The DEP is looking for help on soil standards. See last item below.
The most interesting committee in the Legislature is also becoming the most active. The Senate Energy & Environment Committee will meet September 8 at 10:00 a.m. Committee Chairman Bob Smith has invited Representatives of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the public are invited to discuss the status of Senate Bill 981 (Smith, Bateman, Greenstein), which revises the “Electronic Waste Management Act.”
The following bills will be considered Thursday:
S1969 (Turner) – Requires NJ Clean Energy Program’s Residential New Construction incentives be made available Statewide.
S2062 (Bateman) – Appropriates up to $20 million from societal benefits charge to DEP for remediation of lead contamination in drinking water in public buildings.
NJBIA Position: Opposed. The bill takes money paid by electric and gas ratepayers for energy efficiency and clean energy projects and turns it over to the DEP to pay for infrastructure. Funding sources are already available through DEP and the Environmental Infrastructure Trust for projects that address federal safe drinking water health standards. This includes replacement, source development and rehabilitation, treatment to comply with primary/ secondary drinking water standards, storage to prevent contamination from entering the water system and transmission lines/distribution systems to prevent contamination or to improve pressure to safe levels.
S2078 (Bateman, Smith, B) – Requires training for pesticide applicators and operators concerning pollinating bees.
S2468 (Lesniak) – Directs DEP to adopt standards for certain drinking water contaminants as recommended by the Drinking Water Quality Institute.
NJBIA Position: Seeking Feedback from members. This bill would direct DEP to adopt standards for 16 hazardous drinking water contaminants, as recommended by the New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute (DWQI). The bill would also permit the DEP to establish more stringent standards for those contaminants upon recommendation of the DWQI and in accordance with the provisions of existing law.
FOR DISCUSSION ONLY:
S981 (Smith, B, Bateman, Greenstein) – Revises “Electronic Waste Management Act.”
NJBIA Position: Opposed to bill in current form. This legislation was passed and vetoed in a previous session. This session it passed the Senate but is still being considered in the Assembly. The bill has not been sustainably changed since last session and NJBIA’s concerns still stand.
Request from the DEP
Background: The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is currently conducting a statewide background study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils. In the evaluation of PAH data, we want to examine different metrics to ascertain any patterns in the analytical results.
One factor that we suspect will likely influence background concentrations of PAHs across the state is the general industrialization of each county. To that end, we need to identify a common parameter amongst the NJ counties that will allow us to develop a scale of “industrialization.” Ideally, we would need the data to reflect current, as well as historic, levels of industrialization that is comparable with each individual county.
The Ask: Do you have an idea for the common parameter that might work? Do you have experience in this type of research and willing to speak further with the team? Email Sara and let her know if you have any suggestions to pass along.
