Rush Holt Newsletter: Dollar by Dollar

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

In most cases, federal agencies do a good job of ensuring that people receive the money that they are owed. But sometimes, people find that they have fallen through the cracks or simply haven’t received fair treatment from their government. Many come to me for help, thousands this year.

Congressman Rush Holt

I help people from many backgrounds – from people who are living below the poverty line to those of comfortable means, including many seniors, veterans, soldiers, and new citizens.

They have a wide range of problems, from Social Security or veterans’ benefits that have been wrongly denied, to IRS penalties that have been inaccurately assessed, and more.

I do my best to help. Not every result is a positive one, but I am pleased to report that, as of this week, I have helped secure more than $1,000,000 for Central New Jersey residents this year.

Among the constituents I’ve helped:

• A South River resident, a victim of identity theft, could not receive his tax refund because a hold had been placed on his IRS account. After my inquiry, he received a check for $3,627.
• A West Windsor resident’s deceased husband, a 100% disabled veteran who died from service-related injuries, had applied for disability benefits that were never awarded. With my help, she received a total of $116,105 in retroactive benefits, burial benefits, and other payments.
• A Manalapan resident was denied an insurance payment for the costs of ambulance travel to an emergency room. After I reached out to his insurer, he was reimbursed $924.

In addition to assistance that produces direct financial benefits, I also work to help constituents who have encountered non-financial problems with federal agencies, such as delays in passport or visa applications, difficulty in recovering lost discharge papers or military medals, and much more.

If you have encountered problems in your dealings with any federal agency, please contact me by visiting http://holt.house.gov/contact or calling 1-87-RUSH-HOLT (1-877-874-4658). I will do my best to help you get answers.

Preparing for Hurricane Sandy

The National Weather Service is reporting that a confluence of weather systems, including Hurricane Sandy, is now approaching the mid-Atlantic coast. The forecast remains uncertain, but the system could bring very high winds, significant rain, and even snow to New Jersey. This has the potential to be a serious, even historic, storm, and the time to prepare is now.

The Red Cross has prepared a helpful checklist of steps that you can take before and after a hurricane to protect yourself, your family, and your belongings. In particular, please be sure that you have a three-day supply of water and non-perishable food on hand (including for any pets), as well as a flashlight, battery-powered radio, first aid kid, and any necessary medications.

Should you lose power, please report the outage to 1-800-436-PSEG (1-800-436-7734) if you are served by PSE&G or to 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) if you are served by JCP&L.

Please continue to pay close attention to weather forecasts in the days ahead. Stay safe!

Stop Defending the Indefensible

Last week, the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. I had joined 144 of my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in a brief urging the court to reject DOMA, which prevents the federal government from recognizing lawfully performed same-sex marriages.

The 2nd Circuit Court’s decision is the latest in a string of victories in the legal battle against marriage discrimination. Indeed, DOMA appears to be on the verge of being overturned entirely: the Obama administration has determined the law to be unconstitutional, and federal courts have agreed in six consecutive decisions.

The only reason that DOMA is being defended in court at all is that Speaker Boehner and House Republicans have insisted upon supporting the wrong-headed law. So far, Speaker Boehner has spent more than $1.5 million taxpayer dollars on this losing legal battle.

It is time to stop spending taxpayer money defending DOMA. The law is indefensible.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt

Survey Confirms that New Jersey is a Solar Power; Two Garden State utilities finish in the top 10 nationwide when it comes to adding solar capacity

If you are a proponent of green and clean energy and think that solar energy is the best way to go, then the following article posted on NJspotlight will be of great interest to you. Our great state of New Jersey is among the leaders of the nation when it comes to installing solar panels that generate electrical power for both the general public, individuals and industry.

561 megawatts of electricity were added last year through solar panels around the state, which represents a 300% increase over what was reported in 2009.

The road forward in solar energy production may be changing in the near future however, if proposed changes by the Christie administration move forward.

In another indication of the fast-paced growth of New Jersey’s solar market, two of the state’s four electric utilities ranked in the top 10 nationally in adding solar power in the past year, according to a new survey.

Newark Schools Partner with PSE&G to Create Green Curriculum

Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) and Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) ranked third and ninth, respectively, in the amount of solar capacity added in 2010 according to a survey by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). Atlantic City Electric, ranked 12th in new solar capacity, but broke into the top 10 at ninth in solar watts per customer, which is a measure of the utility’s new solar capacity divided by number of customers. PSE&G finished second in that category.

The annual survey, the fourth one done by the association, reflects the growing trend of utilities to incorporate solar power into their energy portfolios. All told, the nation’s utilities integrated 561 megawatts of solar electricity into their deliveries, a 100 percent increase over the previous year, the association said.

Christie's Changes
The findings come at a time when Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday recommended sweeping changes in New Jersey’s solar program, which is second to only California's in the number of systems that have been installed. The Governor’s overhauled Energy Master Plan recommends steering most of the state’s efforts in developing solar away from residential installations to commercial and industrial applications, where, it argues, the state will get a bigger bang for its buck.

It is unclear how the changes will affect the electric utilities in the state, all of whom have programs geared to encouraging residential solar installations. But Al Matos, a vice president for PSE&G, said the utility will tailor its program to conform to the new recommendations....

Continue reading .... Here

NJ Will More Than Double Solar Power Generation

Remember that silly video that Chris Christie put out a few weeks ago about "his commitment to expand renewable energy production as the foundation of the state's economic future?

And how he was widely ridiculed for trying to pander to President Obama and his New Jersey supporters by saying that he was behind the Presidents energy plan, and how " Renewable energy is the future and as the country and the world make it a priority, my administration will be committed to making New Jersey a leading provider and supporter of green technology."

The video, if you all remember was filled with a number of misleading statistics and facts and was generally panned by both critics and some supporters.

The following story from the Associated Press was released last night and announced that New Jersey will soon be the trailing only California in the production of solar power, generating 232 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 232,000 homes in the state while creating 200 new green jobs:

NEWARK, N.J. – Regulators approved more than $515 million in projects Wednesday that will more than double the amount of solar power generated in New Jersey and will solidify the state's No. 2 spot behind California in power produced from the sun.

The state Board of Public Utilities gave the green light to proposals from four utilities that together will yield 145 megawatts of solar energy, enough to power about 130,000 homes, and will boost the state total to 232 megawatts.

"We're all in this climate change boat together, and we're all going to sink or swim together," board president Jeanne Fox said.

With global warming, many nations have been working to reduce the use of fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases, a major contributor to pollution and climate change. The United States had 791 megawatts of solar capacity at the end of last year, with California accounting for 530 megawatts, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has said he wants 30 percent of the energy consumed in the state to come from renewable sources by 2020.

Of the projects approved Wednesday, PSE&G proposed the largest — $515 million in solar panels installed on more than 200,000 utility poles plus solar gardens and rooftop arrays. Combined, the solar plants will produce 80 megawatts of electricity and power about 72,000 homes. The utility, New Jersey's largest, expects to complete the project by the end of 2013.

Consumers initially will pay $1.28 a year to fund the solar generation, and pay up to $4.08 by 2028.

The project is expected to create about 200 jobs. South Plainfield-based Petra Solar will produce solar panels for PSE&G and says most of some 100 workers it expects to hire will be used for the project. Also, PSE&G estimates an additional 90 jobs will be created for other parts of the project.

Regulators also approved proposals from three utilities that together will generate an estimated 65 megawatts of electricity from the sun. Jersey Central Power & Light was given the OK to contract for 42 megawatts of solar power through 2012. Atlantic City Electric Company was cleared for 19 megawatts and Rockland Electric Company, for 3.8 megawatts.

Solar energy currently costs more to produce — between $6 and $8 per watt — than power generated from fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, according to Lance Miller, chief of policy and planning for the board. The cost is expected to reach parity in seven to 10 years.