AFTER FLOODING, MOORESTOWN TALKS STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
News Article • 6/30/2019 • by George Woolston at Burlington County Times
One week after torrential rain flooded much of Burlington County, the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters hosted a meet and greet Tuesday with the mayor and deputy mayor to discuss one of the township’s more pervasive problems — stormwater management.
NEW LAW SIMPLIFIES HOW STATE ALLOCATES FUNDS TO PRESERVE OPEN SPACE
News Article • 6/28/2019 • by Tom Johnson at NJ Spotlight
Gov. Phil Murphy has signed a bipartisan bill that determines how the state will allocate constitutionally dedicated funds to preserve open space, farmland and historic structures.
The new law could result in less messy fights over how to dispense a big pot of corporate business tax revenues to fund a wide array of open space projects each year. This year, $155 million will be divvied up among state and local governments and nonprofit groups that annually vie for the money.
EDISON’S GREAT-GRANDSON CONDEMNS LIGHTBULB EFFICIENCY STANDARD ROLLBACK
News Article • 6/12/2019
Barry Edison Sloane, Thomas Edison’s great-grandson, condemned the Trump administration’s rollback of lightbulb efficiency standards that reduce energy consumption and save consumers billions of dollars each year.
“Today, we stand together to call attention to a roll back of the federal lightning standard that could cost consumers billions, increase air pollution, and take us ten steps back in addressing the climate crisis,” said Ed Potosnak, executive director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. “Federal light bulb standards may seem like a small thing, but in fact they have enormous impacts on our wallets and our environment."
New Jersey LCV Ed Fund Grades Murphy on First Year Achievements
Press Release • 1/9/2019
TRENTON, NJ- New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (Fund), a statewide organization dedicated to preserving our environment, announced its scoring of the Murphy Administration on the Governor’s first year in office. The score reflects the environmental achievements of Governor Phil Murphy.
STATE STILL STRUGGLING WITH STORMWATER RUNOFF, CAN NEW BILL HELP?
News Article • 5/11/2018 • by Tom Johnson at NJ Spotlight
The state is reviving a decade-old idea to help New Jersey address a $15 billion problem to better manage stormwater runoff, an issue widely recognized as fouling waterways and exacerbating flooding.
Borrowing a concept already in place in more than 40 states, the Senate Environment and Energy Committee approved a bill (S-1073) to allow towns and counties to set up stormwater utilities as a mechanism for controlling pollution from runoff.
The bill, or some version of it, has been kicked around by lawmakers for years, but has had a tough time winning approval — and when it did, former Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the measure.
Sen. Bob Smith, a Democrat from Middlesex who is chairman of the committee and sponsored of the bill, is cautiously optimistic this time. “We’re not doing any victory laps because it’s going to be a very hard bill to pass,’’ he said, adding, “this is the best version of a stormwater utilities bill I’ve seen in a long time.’’
Environmental groups vary in grading Gov. Murphy's first 100 days
News Article • 4/27/2018 • by Michelle Brunetti Post at Press of Atlantic City
Environmental groups are varied in how they grade Gov. Phil Murphy on his first 100 days.
The New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Education Fund gave him an A-, while New Jersey Sierra Club graded him a C.
“Murphy has indeed delivered on some of his commitments including blocking offshore drillings, promoting environmental justice, and promoting offshore wind,” Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel said in a press release.
But he said the administration also has cut the Department of Environmental Protection budget and is taking some of its surplus, and is still taking money from the Clean Energy Fund -- which is created through surcharges on utility customers' monthly bills -- for the general fund.
In contrast, League of Conservation Voters Education Fund Executive Director Ed Potosnak said Murphy gets high marks, calling the first 100 days “a whirlwind of pro-environmental actions, propelling New Jersey back to a leadership position to become the greenest state in America.”
Governor Murphy Earns High Marks on Environment in First 100 Days
Press Release • 4/25/2018
TRENTON, NJ- New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (New Jersey LCV Ed Fund), a statewide organization dedicated to preserving our environment, released its Murphy Administration Environmental Tracker today to highlight Governor Murphy’s first 100 days in office. Last year the New Jersey LCV Ed Fund conducted Green in ’17, a robust education and public engagement effort with the goal of elevating environmental issues in the 2017 gubernatorial election.
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Education Fund’s Executive Director Ed Potosnak said, “Governor Murphy’s first 100 days has been a whirlwind of pro-environmental actions, propelling New Jersey back to a leadership position to become the greenest state in America. Right now, on the governor’s desk sits a bill requiring New Jersey to achieve over 50 percent renewable energy by 2030, a great down payment for the Governor Murphy’s commitment to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.”
Environment Briefs: Gov. Murphy's advisors say clean energy first priority
News Article • 1/27/2018 • by Michelle Brunetti Post at Press of Atlantic City
Governor Phil Murphy's Environment and Energy Transition Advisory Committee says the administration's first priority should be making a clean energy future a reality in New Jersey.
It proposed four main priorities for the new administration last week, in its report.
The priorities were in line with the “Environmental Agenda ’18, New Jersey’s Conservation Road Map,” released by a coalition of 30 environmental groups last Fall, said New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Ed Potosnak.
The NJLCV Education Fund led that effort, and the road map gave the new administration a list of priorities in nine categories the groups want the administration to tackle in its first 100 days, first year and first term.
Environmental Agenda '18 Maps a Plan for Governor Murphy
News Article • 1/17/2018 • by Alex Ambrose at Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed
Governor Phil Murphy was sworn in to office on January 16, 2018, and with his new role comes the responsibility of addressing environmental issues facing the Garden State. In response to these challenges, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Education Fund released Environmental Agenda ’18: New Jersey’s Conservation Roadmap, a report that contains expert recommendations and goals to address top environmental challenges and ensure a cleaner, greener New Jersey in mid-November. Environmental Agenda ’18 makes recommendations for Murphy's first 100 days, first year, and first term.
Clean, plentiful water is New Jersey’s lifeblood
News Article • 12/21/2017 • by Michele S. Byers at Shore News Today
Much is overhyped lately, but there is no exaggerating the importance of abundant clean water. Quite simply, it’s critical to our health, environment and economy.
Unlike some states where water is scarce, New Jersey is defined by water. We’re bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Hudson River, Delaware River and Delaware Bay, and have an almost uncountable number of rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, marshes, bays and estuaries.
With nearly 9 million residents, a thriving agricultural industry and many water-dependent businesses, the Garden State’s clean water needs are enormous. But so are the threats.