Sierra Club Names New Executive Director
A Primer on New Jersey’s Offshore Wind Industry
By Denise Brush • Issues Coordinator for Offshore Wind
Offshore wind development is a big deal for New Jersey that New Jerseyans are going to be hearing a lot about over the next few years. I hope this overview will provide Sierra Club members with a greater understanding of the situation and what to expect in the future.
West Windsor Finalizes Approval for Bridge Point Warehouses
On November 2, 2022, the West Windsor Township Planning Board finalized approval for the proposed Bridge Point 8 Industrial Park—possibly the largest warehouse project ever proposed in New Jersey. It will encompass 5.5 million square feet (MSF) of warehouses on 645 acres off Route 1 and Quakerbridge Road, formerly an agricultural chemical research complex for American Cyanamid.
How to Address Warehouse Development in Your Town
NJ Offers Help with Stormwater Control
By Greg Gorman • ggorman@embargmail.com
The 2020 New Jersey Scientific Report on Climate Change forecasts precipitation in New Jersey to increase 4% to 11% by 2050. The intensity and frequency of storms is also anticipated to increase.Many NJ communities either don’t have a stormwater management system in place or have one that is not able to adequately absorb, capture, or convey stormwater. Stormwater carries with it oil, pesticides, other chemicals, sediments, and bacteria that may contaminate state waters. New Jersey has a major challenge to avoid the consequences of flooding and water pollution, which are compounded by sea level rise.
Water Quality Improvement
Progress With Low-Emission Vehicles
By Bill Beren • Transportation Committee Chair
In October, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $965 million nationwide for electric and low-polluting school buses under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Just two NJ districts received funding; these were the Atlantic County Special Services and Bridgeton City School districts. Nationwide, the awards were heavily weighted to rural districts. The NJ Chapter will be working with our national allies to encourage the EPA to take pollution levels as well as poverty levels into account when awarding the next tranche of grants.
Building Electrification Is Making Headway in NJ
Previously, we have described the concept of “building electrification” (BE) and what is involved in the transition to electrified, or clean, buildings. Here, we talk about recent developments and successes.
The Perfect Swarm: NJ, Mosquitoes, & Climate Change
Most of us focus on large-scale effects of climate change: sea level rise, storms, droughts, floods, and fire. We don’t often consider how rising temperatures might affect populations of insects, ticks, and spiders, and how these may affect us. The mosquito is a case in point. It is an insect to be taken very seriously as temperatures warm.
Companies Need Standards for Climate Change Action
By Tony Hagen, editor@newjersey.sierraclub.org
One of the points made at the recent Reuters Impact environmental conference was that we need environmental, social, and governmental (ESG) standards to ensure that companies act responsibly as climate change gets worse.
Welcoming Our New Staff Member and Volunteers
Building Up Youth Involvement
Youth Committee Chair’s Message
By Raghav Akula • 23akular@mtps.us
Issue-focused committees have provided working muscles for the NJ Chapter’s advocacy, from transportation to offshore wind to legislative action. Now, a new source of strength has been added to the Chapter: the Youth Committee.
Report from Trenton: The Bear Hunt Is Back
On Nov. 15 the NJ Fish and Game Council voted to approve the return of New Jersey’s black bear hunt, over the objections of many.
Report from Trenton: Biden Pushed to Make Good on IRA Promises
By George Moffatt • gmoffattgt@aol.com
A coalition of about 160 local and national advocacy groups, including the Sierra Club’s NJ Chapter, are pushing the Biden administration to quickly implement the environmental provisions of the federal Inflation Reduction Act.drastically increase renewable energy output from its 2021 level of 12% of total US energy consumption.
Report from Trenton: NJ Wants to Move Construction Higher Up
Opinion: Awash in Warehouses and Diesel Trucks
By George Moffatt
New Jersey has thousands of miles of state and interstate high-speed highways. “The Garden State” is clearly becoming “The Corridor State.” Today, 18-wheelers and “last mile” delivery trucks dominate our highways, county roads, and even residential streets. With the growth of storage and order fulfillment centers, gas and soot-belching diesel trucks are increasing the state’s already dangerous air and water toxins, polluting rivers (parking lot runoff), and creating 24-7 noise, dust, and traffic.
Opinion: Can More Trees Reduce CO2 Emissions?
By George Moffat • gmoffattgt@aol.com
Since our carbon dioxide (CO2) level today may be the highest in almost 4 million years, will planting trees help sequester the CO2 driving our catastrophic climate problems? Yes? Maybe? Probably not?
Tour Highlights Assunpink Creek Flooding Issues
By Joanne Pannone • Central Jersey Group Chair
Fred Stine, citizen action coordinator of Delaware Riverkeeper, led Trenton-area nonprofit representatives on a driving tour of the Assunpink Creek from where it travels under city streets in Trenton to its headwaters in Monmouth County. We visited the Hetzel Pool rain garden, which reduces stormwater runoff, and also a brownfield reclamation in a floodplain.
Enjoying the Fall Foliage in Shenandoah National Park
By Gary Frederick • Conservation Chair, Raritan Valley Group
Among our great national parks, Shenandoah lies within a day’s drive of New Jersey and contains some of the most pristine forested wilderness areas on the East Coast. During this past fall, when foliage colors were at their peak, I spent a few days with my wife and friends hiking the park’s magnificent trails and enjoying breathtaking views across the Shenandoah Valley.
Close Encounter of the Rattlesnake Kind
By Paul Sanderson • paulmsanderson@aol.com
Some weeks ago, a friend and I went for a walk in the Pequannock Watershed (West Milford) on the White Trail, accessible from parking areas P4 to P7 off Clinton Road.
Electric Vehicles on Display
Solving the PFAS Problem
Per- and poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are linked to serious illness. In 2021, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection ruled some PFAS chemicals should be limited to ≤ 13 parts per trillion (ppt) in drinking water. The federal government now advises that maximum exposures for this class of PFAS should be ≤ .004 ppt.