Two important climate events in Central NJ - 1/20 and 1/27

KEEP FRACKING WASTE OUT OF MONMOUTH COUNTY

Neptune Township's Environmental Commission, Food & Water Watch, Bayshore Regional Watershed Council, WATERSPIRIT, Coastal Monmouth Democrats, and others are teaming up to bring together an event about oil & gas fracking wastes on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 6 p.m. that elected officials, environmental commissions, health commissions, and community leaders are all invited to. This event will take place at 25 Neptune Blvd., Neptune, New Jersey on the 2nd floor in the Township of Neptune Committee Room.

The January 20th event will discuss the issue of dangerous wastes from oil & gas drilling currently finding its way in to New Jersey. Please join us to learn about the pathways of exposure to fracking wastes and loopholes that allow this waste to be mismanaged. Also hear from local elected officials who have passed legislation to protect their communities and learn about how you can safeguard your community from fracking wastes.

Fracking is a dangerous process to extract oil or natural gas, and while it's not happening in the state, the impact of fracking goes far beyond the well pad and we're feeling the effects. The contaminants in fracking waste, including radium-226 and a slew of hazardous drilling chemicals, are linked to cancer and birth defects and are extremely difficult to remove once they have permeated drinking water supplies. Fracking waste is even sometimes spread on roads and can run off into school playgrounds, residential properties, and farmland, and can ultimately contaminate rivers, streams, and underground aquifers that feed local drinking water supplies. This could hurt our health, as well as tourism and our local economy.

For more information:

Rita Yelda of Food &Water Watch, ryelda@fwwatch.org or 732-993-8966.

Invite your friends on Facebook!: https://www.facebook.com/events/674916705978415/

Christie unloads a flurry of vetoes, rebuffing changes on key legislation

It's hard to disagree with my Facebook friend Bob E. who stated that Gov. Christie's latest veto's announced yesterday where, "Disgraceful actions on the part of Christie. If he is more worried about what people around the country think about him than doing what is right for the people of NJ (especially the developmentally disabled) he should just resign now."

From NorthJersey.Com

 BY JOHN REITMEYER, JAMES M. O’NEILL AND MICHAEL PHILLIS
STAFF WRITERS 

"Governor Christie has rebuffed attempts to change the laws covering some of New Jersey’s most controversial and emotional issues, including the treatment of the developmentally disabled, disposal of fracking waste and the chance to bet on sports. 

In all, Christie rejected 11 bills using the absolute veto or conditional veto. He also approved six other bills and endorsed a resolution. 

The governor took action on the bills on Aug. 1, but did not disclose that fact to lawmakers or the public until his office announced the decisions in a news release on Friday afternoon. The actions will be officially recorded by the Legislature on Monday, said spokesman Kevin Roberts. 

Though it’s not unusual for announcements on bill signings and vetoes to be delayed slightly, Christie’s office released the details seven days after he departed for a vacation that left Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno as acting governor. On Tuesday, his office announced that Christie had signed a bill into law that day that bans the sale or importation of ivory and rhinoceros horns, a measure that was actually recorded by the Legislature on Aug. 1. 

Many of the measures Christie’s office announced on Friday were nearing the constitutionally mandated deadline for the governor to take action. 

For the second time in two years, Christie vetoed a bill intended to ban the treatment and disposal of waste generated by hydraulic fracturing, saying it violates the U.S. Constitution’s interstate commerce clause...." Read More

Here's the sidebar that explains it all:

Executive decisions

Governor Christie’s office announced on Friday that the governor took action earlier this month on 17 bills and one resolution recently passed by the Legislature. Christie signed seven of the measures and either outright rejected by veto or modified the others using a conditional veto.

Signed

• A measure allowing Internet gambling equipment to be located in secure Atlantic City facilities. Before the legislation, all gambling hardware had to be located in casinos. The new law now allows such equipment to be located at other places in Atlantic City.
• Legislation that allows new noise controls to be imposed on businesses in the Atlantic City tourism district. Previously, no noise control measures could be imposed on bars in the district at certain times of the year.
• A funding plan for the state Department of Environmental Protection for environmental infrastructure projects.
• A companion measure that allows developers to borrow from the state for such projects.
• Renaming the Easton-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge on Route 22 as the Sgt. William John Cahir Memorial Bridge. Cahir was a Marine who died in Afghanistan in 2009.
• Legislation establishing an equipment loan program within the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust.
• A resolution declaring the second Saturday in July every year as Dominican Pride Day.

Vetoed outright

• A bill that sought to change municipal tax-lien laws to generate more revenue and provide funding for urban revitalization programs. The bill would have created a pilot program.
• An effort to mandate that the commissioner of education approve any school closures and establish additional procedures.
• A move that would have given towns an exemption from the 2 percent property tax cap for flood insurance premiums.
• A measure that would have set specific standards for privatizing public services.
• Legislation that would have forced companies doing business with the state to disclose employees’ salary, gender and race to the commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
• A ban on allowing waste from hydraulic fracturing to be stored in the state.
• An effort to repeal prohibitions against sports betting at New Jersey’s casinos and racetracks.
• An attempt to provide energy assistance to some families that qualify for food stamps.

Vetoed conditionally

• Legislation that would restart the statute of limitations on potential lawsuits every time someone received a discriminatory paycheck.
• A measure that would require that anyone moved from a developmental center to a private group home receive a similar level of care nearby.
• A push to stop the transfer of developmentally disabled patients who receive out-of-state care to in-state facilities pending further study of the process.

- Read more about this story  

Call Gov TODAY To Sign The Fracking Waste Ban!

From FWW Local coordinators:


TELL THE GOV TO SIGN THE FRACKING WASTE BAN TODAY!!!

PHONE: 609-292-6000

Please call the Governor’s office TODAY to urge him to sign the fracking waste ban (S1041) to stop the treatment, storage, disposal and discharge of TOXIC fracking waste in our state. The bill also prevents application of this toxic brew to our roadways, where it will only run off to pollute our land and water.

The Governor has until Monday to act, so call him TODAY! Tell him to sign NOW to protect New Jersey!

OVERRIDE THE VETO! BAN FRACKING WASTE DUMPING

by guest blogger Linda Baum

If you are a regular on Mike’s blog, you know I’ve been posting updates on the progress of bill A575/S253, which would prevent dangerous fracking waste from coming to New Jersey. On Friday I learned that Governor Christie vetoed the bill.

So now it’s time for our legislative leaders to step up and override the veto, and for all of us to make sure they know we expect them to do so to safeguard our water.

Consumer advocacy organization Food & Water Watch is calling on everyone to flood the State House this week with calls to Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver.

As always, thank you for your activism.
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From Food & Water Watch:

Waste from drilling and fracking for shale gas has been shown to contain radioactive material and other known carcinogens. In Pennsylvania, radioactive fracking wastewater has reportedly been discharged into waterways. To prevent this from happening in New Jersey, we need to act now!

Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection is reporting that facilities in Kearny, Carteret, and Elizabeth have been shipped fracking waste.

Governor Christie vetoed the fracking waste ban, which was passed by the Senate and Assembly with bipartisan support. With your help, we have a real chance to make sure that fracking, and the ill effects associated with it, are never allowed in our state.

PLEASE CALL THESE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS:
Senate President Sweeney: (856) 251-9801
Assembly Speaker Oliver: (973) 395-1166

TALKING POINTS
• As legislative leaders we need you to lead on protecting NJ’s waterways from fracking waste by calling a vote to override the Governor’s veto of A575/S253 and making sure it passes.
• Fracking waste treatment is a threat to our drinking water and should be banned.
• Radioactive fracking waste has been discharged into Pennsylvania’s waterways and we can’t allow it here.

Contact Karina Wilkinson kwilkinson@fwwatch.org 732.839.0862
www.foodandwaterwatch.org