A Trip of a Lifetime to Our National Parks
By Kristina Woodard • Mid-Atlantic Deputy Regional Field Director
As it turns out, cheering loudly about the beauty of natural wonders while traversing America’s public lands is a surefire way to get your 10-year-old son rolling his eyes. All the same, it’s true! We live on a fantastic continent.
Regulate Data Centers Now!
By Anjuli Ramos-Busot • Director, New Jersey Chapter, Sierra Club
Editor’s note: This is an Op-Ed that appeared on NJ Spotlight News
They’re doing more than straining the grid, and they stick us with bad water and dirty air if we fail to site them appropriately.
Legislation Can Protect Us From Data Centers
By Pat Miller • Co-Chair, Building Electrification Committee
Whether or not we need a moratorium on data centers, we certainly need some rules and regulations in place around them. And fast! Or we can expect similarly steep cost increases in future.
A New Kind of Big Box Sprawl Takes Over
By Patricia Hilliard • Hudson County Group
You may have seen them as you drive along major highways in New Jersey: big box warehouses that sprawl across the land. They seem to be popping up on farmland, but more of them exist in Camden, Essex, and Hudson County where there is access to major railroads and shipping ports.
Keyport Contamination Raises Fresh Concerns
By Greg Remaud • Executive Director, NY/NJ Baykeeper
A recent NJ.com story citing a large number of cancer cases among residents near the Aeromarine landfill (officially, Keyport Sanitary Landfill) renewed focus on risks posed by toxins leaching from it. While alarming, we await investigations by the appropriate agencies to determine if there are any links between local cancer rates and this site.
Renew the Electric School Bus Grant Program!
By Bill Beren • Transportation Committee Chair, Beren1@verizon.net
There was a lot of activity related to clean transportation in New Jersey in the first quarter of 2026.
This Column Was Not Written by AI
By Joe Testa • chapter.chair@newjersey.sierraclub.org
When you have a column to write on deadline, on occasion writer’s block sets in and the columnist drifts toward a state of panic. These days, there is an easy out: “Claude, write a 750-word article for me on the impacts of AI data center energy consumption in New Jersey.” Thirty seconds later, presto! We would have a very nice article. But at what price?
Paul R. Ehrlich Was Much Maligned
By Tony Hagen • editor@newjersey.sierraclub.org
Sierrans come in all shapes and sizes. One such was Paul R. Ehrlich, who passed away recently at the age of 93. Somehow Ehrlich managed to get his spurs lodged in the side of certain conservatives during his lifetime, such that they practically celebrated his death.
Trials and Tribulations of Our Mistreated Milk Cows
By George Moffatt • Education Chair, Jersey Shore Group
A recent ad in a very national magazine stated that milk cows eat a variety of healthy foods. It listed citrus and beet pulp, brewer’s grains, but also candy and unsold bakery goods (cows reportedly love chocolate). Good PR, certainly. But just try to sell this food utopia fantasy to the cows.
Monthly Donations Help!
By Jim Andreano • Fundraising Committee Chair, Jimandreano@gmail.com
We have completed our March fundraising appeal, and our summer appeal will begin soon. As always, every donation is appreciated and every donor is cherished. If you are or have been a donor, we humbly invite you to take the next step. Make it monthly! Sign up for a monthly donation at whatever level feels right for you.
Guest Column: NJ’s Freshwater and Ecosystems Under Threat
By Sonja Hegel • Visitor Experience Guide, Edelman Fossil Park & Museum
South Jersey’s beloved Pine Barrens National Reserve and Shore towns rely heavily on one of our lesser-known great treasures, the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer. Seventeen trillion gallons in scope, the aquifer is surficial, meaning it is a shallow groundwater system that sustains the region’s wetlands and waterways.
How to Lower Your Electric Bill and Support the Grid
By Betsy Longendorfer • Building Electrification Committee
Across the country, consumers have seen a dramatic rise in electricity prices driven by increased power demand, mostly from data centers. Data centers increase energy use but more importantly, they increase peak demand on very hot days. One solution being developed by states, including the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU), is allowing customers or aggregated groups of customers to flexibly manage their energy usage and even sell power back to the grid. This is called a “virtual power plant” (VPP).
War Results in Environmental Harm
By Joanne Pannone • Central Jersey Group
These conflicts in Iran and Ukraine aren’t good for the health of our planet. What happens to our environmental cleanup progress when we have a war? Our ability to limit climate pollution that harms our health and our economy unravels with every boom.
Upgrades and High Demand Push Up Water Rates
By Kathleen (Kip) P. Cherry, PP, AICP • Conservation Chair, Central Jersey Group
Much has been said about the sharp rise in electricity and gas rates, but water rates are also going up, and it is important to understand what’s causing this. Essential water utility upgrades and higher water demand are the chief drivers.
HAMILTON REPORTS
Articles in Order:
Don’t Roll Up Your Pants, Support NJ PACT REAL
Bag This Pipeline, Now!
State Backs Away From Offshore Wind
Cleaning up Metal Scrapyards
West Orange Rejects Housing Plan
ExCom Meeting Highlights
March & April Highlights