Trenton, NJ-Today, NJ Environmental Federation's Campaign Director David Pringle issued the following statement in response to NJ Governor Chris Christie's budget address:

We're still reviewing the details and this is just the beginning of the budget process -- a lot can happen! We understand debt restructuring has a lot to do with the 10 percent cut and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection's (NJDEP) core programs remain largely intact. NJEF's goal is to ensure NJDEP's budget remains intact and Clean Energy funds go to clean energy programs.

However, one thing is already clear, the 1998 dedication of 4 percent of corporate business tax revenue for clean water, parks, clean air and toxic waste clean-up that NJEF led the fight for is working.

Enjoy local wine and live jazz music, browse the work of New Jersey artists, and help raise funds for EarthShare New Jersey's continued work on behalf of New Jersey's environment from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Laurita Winery, New Egypt, NJ.

Purchase Tickets

Tickets are $45 each after February 20th and they will be $50 at the door.

EAST HANOVER TWP. - Clean energy advocates asked the state Board of Public Utilities Thursday to reconsider a decision it made approving construction of a high-voltage electrical transmission line that would run from Berwick, Pa, through East Hanover to Roseland.

The line was approved on the assumption that it would be needed to keep New Jersey's lights on.

But the environmental groups claim recent developments show this to be incorrect.

In April 2010, the state Board of Public Utilities approved the 45-mile New Jersey portion of the line to prevent brownouts and blackouts that were projected to occur beginning in 2012. Since the board's decision, completion of the line has been delayed from 2012 to 2015, and PSE&G.

Garden State Offshore Energy is thinking about nearly tripling the size of its proposed offshore wind farm project, a decision that would mean building 1,000 megawatts of generating capacity more than 16 miles off the coast of Atlantic and Cape May counties.

The company, a joint venture between PSEG Global and Deepwater Wind, is one of four currently vying to build offshore wind farms. Its original proposal, which called for a 350-megawatt project, has won funding from the state of New Jersey and is one of several projects hoping to win approval from the Board of Public Utilities (BPU).

TRENTON - The state will move away from subsidizing residential solar projects to emphasize commercial installations and encourage the construction of more gas power plants in a revised energy master plan that will be released in the next month, according to two sources who have been briefed on the plan.

The state also plans to turn the Societal Benefits Charge, a fee on every utility bill currently that is used for solar project grants and rebates, into a loan program, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the changes.

The new 10-year master plan will not directly address new nuclear power plants, according to sources.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A nationwide coalition of over 150 environmental, labor, business, consumer advocacy, public health, faith, and community organizations today applauded Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and 50 other House members from 15 states for reintroducing legislation to protect clean truck programs and reduce harmful air pollution that meets bipartisan goals for a U.S. transportation reauthorization bill: accelerate the speed and success of clean fleet turnover plans, lower public health costs for taxpayers, pave the way for massive, job-creating infrastructure projects, and help propel America's struggling blue-collar workers.

The Clean Ports Act of 2011 would further advance the trucking and shipping industry's desire to make U.S.

The Coalition for Healthy Ports is a broad coalition of environmental, labor, faith, community, environmental justice and business organizations that seek to create sustainable ports in New York and New Jersey. The ports represent the
largest piece of a complex logistics industry that also includes a
growing number of warehouse and distribution centers and light
industrial manufacturing and service related industries.

We must act quickly to slow down climate change and rethink the way we use our energy resources. From advocating for offshore wind and increasing solar, NJ Environmental Federation is working with the Christie Administration to ensure a safe, clean and sustainable energy future.

Currently, the U.S. relies on a large amount of fossil fuel and nuclear energy production methods, which accelerate climate change while contaminating our water resources with ionizing radiation, heavy metals and chemical pollution.

NJ Environmental Federation is part of a large coalition that successfully helped stop the proposed "PurGen" coal and chemical plant in Linden, New Jersey. This is a tremendous victory - Purgen would have been an experimental, costly, and unneeded project that would include a pipeline that stretches 100 miles into the ocean in an attempt to bury carbon dioxide a mile and a half below the ocean floor.

NJ Environmental Federation and coalition partners are working to protect Barnegat Bay, a critical ecoystem in New Jersey, from the damaging effects of Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station (OC), one of the oldest nuclear power plants in the country with a history of numerous safety violations - including leaking radioactive waste.

Our coalition is leading the way in ensuring the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the State of New Jersey guarantee OC is safe to operate in a post-Fukushima world and after Hurricane Sandy.