so rather than reinventing the wheel by writing up the same things, I encourage you to visit his coverage and check out his photos.

While the project is still in the proposal stage, I’m hopeful and excited that this project could take off.  How amazing would it be to have an organic restaurant in town, or an incubator for sustainable businesses nearby?  I know the town is very supportive of the initiative, and I’m hoping all of the pieces come together!

©2011 ecomotown.com

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http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/B3/20110321/NJOPINION03/103210302/1026/Celebs-flock-Oscar-parties/Fight-bill-waivers-weaken-environmental-safeguards

Fight bill, waivers that weaken environmental safeguards

Mar 21, 2011
By Jim Waltman

New Jersey's strong environmental protections are under attack. As we've heard before, whenever economic cycles trend downward, corporate interests and the political leaders beholden to them blame the downturn on environmental regulations, which may lower their profits but protect consumers' health and welfare.

These tired old claims are now being heard again in Trenton. Motivated by the state's aggressive builder's lobby, legislators and the political appointees indebted to them are attempting to weaken a broad array of environmental legislation and regulations. This is despite the fact that no one has ever demonstrated that the costs of these hard-won regulations — which give us cleaner air and water — are greater than the benefits those regulations have delivered.

Today, two sharp threats to New Jersey's environment have emerged. First, the state Department of Environmental Protection has proposed a new rule that would allow developers and polluters to secure waivers from virtually every environmental regulation if the agency determines that the rule is "unduly burdensome." The proposal does not define "burdensome."

Second, the state Assembly is considering a bill, A-2486, that would prohibit the DEP from adopting any regulation that provides for more than minimum federal environmental requirements. While this measure was pulled from a vote, it has strong advocates and will likely return. With several critical environmental regulations scheduled to expire and needing to be extended, the bill could force dramatic rollbacks in existing protections.

The premise that waivers from air and water protections are a magic bullet that would make the economy magically recover is absurd. Letting developers get permits faster to cut down the state's dwindling forests, fill its floodplains and turn farmland into shopping malls would be harmful to both our environment and our economy. States that offer a high quality of life attract economic growth.

New Jersey has a long history of enacting environmental protections that exceed federal standards — many are the strongest in the nation. Despite these significant strides, more work needs to be done. New Jersey's industrial legacy and dense population cause many of New Jersey's streams and rivers to violate water-quality standards. Our air often fails to meet safe breathing levels, and we have more contaminated sites than any other state.

Where we have made strides in cleaning up our water, air and landscape, it is because of our strong environmental laws and rules.

We all deserve to have strong environmental regulations to protect our water and environment, rather than just broadly written, minimum federal requirements. Developers and polluters should not be able to secure waivers from the rules that were enacted to protect the rest of us.

If developing our dwindling green spaces and relaxing protection for our air and water is the answer, the state's leaders are asking the wrong question.

What we need are incentives to shift the economy of the Garden State to a more sustainable path, one based on industries such as our impressive research corporations that prize our highly educated and technically trained population. A sustainable economy encourages local production of food, energy and other essentials, and redevelopment and revitalization of abandoned buildings and neighborhoods.

Concerned residents should contact their representatives in the Assembly and tell them to oppose bill A-2486 and protect their family's health and safety by protecting clean water, air and the environment. While you're at it, call the DEP to object to the proposed waiver rule. Don't let the Legislature and administration turn back the clock on the strong environmental protections we've fought so hard to achieve.

Jim Waltman is executive director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.

Copyright © 2011 www.MyCentralJersey.com

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http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20110320/OPINION01/103200326/1047/opinion/Bills-would-protect-water-supply-from-fracking

Bills would protect water supply from fracking

Mar 20, 2011
Written by JEFF TITTEL
For the Courier-Post

Fracking is the biggest threat to the Delaware River Basin. New Jersey has not done its job in regards to protecting the 3 million residents whose water supply is at risk from fracking. John Plonski, the state representative on the Delaware River Basin Commission, said that New Jersey's position is that it does not want to do anything to impede on the development for natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. Who does he work for -- New Jersey or Pennsylvania? The gas drillers or the people who pay his salary?

The Delaware River Basin Commission rules regarding natural gas development regulations are weak, ineffective, and will not adequately deal with the threat to New Jersey's water supply from fracking. Since these rules are not comprehensive and New Jersey has not done enough to protect us, legislators have introduced bills to further protect New Jersey from the effects of fracking.

S2575, sponsored by Sen. Robert M. Gordon, D-Bergen, would prohibit Plonski from supporting or voting in support of any kind of approval to withdraw water for the purposes of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for natural gas. This legislation would force our representative to do what is right and protect the people of New Jersey instead of siding with Pennsylvania.

Taking it even a step further, S2576 would prohibit hydraulic fracturing in New Jersey for natural gas. New Jersey must set the example and protect its residents against the harmful technique known as fracking. The bills will set the stage putting New Jersey in the forefront in the fight against fracking.

The drinking water of more than 15 million people will be affected by what happens in the Delaware River Basin. Documents from the Environmental Protection Agency have recently surfaced regarding waste water containing radioactive materials at higher levels than previously thought. This waste water is being shipped to treatment plants that regulators fear cannot handle this waste and will enter into individual's water supply.

Plonski formerly worked for the Pennsylvania government and seems more concerned about Pennsylvania's interests than New Jersey's. Another 30 days does not give the public enough time to review 800 pages of rules or analysis of the impact it will have on the drinking water.

Thirty-nine N.J. legislators sent a clear message recently to the Delaware River Basin Commission on the agency's proposed natural gas development regulations: adopting these rules now is premature and not based on sound science. The legislators requested that the DRBC maintain a moratorium on natural gas drilling in the basin until the EPA completes a cumulative impact study.

Fracking in the basin will clear cut hundreds of thousands of acres of forest and put more than 100 billion gallons of fracking fluids into our river. Clear cutting forests and building pipeline will increase flooding in the Delaware River, which has seen three major floods in the last five years.

The rules do not adequately regulate air emissions from drilling, associated pipelines or trucks. They do not adequately regulate drilling of wells for water for fracking. There are no spacing requirements for the tens of thousands of wells expected.

They do not take into consideration the impact to the homes in the region, as well as the environment. There is no real regulatory authority to deal with the contaminated ground water that may be left behind, which could get into streams or the aquifer. There is no comprehensive list of the toxic chemicals involved that could end up in the water supply.

Approximately 500 people showed up in Trenton for the DRBC hearings recently and Plonski was not there. Three million people in New Jersey get their drinking water from the Delaware River. Fracking is the biggest threat to that water supply as long as there has been a DRBC, yet New Jersey and our representative on the commission is more concerned about what Pennsylvania thinks than protecting New Jersey's water. This is why we need this legislation.

The writer is director of the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter.

Copyright © 2011 www.courierpostonline.com

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http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/118314114.html

Inquirer Editorial: Is our water safe?

Posted on Sun, Mar. 20, 2011

Growing doubts about the safety of high-pressure drilling for natural gas should persuade the Delaware River Basin Commission to extend its drilling ban.

The DRBC doesn't get much attention, but it has an important job protecting the quality of drinking water for 15 million people. The four-state watershed it monitors - parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware - provides water for all of the Philadelphia region, much of South Jersey, and half of New York City.

The agency is accepting public comment until April 15 on its proposal to allow gas companies to begin hydraulic-fracture drilling, or fracking, in northeastern Pennsylvania. Those counties near the upper reaches of the Delaware sit atop the Marcellus Shale formation and its vast deposits of gas.

In northern and western Pennsylvania, the drilling boom is in full swing. Drilling companies were issued more than 3,300 permits last year. The DRBC expects eventually there could be 18,000 wells drilled in its jurisdiction. The agency's proposed rules for drilling are generally tougher than Pennsylvania's regulations.

Landowners in northeastern Pennsylvania who would benefit from lease payments and royalties want drilling to begin there.

But as fracking has expanded rapidly over the past two years, more questions are being raised about its impact on the environment and on public health. There is growing evidence that the state's infrastructure cannot cleanse the polluted wastewater that is a byproduct of fracking.

Millions of gallons of water, salt, and chemicals from drilling wells must be treated before it is returned to rivers and streams. But in western Pennsylvania, public-water suppliers are finding an increase in salty bromides. Some suppliers are in violation of federal drinking-water standards.

Bromides can form chemical compounds that cause cancers and birth defects. Two suspected sources of bromides are drilling wastewater and wastewater from pollution-control scrubbers at coal-fired power plants.

The gas industry disputes that Marcellus drilling is causing the problem. But concerns also have been raised about water-treatment plants' being unable to filter out radioactive materials from the drilling wastewater.

State regulators also have dealt with several instances of methane contamination of well water near Marcellus drilling sites and spills of fracturing fluid.

Public health concerns led New York to impose a moratorium on Marcellus drilling in that state. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency is conducting its first study of how hydraulic fracturing may affect public drinking water.

It would be illogical for the DRBC to lift its moratorium before the results of the EPA study are known. There should also be a review of the impact in this watershed. The most sensible course for the 15 million people who depend on clean drinking water in the Delaware River watershed is for the DRBC to extend its ban on drilling for now.

© Copyright 2011 Philadelphia Media Network Inc.

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