Enviro Bills Released from Senate Committee Today

The following environmental legislation was released from the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today, January 9, 2020.

S2252 (Smith/Greenstein): Establishes goals, initiatives, and programs to encourage and support use of plug-in electric vehicles. The updated version includes language of at least 330,000 registered light duty vehicles in the state to be plug-in electric by December 2025 and 2 million EV’s by 2035.

“This bill is one of the most important things we have done in the past decade to deal with climate change. Focusing on lowering emissions from mobile sources is critical because cars and trucks are the biggest source of air pollution in our state. The legislature is now accelerating moving forward with the original bill instead of the weakened one amended by the Murphy Administration. The new version will have the same targets as the original bill of 330,000 EV’s by 2025, 2 million by 2035, and at least 85% of all light duty vehicles sold in New Jersey will be electric by December of 2040. This bill will help kick electric vehicles into high gear. It’s a major step forward in making EVs a reality in our state,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We are finally going to put our foot on the acceleration and move forward after Murphy’s staff to cut back and weaken EV goals. Now the legislature needs to put the pedal to the medal and get this bill to the governor’s desk.”

S3407 (Sweeney/Oroho): removes statutory limitations on the number of permits that may be issued by Division of Fish and Wildlife for the taking of beaver.

“Currently the Division of Fish and Wildlife would only issue 200 permits for the taking of beavers and this bill would remove that cap.  Instead of the biologists at Fish and Wildlife setting the standards, we are doing it through legislation and this is wrong. The standards should be based on science, not politics.  Beavers can be a nuisance but they are also an important part of our ecosystem. We are concerned that this could lead to the extinction of beavers in New Jersey,” said Jeff Tittel.

Supporters of the bill say that beavers are pests and that trapping is the best way to manage them. Beaver dams have flooded roads and houses, and fallen trees can damage property. There are many nonlethal beaver management options, including physical deterrents like steel fences.

“Instead of trapping more beavers, we should be focusing on a comprehensive beaver management plan. This bill will do nothing to mitigate problems caused by beavers. We need to manage our lands in a way that respects the environment and nature. The limit of 200 permits was based on conservation figures calculated by Fish and Wildlife scientists. There is no science behind removing the limit, it caters only to trappers,” said Tittel. “We have been fighting this legislation for years, and we will continue fighting.”

S4275 (Smith): Allows BPU to increase cost to customers of Class I renewable energy requirement for energy years 2022 through 2024, under certain conditions.

“Raising the cap lets more sunlight in and will allow the solar program to move forward. We are heading into a crisis for solar energy, and this bill is a temporary solution. We have said from the beginning that the cost cap would hurt the solar industry and cause it to crash. This legislation is just a short-term fix that averages the cost cap out over five years to extend the program. Under this bill we can only get to 200 Megawatts per year instead of the 500 MW that we need to reach our clean energy goals,” said Jeff Tittel. “We should be completely getting rid of the cap. We don’t have caps on energy from coal, nuclear, oil, or gas. Having a cap on solar hurts renewable energy and favors fossil fuels.”

S1852 (Turner/Cruz-Perez): Enhances penalties for illegally operating a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle.

“We support this bill because these vehicles are creating havoc for New Jersey’s natural ecosystems. ATVs risk damaging the rare plant and animal species that are found in New Jersey’s forests. They trample small plants and disturb wetlands and streambeds. The silt alone hurts water quality and makes it harder for trout to lay eggs. These vehicles not only disrupt important natural habitat, but they contribute to air pollution as well. They are also a real safety issue. People are getting killed or hurt by illegal ATV drivers, and the drivers are getting hurt as well,” said Tittel. “The public deserves a safe place to recreate with their families. They shouldn’t have to worry about an ATV hurtling toward them.”

S2958 (Sarlo/Oroho): Establishes the “Energy Infrastructure Public – Private Partnership Act.”

“We have concerns with this bill because it provides privatization over direct government spending. It means more privatization of our grid and electrical system that takes away from government entities having control. The bill could be used to foster more fossil fuel versus energy efficiency and renewables. If we stop raiding the Clean Energy Fund and other environmental funds, that becomes an excuse to have to have these privatization programs go forward. Since the legislation would be done through the EDA  and its chair is the head of Natural Gas, we are concerned that New Jersey would promote more natural gas and fossil fuels versus renewable energy and efficiency,” said Jeff Tittel.

S3919 (Smith/Bateman)/A5583 (Pinkin): Prohibits sale, lease, rent or installation of certain equipment or products containing hydrofluorocarbons or other greenhouse gases.

“This bill is a step in the right direction when it comes to reducing GHG’s from the products we use everyday. Hydrofluorocarbons represent around 1% of total greenhouse gases but their impact on global warming can be hundreds to thousands of times greater than that of carbon dioxide. They can be found in cooling products like refrigerators, air conditioning for our homes and cars, aerosols, and more,” said Tittel. “It is important that we prohibit and phase out all products containing HCF’s and greenhouse gases so that we can mitigate our impact to global warming.”

S2815 (Beach/Smith)/A4382 (Pinkin): Requires paint producers to implement or participate in paint stewardship program.

“We have a problem with leftover paint. They should not be sitting around in people’s homes and garages. It is important that we dispose of this paint properly. There are a lot of hazardous chemicals in the paint like VOCs and other flammable substances that if not disposed properly, can end up in our soil, groundwater, and our air. This bill will encourage recycling of our paint and help get it out of our landfills and environment and reducing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane over time. Recycling paint will also help save resources used to make new paint,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.