Pallone & Sierra Club Celebrate Anniversary of EPA & Vow to Protect It

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2017



New Brunswick, NJ — Today at the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund Site in Laurence Harbor, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) and the New Jersey Sierra Club commemorated the creation of the EPA on July 9, 1970. The agency was created through bipartisan efforts during the Nixon administration to protect the nation’s air and water quality and prevent various forms of pollution. The EPA has played a leading role in protecting public health and combatting climate change, taking action on chemical safety and working towards a sustainable future. Dave Pringle, NJ Campaign Director of Clean Water Action, Doug O'Malley, Director of Environment New Jersey, and local officials were also at the event.

“For decades the EPA enjoyed bipartisan supports for its mission to ensure a safe, healthy and clean planet for our children and grandchildren,” said Pallone. “I have been proud to help strengthen the EPA, strengthen programs for environmental cleanup and support initiatives such as the Clean Power Plan that helps curb greenhouse-gas emissions. Unfortunately, the EPA and all that it stands for is now under attack by the Trump Administration, which values the views of the fossil fuel industry over scientific facts and the well-being of working families. Today we must recommit to the EPA and fight for all that it represents.”

“We are not just here to celebrate EPA’s commitment to the environment, but to defend the EPA from attacks and budget cuts. President Trump has declared war on the environment by trying to cut the budget and muzzle EPA and its scientists. By cutting the budget by 31 percent, Trump wants to get rid of thousands of EPA staff. His cuts will mean that there will not be enough personnel to make sure our water is safe to drink, our land is clean, our air is breathable, and New Jersey’s 118 Superfund Sites are cleaned-up. By cutting the Superfund program by 30 percent, the people living near a toxic site like the Raritan Bay will continue to suffer. It will mean there is no money to test our drinking water and make sure our health isn’t being threatened,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of New Jersey Sierra Club. “We must continue to stand up to the Fossil Fool in the White House and make sure our environment is protected for the next 47 years.”

"EPA's anniversary should be a reminder that President Trump's draconian budget cuts are still hanging over the agency," said Doug O'Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. "There's nothing to celebrate about a budget that will take EPA back 47 years and reverse our environmental progress and stop Superfund clean-ups in their tracks. We need leaders like Congressman Pauline to carry this fight forward in Congress and we need all of New Jersey's Congressman to stand up to these budget cuts."

Congressman Pallone and the Sierra Club have been strong supporters of the EPA and initiatives such as its Superfund and Brownfields Programs, which were established to address the country’s most hazardous waste sites and protect public health and the environment. New Jersey has the most Superfund toxic sites in the nation. The Brownfields program was created in 2002 by legislation authored in the House by Pallone and the late Republican Ohio Rep. Paul Gillmor. Congressman Pallone recently secured reauthorization of the program through the Energy and Commerce Committee.

The Sierra Club and Pallone have also spoken out against President Trump’s budget, which would cut the EPA’s budget by 31 percent, including significant reductions to research programs and enforcement of clean air and clean water programs. The President’s budget request would eliminate 3,800 EPA employees, which comprise 20% of the agency’s workforce. There are 46 EPA programs that would be completely eliminated.

On May 7, it was reported that the EPA had dismissed at least five members of a major scientific review board; the dismissed members were academic scientists. A spokesman for Administrator Scott Pruitt said he would consider replacing the academic scientists with representatives from industries whose pollution the agency is supposed to regulate.

President Trump has also withdrawn the United States from the historic Paris Climate agreement, an accord among nearly 200 nations to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions. The administration’s proposal to drill in the Atlantic Ocean has also drawn enormous criticism from Pauline and the environmental community.

Menendez and Pallone Announce Legislation to Ban Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2015


LONG BRANCH, NJ – Today, on the five-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Congressman Frank Pallone (D NJ-06), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced they will introduce a bill to ban offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.

"Imagine the devastation an oil spill in the Atlantic would cause – not just to our home state of New Jersey, but to states up and down the East Coast,” said Sen. Menendez. “I am looking forward to re-introducing this Senate bill to ban Atlantic offshore drilling in an effort to not only protect the Garden State’s economy, but to guarantee a healthier and happier future for all East Coast citizens. We cannot stand by and allow our coastline and our marine life to be endangered in order to inflate Big Oil’s already inflated profits.”

“We don’t need the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster to know that offshore drilling in the Atlantic should be completely off the table,” said Congressman Pallone. “However, it does remind us of the detrimental and lasting environmental and economic damage that can be done by an oil spill, and that the technology does not exist to safely drill for oil offshore. Now, with the Administration’s dangerous proposal to permit drilling off the Atlantic Coast, we must step up our efforts to protect the Jersey Shore’s environmental and economic health.”

The Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act prohibits the Department of the Interior from issuing any lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or gas in the North, Mid-, or South Atlantic Planning Areas. There are planned introductions this week in the House by Pallone with thirteen co-sponsors and in the Senate by Menendez with seven co-sponsors.

The Obama Administration earlier this year included areas from Virginia to Georgia in its Draft 2017-2022 Five-Year Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. As the Deepwater Horizon spill clearly showed, oil spills do not respect state borders, and the proposed drilling would be a direct threat to New Jersey’s coastal communities and industries. The Jersey Shore’s tourism industry generates $38 billion a year and directly supports almost half a million jobs – nearly ten percent of New Jersey’s entire workforce. New Jersey’s commercial fishing industry alone generates over $7.9 billion annually and supports over 50,000 jobs, while the state also has one of the largest saltwater recreational fishing industries in the nation.

Congressman Pallone discussed the legislation today in Long Branch, NJ at a press conference to commemorate the anniversary of the spill and to oppose the new proposal to open the Atlantic to drilling. He was joined by Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, and representatives from Clean Ocean Action and Waterspirit.

Pallone, Menendez, Booker Call on Obama Admin to Protect the Jersey Shore from Offshore Drilling

July 2nd, 2014

ASBURY PARK, NJ – U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-NJ) and Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-06) today sent a letter to President Obama urging his administration to keep the Atlantic Coast off limits for oil and gas exploration, stressing that the environmental and economic consequences of an oil spill near the Jersey Shore would be catastrophic.

“As we learned all too clearly in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, offshore drilling poses a substantial risk of economic and environmental devastation for our shoreline communities,” the Senators and Congressman wrote. “Even today, more than four years after the BP oil spill, 60 percent of the 210 million gallons that spilled are unaccounted for, and oil-soaked sand and tar balls continue to wash up on the beaches of the Gulf.”

The strength of New Jersey’s economy and workforce depends strongly on having a thriving Jersey Shore, which continues to rebound from devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy. In 2011, the federal lawmakers noted that New Jersey’s tourism industry generated $38 billion, $4.4 billion in state and local taxes and $4.8 billion in federal taxes. The industry directly supports 312,000 jobs in New Jersey and 486,000 jobs including indirect and induced impacts—a total of 9.8% of the state’s workforce. The state’s commercial and recreational fishing industries, which employ tens of thousands, would be decimated in the event of a spill.

The Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) announced last month the first steps in the development of the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program, calling for a Request for Information and a 45-day public comment period.

“As we get ready for the July 4th weekend with everyone headed to our beaches, BOEM is looking to develop their next plan, which could include drilling off our coast and the mid-Atlantic,” said N.J. Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel. “The last thing New Jersey needs after Hurricane Sandy recovery is an oil spill. The only oil we want on our beaches is suntan oil. Instead BOEM should be coming out with leases for windmills off our coast. The fossil fools in Washington keep trying to target our coast for big oil and gas companies. We cannot trust Big Oil with our energy future. We cannot drill ourselves into energy independence.”

As thousands descend on the Jersey Shore for the July 4th holiday weekend, Menendez and Pallone were joined at a news conference on the Asbury Park boardwalk by Mayor Myra Campbell, Tittel and local business owners at a news conference on the Asbury Park boardwalk.

“The Jersey Shore is a priceless natural treasure, providing recreation to generations of families and supporting a thriving ecosystem of marine mammals and sea life,” wrote Menendez, Booker and Pallone. “We owe it to future generations to ensure that our pristine natural resources are preserved and protected from the polluting fossil fuel industry.”

Click here to download a copy of the letter.
The full text of the letter to President Obama follows:
July 2, 2014

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Last week, the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) announced the first steps in the development of the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program, calling for a Request for Information and a 45-day public comment period. As your Administration begins work on this plan, we write to strongly oppose any efforts to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, particularly any such efforts that would threaten New Jersey’s vibrant coastal communities.

As we learned all too clearly in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, offshore drilling poses a substantial risk of economic and environmental devastation for our shoreline communities. Even today, more than four years after the BP oil spill, 60 percent of the 210 million gallons that spilled are unaccounted for, and oil-soaked sand and tar balls continue to wash up on the beaches of the Gulf. This is not an isolated example—20 years after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska, 21,000 gallons of crude lingered in the areas where the spill occurred, and species including herring and pigeon guillemots are still not yet recovered. In the event of an oil spill that hit New Jersey’s coast, the damage would be both enormously costly and likely permanent.

In addition to the long-term impacts of these spills, they also have the ability to damage a broad geographic area. They do not respect state boundaries, and drilling anywhere along the Atlantic Coast poses a significant risk for all eastern seaboard states. As the coastal economies of four states were damaged by the BP oil spill, it is likely that any oil spill in the Atlantic would threaten states up and down the coast.

The economic consequences of an oil spill near the New Jersey coastline would be catastrophic. In 2011, New Jersey’s tourism industry generated $38 billion, and $4.4 billion in state and local taxes and $4.8 billion in federal taxes. The industry directly supports 312,000 jobs in New Jersey and 486,000 jobs including indirect and induced impacts—a total of 9.8% of the state’s workforce. Also critical to the state’s economic health is our fishing industry. In 2011, New Jersey’s seafood industry supported 43,000 jobs, and the state has one of the largest saltwater recreational fishing industries in the nation. The strength of New Jersey’s workforce depends strongly on having a thriving coastal economy.

In addition to the economic concerns, offshore oil drilling threatens permanent and devastating degradation to our environment and natural resources. The Jersey Shore is a priceless natural treasure, providing recreation to generations of families and supporting a thriving ecosystem of marine mammals and sea life. New Jersey’s 130 miles of coastline house a diverse array of marine life, and provide critical habitat to several federally endangered and threatened species of fish, birds and turtles. We owe it to future generations to ensure that our pristine natural resources are preserved and protected from the polluting fossil fuel industry.

Following the unprecedented devastation of Hurricane Sandy, we are still working every day to rebuild our homes, our businesses, and our way of life. It is critical that we focus on long-term efforts to improve resiliency and to limit the carbon pollution that can drive extreme and unpredictable weather. Recovering from a natural disaster of this magnitude is challenging, and New Jersey is committed to rebuilding and coming back stronger than ever. Yet, allowing for offshore oil and gas drilling poses the threat of a manmade disaster that our communities and environment cannot afford.

New Jersey’s coast has faced manmade disaster before. When medical waste washed up on our beaches in 1988, New Jersey saw a 22% decline in tourism and estimated lost revenues of over $1 billion . This type of environmental contamination is significantly easier to clean up and remediate than an oil spill, and we fear that any spill would be even more catastrophic for our environment and vital industries.

With the major oil companies continuing to rake in sky-high profits on the backs of consumers, supported by costly subsidies from the American taxpayer, there is simply no need to take further steps to line their pockets. While increasing offshore oil and gas drilling is a clear victory for Big Oil, it’s a losing proposition for New Jersey’s economy, our environment, and our way of life.

We are not opposed to harnessing energy from the Atlantic OCS; however, energy development off the Atlantic coast should be focused on expanding renewable energy production, particularly offshore wind. Last month your Administration announced a significant federal grant for Fishermen’s Energy, a proposed wind farm off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and we applaud that commitment. These are the type of investments that the federal government should be making as our country works to reduce our carbon output and transition to a cleaner energy economy.

As your administration begins preparation of the 2017-2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, we request that you take full accounting of these costs. We believe strongly that the potential for significant and lasting hardship to New Jersey’s workforce, our coastal resources, and our communities far outweighs any benefits that the already-profitable oil companies would receive with expanded drilling opportunities. Given these concerns, we oppose the inclusion of any and all of the Atlantic planning areas in the draft plan.

Thank you for your consideration of this vital request, and we look forward to working closely with you and your Administration to chart a clean and bright energy future for the nation.

Sincerely,

APP Letter: Christie Blames Others For Sandy Recovery Delays

For some of those that attended Governor Christie's recent town hall meeting or watched it live on T.V., the governor's attempt to blame President Obama and other federal agencies for his administration's failures to properly oversee  Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts rang hollow. It appeared as nothing more than a weak attempt at pandering to an audience that was full of angry and desperate storm victims unhappy with the slow, snail like pace that it has taken thus far to get their lives back to normal and into their homes.

As Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, states in his excellent letter to the Asbury Park Press, "Harry Truman said “the buck stops here.” Under Gov. Christie, the only thing that stops is the traffic on the George Washington Bridge." You can read the letter below:

Almost 16 months after superstorm Sandy, there have been delays in rebuilding and half the federal relief funding from the first round still has not been spent, yet Gov. Christie seems to be blaming everyone else.

First it was the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, then the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

It’s the Christie administration’s action plan that they proposed, and their Department of Community Affairs that is administering it. It was Christie’s consultants that handled the funding, yet it’s everyone else’s fault?

Delays have been caused by the consultants they hired and fired; environmental standards have been waived and proper permitting has not been done; there has been a failure to do proper monitoring and oversight; and the Christie administration has shown overall incompetence on Sandy rebuilding.

It is typical for the governor to blame someone else when his administration is at fault. He keeps looking for excuses when so many people are still suffering.

New Jersey has failed to have proper oversight and monitoring of recovery efforts. The governor vetoed the Sandy Transparency Act, which would have required more oversight of Sandy funding.

He had no problem running around cutting ribbons on boardwalks, going on David Letterman’s show, or doing ads on the Shore, but what about making sure people got their grant money?

Harry Truman said “the buck stops here.” Under Gov. Christie, the only thing that stops is the traffic on the George Washington Bridge.

Jeff Tittel

Director, New Jersey Sierra Club

One Year Later, America Must Better Prepare for Severe Storms Like Sandy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Erin Bzymek,BlueGreen Alliance

BlueGreen Alliance Releases Five Recommendations to Fix America’s Infrastructure Deficit

WASHINGTON, DC (October 28, 2013) – One year after Superstorm Sandy, the BlueGreen Alliance released a series of five recommendations to address shortfalls in America’s infrastructure. The labor and environmental partnership contends that without a comprehensive plan to fix the systems Americans rely on every day—including our roads and bridges and water, electric, transit and communications systems—we will continue to be vulnerable to extreme weather events that will only occur more frequently as climate change worsens.

“We’ve already seen the extreme and costly damage this new era of climate change-related weather has in store for us,” said D. Michael Langford, National President of the Utility Workers Union of America. “The sooner we recognize and prioritize the projects that need the most work, we’ll be better able to protect communities next time. It goes almost without saying that the pervasive need for repairs offers an opportunity for job creation and economic growth that we can’t afford to pass up.”

The BlueGreen Alliance identified five key infrastructure priorities for cities and states to redesign and strengthen to ensure climate resilient systems:

• Strengthen electric grid reliability and expand capacity;
• Modernize water systems and increase storm water capacity and coastal storm surge responsiveness;
• Identify and reconstruct vulnerable sections of transportation systems;
• Strengthen communications technology to withstand greater weather damage; and
• Renovate anchor community institutions like hospitals and schools to serve as needed crisis centers.

“With record temperatures, record droughts, and record storms devastating communities across the nation, it's clear the threat of climate disruption is now a dangerous new reality,” said Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. “Americans are already paying the costs of extreme weather, so it is vital that we prepare now to protect our families and communities from future disasters while taking immediate action to curb the carbon pollution fueling the climate crisis.”

In the days and weeks after the storm, thousands of utility workers were among the first responders for disasters like Superstorm Sandy, and were on the front lines of picking up the pieces. In New York City for example, UWUA represents workers across the region who provide electric, gas, and steam service in the area.

“Repairing America’s systems won’t happen overnight,” said David Foster, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance. “We have to rebuild stronger and smarter to ensure the safety of our families and communities and create family-sustaining jobs. The bottom line is that the basic systems we rely on every day—the ones we rely on to get us from place to place, for heat and electricity, clean water, and to allow us to communicate with each other—must be maintained and improved in a way that recognizes our reliance on them.”

Superstorm Sandy was the second costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. In the year since the storm, President Obama has introduced a comprehensive plan to combat the effects of climate change and curb carbon pollution. The president’s actions come at a time when Congress has failed to act to prevent climate change or address these critical infrastructure needs.

“One of the biggest underlying problems of what happened during and after Sandy was that utility workers have had to do more with less over the past few years and it’s unacceptable,” said Vinnie Kyne, Local 1-2 UWUA member. “Patch job repairs aren’t going to cut it anymore. We need a long-term plan.”

###

The BlueGreen Alliance is a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the clean economy. Launched in 2006, the strategic partnership now brings together major U.S. labor unions and America's most influential environmental organizations and unites more than 15 million members and supporters in pursuit of good jobs, a clean environment and a clean economy. Visit www.bluegreenalliance.org.

Pallone Renews Call to Crack Down on Dumping of Medical Waste

Joins with Clean Ocean Action and Sierra Club to Address Syringes Found on Jersey Shore Beaches

Long Branch, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. joined with representatives from Clean Ocean Action and the Sierra Club today at Pier Village in Long Branch to announce that he has reintroduced his bill, the Medical Waste Management Act of 2013, in response to reports last week that syringes had washed up on the beaches of Island State Beach Park. Pallone’s legislation cracks down on ocean polluters with tough regulations on how to dispose of medical waste.

The Medical Waste Management Act calls for a tracking system that will hold medical waste generators accountable and gives greater authority to take swift action investigating and prosecuting those that improperly dispose of medical waste. The bill would lay out regulations to allow for smooth compliance for hospitals, health clinics, home source users and other medical waste generators. The legislation also establishes a syringe disposal program to educate the public about acceptable methods for individual syringe disposal.

“The medical waste found on New Jersey’s shores last week was fortunately limited enough that staff could respond quickly to remove it, but next time we may not be so lucky. We must ensure that we are doing everything we can to keep our lakes, rivers and shores clean and safe.” Pallone said. “Medical waste poses a significant health risk to our beachgoers, pollutes our pristine waterways and threatens the tourism industry in our coastal communities. Medical waste dumping is a critical problem that needs a nationwide solution. My legislation will ensure consistency and clarity within the law so we can put an end to interstate dumping."

In the summer of 1988, hundreds of beach-going days were lost due to medical waste dumping on the Jersey Shore. It was estimated that the New Jersey tourism industry lost $1 billion that summer. Medical waste continues to be a problem nationwide, from our coastal communities to any place where waste generators choose to illegally dump.

"Last week's incident on medical waste reminds us we have to do more to control and prevent this from happening. That is why we support and need Congressman Pallone's legislation to require stronger controls on medical waste. There should not be more needles on a beach than at an HMO. A day at the beach should not mean a trip to the doctor's office. This hurts tourism as well as the environment along our coast and that is why we need this legislation," said Jeff Tittel, Director, NJ Sierra Club.

“Garbage wash-ups are a scourge of the Jersey shore, and while garbage wash-ups occur far less frequently than in the past, dangerous medical wastes such as syringes are still far too common. Congressman Pallone’s bill establishes important, reasonable regulations to educate consumers and better manage and control the disposal of syringes. It should be easier to find a needle in the haystack than to find a needle on our beaches,” said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director, Clean Ocean Action.

Fighting to protect the Jersey Shore, Congressman Pallone reintroduced the BEACH Act this year, his legislation that requires tough new water quality testing and public notification standards so beachgoers are better informed about the safety of their beaches. As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, he has also fought against oil drilling in the Atlantic and seismic air gun testing, which he believes is the first step to drilling. He has helped to secure millions of dollars on beach replenishment to restore our beaches after the historic damage from Superstorm Sandy.

Provisions in the Medical Waste Management Act include:

• Outlining specific requirements for generators, transporters and disposers of medical waste, including registration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and appropriate compliance with labeling, packaging and storage requirements of the waste;
• Providing civil and criminal enforcement authority necessary to prevent medical waste dumping on our beaches;
• Granting the EPA the authority to investigate these crimes and provides them the necessary resources to take swift action.
• Providing grants for state and local governments, non-profit organizations and private entities to increase access to disposal methods;
• Requiring an annual report to Congress on the state of medical waste management;
• Authorizing the EPA to approve state medical waste programs that are at least as rigorous as federal requirements to ensure national consistency and set minimum standards.

Community & Political Leaders to Discuss Impact of Climate Change and Extreme Weather on NJ

Event will highlight role of climate change in exacerbating damaging weather events

HOBOKEN, NJ – Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 23, state and local leaders will gather for a press conference at 11:30 a.m. at the Hoboken PATH Station to highlight the impacts of extreme weather and climate change in Hoboken and throughout the state of New Jersey.

Assemblyman Ruben Ramos (NJ-33); Hoboken Councilman Tim Occhipinti and Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club will offer remarks at the press conference, which follows President Obama’s historic action on climate change. The President’s plan includes the nation’s first-ever limits on carbon pollution from power plants, as well as other strategies to prepare America for the effects of climate change.

In October 2012, New Jersey was devastated by deadly Superstorm Sandy – the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history. Just last week, New Jersey suffered from a horrendous heat wave, the latest in a series of extreme weather events in recent years that have included massive snowstorms, droughts, nor’easters and even a tornado. As a result of these and other recent events, 14 New Jersey counties have received natural disaster designations in recent years.

 Climate Change and Extreme Weather Press Conference
Tuesday, July 23, 2013 11:30 a.m.
Hoboken PATH Station, 1 Hudson Place, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Dec 27th Join Us for "Chasing Ice" in Asbury Park

From the Sierra Club - 

The Sierra Club is teaming up with the Showroom Cinema in Asbury Park for a special screening of the documentary film “Chasing Ice” on Thursday, December 27 at 7pm.

“Chasing Ice” captures the devastating impacts of climate change. The film follows National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers, as they disappear at an alarming rate.

Robert F. Kennedy has called the film “The smoking gun on climate change.” Join us to see this stunning work and learn more about climate change’s impact and what the results could be.

The Sierra Club will be there with information about what is going on here in New Jersey to combat climate disruption. Following the film we will have a discussion including ways to get involved in this important issue.

When: Thursday, December 27, 2012 at 7pm

Where: The Showroom Cinema, 707 Cookman Ave, Asbury Park, NJ 07712

RSVP here to join us for “Chasing Ice,” one of the most important films of the year!

If you cannot join us on the 27th the Showroom Cinema is having additional screenings throughout the week:

Sat 12/22: 3:00, 5:00, 7:00
Sun 12/23: 3:00, 5:00
Wed 12/26: 5:00, 7:00
Thu 12/27: 5:00

Hope to see you on the 27th!

NJ Sierra Club Staff

Sierra Club Director Tittel to Lecture January 23 at Brookdale

Lincroft, NJ – Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club will discuss the systematic political assault on both the state and nation’s environmental rules and regulations by radical conservative politicians at the January 23 combined general membership meetings of the Jersey Shore (Monmouth) Group of Sierra and the NJ Friends of Clearwater at the Brookdale Community College Lincroft main campus, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft. It will be held from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in the Warner Student Life Center, lower level, Twin Lights rooms. Community is encouraged to attend the free event sponsored by Brookdale’s Environmental Field Station at Sandy Hook. Light refreshments will be available beginning at 6:00 p.m. with the meeting to start at 6:30 p.m.

A life-long Jerseyan, Tittel worked in political consulting prior to consulting for environmental activism. He now spends much of his time working behind the scenes battling businesses, developers, bureaucrats and politicians.

According to Tittel, since the radical conservatives captured the U.S. House of Representatives, there have been about 190 votes against environmental regulations on the House Floor with about 85 targeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - and more expected.

Tittle is critical of Governor Chris Christie in his opposition to many environmental bills. Christi’s environmental commissioner has insisted that any evaluation of new regulations must be balanced by their impact on economic growth.

Tittel will explain how pro-development opponents to environmental controls falsely blame the controls for the nation’s economic stagnation. He will conclude with the possible positive directions that can be taken to protect the environment.
Groups are welcome. Please advise to request any special needs seating. More information is available by calling 732-857-5305.

Vote On Delaware River Basin Fracking Ban Postponed

Readers of this blog know my stance on the hydraulic fracturing(fracking) shale in order to release natural gas deposits that were unattainable before the process was developed, I have posted about its potential harm to our enviroment and drinking water supplies numerous times in the past which you can read Here... Here and Here .

Until it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the process is not harmful to the environment or to our drinking water supplies the practice of fracking should be haulted. Fresh clean, drinkable water is becoming scarce and harder to find, thus it is becoming a precious commodity that shouldn't be messed with.

So the vote yesterday morning to postponing the upcoming Monday mornings vote to approve the process in and along the Delaware River Basin (a key fresh water source for residents of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware) is welcomed news.

Accoding to the Star-Ledger environmental groups are pleased with this postponment:

Environmentalists greeted the vote postponement as a major victory, and for grassroots activism. Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper, said the anti-fracking contingent would still be demonstrating in Trenton on Monday morning as previously planned, despite the cancellation.

"There's still going to be a showing — to send a message, largely," she said.

"As long as there is a delay, we can continue working toward getting a permanent ban on fracking in the Delaware basin," added Jeff Tittel, executive director of the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter. "We need to keep the pressure up on Governor Christie and the Obama administration to stop these weak rules from moving forward."

You can read the more about the postponement .... Here

Is New Jersey Playing Games with Fracking Ban?

The following commentary from Dennis Anderson, Chair of the Jersey Shore (Monmouth) Group of the Sierra Club and Joellen Lundy, President of N.J. Friends of Clearwater appears on the website Newjerseynewsroom.com as well as a few other sites.

I post it here because the subject of hydraulic fracturing(fracking) shale in order to release natural gas deposits that were unattainable before the process was developed, has become a very big issue. The chemicals that are used in the process have polluted ground water and surrounding lands with hazardous and carcinogenic residues, guest blogger Linda Baum posted a column about fracking and it's dangers here back in April.

Since then a number of articles on the subject, both Pro and Con, have been making there way into the media.

Legislation banning Fracking in NJ, is sitting on Governor Christie's desk waiting for his signature. Why he hasn't signed it yet is anyone's guess.

NJ is the most densely populated state in the nation and our natural resources will be placed at risk if franking is allowed to continue without the proper safety constraints in place to ensure that drinking water, wildlife and the general population are not placed risk:

Opponents of the environmentally damaging practice now sweeping the country of hydrofracking shale deposits for natural gas were delighted last week when the N.J. Legislature voted to ban the practice. The vote, 33 to 1 in the Senate and 51 to 11 in the Assembly, showed such a rare bi-partisan agreement so absent in today’s political discourse that many environmentalists hoped New Jersey’s politicians finally recognized that solving the state’s pollution problems transcends partisan bickering.

We hope this is the case, but we’re not sure. Gov. Christie, who has become increasingly hostile to the state’s environmental problems, has yet to sign the bill. If he does, it will be a watershed event. But will he? Sen. Joseph M. Kyrollis Jr. did not vote on the bill but offered an amendment — rejected by the Senate — to ban hydrofracking for five years. But why would Kyrollis delay hydrofracking?

There is growing public anger over hydrofracking, which requires enormous amounts of water and a number of toxic chemicals that the frackers are not required by law to report. Vice President Dick Cheney accomplished this dodge while in office. These undisclosed chemicals pollute both underground and surface water supplies. This debacle is very hard for politicians to support, so we may be seeing a “pretend” vote where pro-development politicians duck citizens’ ire by voting against hydrofracking, knowing that the governor will use his veto power to avoid an out-right ban and force environmentally responsible politicians to accept Kyrollis’ “compromise” that opens the door in five years.

The state of New Jersey deserves better. Until hydrofracking is absolutely safe, it must be banned. The first step would be to require complete disclosure of the chemicals they plan on indirectly pumping into our water supply.

Halt gas drilling until water safety is assured

There were a few very good editorials posted today on the Star-Ledger's website NJ.com. This first one should be of interest to many environmental groups like the Sierra Club, Riverkeepers and Waterkeeper Alliance and anyone else that thinks clean drinking water is more important than drilling for natural gas along the Delaware river as new Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett wishes to do, should be concerned about this.

The process of drilling for natural gas along the Delware river would entail using a drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing or "fracking". This process injects chemical fluids and other materials into boreholes to fracture bedrock for the purpose off releasing oil or natural gas. Fracking could lead to ground water contamination and air quality issues :

The Delaware River Basin is downstream from planned drillings for natural gas. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has instructed his economic development officer to fast-track permits for drilling. About 10,000 wells are expected to be green-lighted, creating jobs, producing clean fuel and lessening our dependence on foreign oil for several decades.

But there's a dark side: The process of drilling, known as hydraulic fracturing — or "fracking" — has the potential to contaminate the Delaware, which provides drinking water for 15 million people, including 3 million in New Jersey. The federal Environmental Protection Agency is investigating the threat, but won't be done until next year. Pennsylvania should not be allowed to proceed until we know it's safe.

New York already has a moratorium and New Jersey should follow suit. Two bills before the state Assembly tomorrow recognize the urgency of the situation: One would put the brakes on drilling until the feds complete their study, and the other asks Congress to no longer exempt fracking from safe water regulations, as it has since 2005, and to require drilling companies to reveal all chemicals used in fracking. "We're asking for transparency," said Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (D-Bergen), the bills' sponsor. Both bills are key to protecting our water supply.

Fracking shatters rock formations to release the gas through high-powered drilling using sand, chemicals and billions of gallons of water. Along with the gas, the chemically contaminated water also is released. The earth's naturally occurring radioactive radium also is disturbed by fracking. Wastewater treatment plants can't scrub clean all the pollutants in Pennsylvania's drilling waste water which, by one account, totaled more than a billion gallons in the past three years.

Preliminary reports by EPA consultants and regulators found it highly likely that toxic water unleashed in Pennsylvania would endanger the Delaware River, and evidence exists that the drilling wastewater also corrodes treatment plants, undermining their ability to break down regular sewage.

The Delaware River Basin Commission, which represents the watershed interests of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware, is proposing its own regulations for fracking. But the commission should take the advice of 39 New Jersey state legislators, who have asked it to wait until the federal study is complete. Jeff Tittel, of the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter, says the commission's proposals are deficient because they don't explore the vast clear-cutting of forests and construction of roads that accompany fracking....

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