Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100

Senate Passes Enviro and Energy Bills

Today, the Senate passed the following pieces of legislation:

Crude Oil Plans S806 (Weinberg) requires operators carrying Bakken crude shipments to have discharge response, cleanup, and contingency plans to transport certain hazardous materials by rail. Previous Bakken train derailments have led to train cars setting on fire, homes being destroyed, forced evacuations of entire towns, threatened water supplies, and human casualties. The bill passed by a vote of 26-10. The bill now goes to the Governor’s desk.

“We need this bill so that first responders and others will know what to do in case of accident, spill, or derailment of one of these dangerous trains. Bakken crude, especially when traveling by rail, is a ticking time bomb. These trains are carrying extremely dangerous and volatile substances putting our communities and environment at risk. These communities are completely unaware about what is traveling through their towns and how to handle a potential devastating accident. Communities are burden with all the risk, while the companies reap all the monetary benefit. Communities have the Right-to-Know what is coming through and how to react in case of emergency,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Lead Hazard Assistance S996 (Rice) would appropriate $10 million for the Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund in the state budget. The fund assists homeowners and property owners in reducing lead-based paint hazards in housing units. Lead is a dangerous substance, especially for children, to consume and causes damage to the brain and nervous system. The bill passed by a vote of 38-0.

“This $10 million in funding is important to remove lead from homes. Lead is a serious problem and it’s getting worse in our state, affecting children the most. New Jersey’s children are already suffering from lead exposure and this bill will help remove lead from homes and protect them. Lead is one of the most hazardous substances known to man and it impacts children, especially small children, in our urban areas. Thousands of children are diagnosed with lead poisoning in New Jersey each year; over 3,000 in 2015 alone. We need more oversight on lead to protect our children,” said Jeff Tittel.

Water Quality Accountability Act S2834 (Sweeney) imposes certain testing, reporting, management, and infrastructure investment requirements on water purveyors. The bill sets a limit of three violations before mitigation must be done. It also states that every water purveyor must implement an asset management plan designed to inspect, maintain, repair, and renew its infrastructure, as well as a cyber security plan. The bill passed by a vote of 39-0.

“We have a crisis in New Jersey when it comes to drinking water and crumbling infrastructure. This bill is the first serious step to address this problem. Under this bill, if there is a series of violations exceeding the safe drinking water standards, then they must come up with a plan to mitigate for the problems and start to fix them. This bill also calls for water companies to assess the systems and then develop plans for replacing mains. We think the cycle is too long and that we should be doing more now because of all the problems with old leaky pipes, especially in the urban areas. However, this is a good bill for a first step,” said Jeff Tittel. “We need to come up with other sources of long-term funding for our water supply, such as water fees or impact fees from development. We also need to update the Water Supply Master Plan and upgrade many of our standards. We have a long way to go but this bill is a good first step.”

Sewage Disposal A4350 (Eustace)/ S2914 (Greenstein) would prohibit the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from imposing certain certification requirements on installers of individual subsurface sewage disposal systems using products approved by the DEP in lieu of laterals or filter material and designed in accordance with certain State regulations and applicable Permits to Construct and Operate Treatment Works. The bill passed by a vote of 37-0.

“I have some questions and concerns with this bill. We need to know if they still get inspected and signed off on by the town’s sanitarian? We need to know if they will get local permits. There is information missing from this bill,” said Jeff Tittel.

Reducing Food Waste S3027 (Smith) establishes State food waste reduction goal of 50 percent by 2030. The bill requires the DEP and DOA to jointly create and implement a plan to do so. This plan includes making recommendations for any administrative or legislative action deemed necessary to further progress toward achieving the State food waste reduction goal. The bill passed by a vote of 39-0.

“We support efforts to reduce the amount of food wasted in New Jersey and across the world. About 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year worldwide. Our landfills are full to bursting and much of that food waste is unnecessary. Food waste wastes land, water, and costs taxpayers money. By working to reduce food waste, we can be more efficient in how we use the planet we live on,” said Jeff Tittel.

Caps Transmission Lines SR96 (Smith) urges Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to impose cost caps on electric transmission projects. The bill passed by a voice vote.

“We support this resolution because we keep building unnecessary powerlines. These lines have environmental effects including air, water, and noise pollution from construction and onward. They also pose a threat to bird species and can reduce important habitat. All these lines do is enrich the pockets of the utilities at the expense of the consumers and environment,” said Jeff Tittel.

Smart Thermostats S3065 (Smith) provides gross income tax credit for costs to purchase and install smart thermostats. The bill passed by a vote of 35-2.

Smart Thermostats SR110 (Smith) urges BPU to adopt goal to equip 500,000 homes with energy-saving smart thermostats by 2023. The bill passed by a voice vote.

“Having smart meters and thermostats will encourage people to wash dishes or run their laundry at off-peak times. You can wash dishes at 6 pm during peak time or do it at a non-peak time such as 6 am or 10 pm and pay only a third as much. This not only saves consumers money, but decreases demand on the grid and reduces air pollution and greenhouse gasses. Having smart thermostats is a smart idea,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.