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Earlier this month, President Obama and the Department of Energy announced that the Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line project would be “fast-tracked” as part of a pilot program to support new power lines connecting renewable energy sources to major markets.
The Susquehanna-Roseland line is NOT a renewable energy project. Instead, this long-planned “coal-by-wire” project will allow for more dirty coal-fired energy to come into New Jersey and undermine our state’s clean energy goals and programs, and pollute the air we breathe.
The Susquehanna-Roseland line cuts across the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River, the Appalachian Trail and numerous county and municipal public lands. Currently the National Park Service is reviewing the environmental impacts of the project and are expected to complete their analysis in January 2013. Under this pilot program that process would be fast-tracked and the public could be shut out of the review. The project will have major impacts on our federal lands that could be ignored through accelerated permitting.
We need our Legislators to stand up and protect our public lands from destruction for an unneeded power line. Urge Senator Lautenberg to call on Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to pull the Susquehanna-Roseland line out of the fast-track pilot program.
You can write to Senator Lautenberg by going to his contact web page at http://lautenberg.senate.gov/contact/index1.cfm. Fill out your appropriate contact information in the web-form, choose “I Oppose” from the pull down menu, and where it asks you to “Please type the subject of your message:” write “Fast-tracking the Susquehanna-Roseland power line”
Feel free to use the sample letter below, adding your own words and thoughts in your message to the Senator.
Sample Letter:
Dear Senator Lautenberg,
I am very disappointed that the unneeded Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line project has been selected by the Obama Administration for a new “Fast-track” pilot program. Energy demand in New Jersey is dropping, and this power line only continues our dependence on dirty coal, delaying our transition to a clean energy economy while destroying our public lands. This line is not a renewable energy carrier – it will carry toxic coal-fired energy into our state from Pennsylvania. Instead of fast-tracking this line, we should be investing in local renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, and demand response – efforts that will create new, permanent jobs in a clean energy industry for New Jersey.
The Susquehanna-Roseland line will have major negative impacts on three National Park units: the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River, and the Appalachian Trail. The National Park Service staff must be afforded time to thoroughly review the impacts this dirty energy project will have on lands held in the public trust. This pilot program would fast-track NPS permitting to the detriment of the public process and our park units.
I urge you to write Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and ask him to withdraw the Susquehanna-Roseland line from the pilot program. This line is not for renewable energy and our NPS staff must be given the needed time to review its impacts.
Fast-tracking the Susquehanna-Roseland project puts dirty coal ahead of the people of New Jersey. Please stand up for us and urge our federal regulators to remove the Susquehanna-Roseland line from the program.
Thank you,
The Obama Administration today fast-tracked the “Susquehanna-Roseland Power Line Project” – something fellow enviros and I have been fighting for years. More info can be found here and here. (See Newark Star-Ledger’s “Obama administration will push Susquehanna-Roseland power line, could be first project to be fast-tracked” and Department of Interior press release, “Obama Administration Announces Job-Creating Grid Modernization Pilot Projects“). Too busy with media calls & discussion with enviros at the moment to do a complete blog-a-thon on the subject, but here are my first thoughts:
Statement to media regarding Obama Administration fast-tracking Susquehanna-Roseland project:
I am disappointed by the decision of the Obama Administration to fast-track the Susquehanna-Roseland project in the name of renewable energy or modernization of the grid, as this project does neither. Plain and simple, it is a conduit for ‘coal-by-wire’ from dirty power plants to the west of us – under the guise of “Project Mountaineer” – a profit-driven scheme of big coal being supported by PJM Interconnection.
There is nothing “smart” about this project’s relationship to the current power grid – it merely replaces 85-year-old transmission technology with 55-year old technology. During hearings on the project by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), Commissioner Fiordaliso commented at his disappointment that this project was not implementing “Smart Grid” technology.
In May of 2009, and again in July of 2010, Governor Christie, along with the Governors of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia sent letters to Congress (see here and here) opposing long-distance transmission of renewable energy, citing an unreasonable burden of cost to East Coast states, and harm to the region’s efforts at developing our own local renewable energy projects.
This decision by the Obama administration will dramatically impact New Jersey’s ability to economically develop offshore wind projects that would create permanent, sustainable jobs in a new, expanding renewable energy industry for our state, not temporary construction jobs for a short-term project.
I call on Governor Christie, The NJ Department of Environmental Protection and the NJBPU to do everything within their power to reject this attempt by the Obama Administration at greenwashing of dirty coal-powered energy and “dumb” grid technology.
Irene showed up on Saturday night in a fury of wind and sideways rain, but caused no serious problems for me. When she left on Sunday, however, she was a bit angrier – high winds and soft soils made for an eventful day here in Byram and across most of the rest of the state, with trees down and power out all over the region.
While I lost power only briefly, my phone and internet access has been spotty at best, and I have a 110-foot oak tree leaning precariously over the back of my home (knock wood, it hasn’t fallen yet!). My internet & phone service comes and goes (mostly goes) during the course of the day. Right now, 10:30 AM Tuesday, is the first connectivity I have had since Monday evening, and only the third time I’ve had access since Sunday night. I have been told by the phone company that I will not have reliable phone service until power is fully restored in the area – probably sometime Thursday by their best guess.
Currently, almost 10,000 homes and businesses (and phone company switches) in the Sparta/Andover/Newton area are without power, including the local Wi-Fi hotspots I would normally be able to utilize. Fortunately, I have not lost electricity like so many of my friends and neighbors. For that I am most thankful.
Despite the best efforts of local DPW crews, many roads remain impassable throughout the area today as well – a simple 7 mile drive from my house to the Byram Municipal Building last night became a nearly 20 mile trek through the countryside as detours have detours due to fallen trees, downed wires and high water
I hope all of you and your families survived the storm and are safe and dry (or at least drying out).
Police intervention in a public meeting – despite inappropriateness of citizen’s behavior – is disheartening for anyone who values free speech.
 It was like Déjà vu all over again. But this time, it seemed to be over in the blink of an eye.
On March 19, 2009, Harold “Hal” Danielson, a Summit, NJ resident who owns property in Hampton, Hunterdon County, hijacked a Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council meeting for nearly 10 minutes, refusing to allow the meeting to continue while he demanded the council disband and protested lack of landowner compensation for lost property values. Danielson had to be escorted from that meeting by Chester Township police, although he was allowed to return later after promising to stop disrupting the meeting.
Last Wednesday, August 3, 2001, Danielson was again escorted from a Highlands Council meeting. But this time it was forcibly and physically, at the hands of four armed Chester Township police officers.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here, so let’s go back and set some background for the events of the day.
When I arrived at on the Chester Township grounds where the Highlands Council is located, the Highlands Coalition and its members groups were holding a rally in honor of the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Highlands Act. It wasn’t an overwhelming number of people at the rally, 25-30 I’d estimate, but there was a surprising large police presence, directing traffic outside, and in the Council building itself.
It was the first time I’d seen armed police at a meeting before it started. A Council staff member told me the Highlands Council did not request the police – when the Coalition decided to hold the rally, the Chester Township police felt it might draw anti-Highlands Act protesters looking to cause problems. They also felt that with the possibility of Highlands Act co-sponsors Sen. Bob Smith and Assemblyman John McKeon in attendance at the meeting, it might be a good idea to have officers in the room as well.
Continue reading Four new faces at the Highlands Council: Armed, uniformed Chester police officers.
Fourth annual environmental education experience for children and adults to be presented by the Musconetcong Watershed Association and Byram Township Environmental Commission at Riverside Park in Byram Township on Saturday, August 6, 2011.
 Byram Township's Riverside Park. Photo by Beth Styler Barry.
“I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure” – Mark Twain
Back in 2009, I wrote this very brief post for an e-newsletter I distribute daily, and today seems to be a perfect day to bring it back out and dust it off. I’m still wearing the band, and today, it seems to shine a little brighter. Or maybe it’s just the mist in my eyes.
September 11, 2009. Eight years later.
Commentary from Scott Olson
 Since October of 2001, I have worn this band to honor the memory of Yuji Goya, a 42-year-old Japanese national, husband, father of two, and vice-president of Mizuho Capital Markets Corporation, located on the 80th floor of Two World Trade Center.
On September 11, 2001, as the North Tower of the World Trade Center burned after taking a direct hit from American Airlines Flight 11, Yuji, along with Mizuho president Takashi Kinoshita, and managers Masaru Ose and Keiji Takahashi worked to successfully evacuate the nearly 150 employees of Mizuho from the South Tower. The four perished as United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into their building at 9:03 am.
I wear this band as a constant reminder of those whom I will never know, citizens of countries all around the world whose lives were tragically ended that September morning. People working innocently at their desks, sitting helplessly aboard hijacked airliners, or hurriedly rushing to the aid of others while risking their own well-being. All of them asking nothing more than to to live as free men and women, and make an honest living for themselves and their families.
I will continue to wear this band as long as I live, so that the tragedy of that morning, and the lives of these people, especially that of Yuji Goya, will not be forgotten.
 Dear NJ Sierra Club, NJ Highlands Coalition and anyone else opposing the bad New Jersey Highlands Council nominees:
Thank you for putting out your action alerts regarding the terrible nominations made by Governor Christie to the New Jersey Highlands Council. (See here and here if you have not already done so). I suggest anyone concerned with the Highlands take action as suggested by these two groups.
Just one question though, as you guys are missing one of the biggest points to this whole controversy…one that will hit home to many NJ residents and make your points even more valid.
Should the NJ Highlands Council become a good ol’ boys club? Why no women or minorities appointed by the Gov. Christie? If all the Governor’s nominations are approved, the Council will be composed completely of middle-aged (or older!) white males! Let’s show a little diversity here please, Gov. Christie!
There is much traction to be had from that argument alone – why aren’t you taking advantage of the opportunity?
Call me curious,
Scott Olson
 Indian Point Nuclear power plant. Photo by Daniel Case. CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), via Wikimedia Commons Happy weekend, Highlanders!
I had the opportunity to attend the 15th annual New Jersey Land Conservation Rally at Brookdale Community College last Saturday. Kudos to Rally coordinator Laura Szwak, the NJ Conservation Foundation and all who assisted in putting on a great event. I always get fired up and in the mood for boldly taking action after spending time with so many like-thinking people, especially after being cooped-up with “Cabin Fever” over the winter.
So I was all fired-up to finish the epic rant I promised you last week.
“What do we stand for?” is the working title, and it is based on comments I’m not giving for an award I’m not receiving (you have to wait to see the details). I had it outlined and half written last Friday. What do we do when our Governor and/or government lies to us? (Think of the Governor’s recent quote “The Highlands was based on lies” and see this article,”Tree clearing along Garden State Parkway is also part of highway widening efforts, records show” in the Press of Atlantic City and this WolfeNotes post, “Turnpike Authority Illegally Clearcuts 30 Miles of Trees and Lies About It – Where’s Christie?” for yet further examples.) Are corporations and foundations and media organizations robbing the real grassroots of it’s voice? Where is greenwashing taking place within our environmental community? And what are we, as grassroots activists, willing to do to stand up to all this? As you’ll see below, it will have to wait for another weekend, but as a teaser, here’s the lede to the rant:
Back in mid-January (several revolutions and a small war or two ago, now) a handful of friends of mine were having an email conversation about how we’ve become frustrated at what’s going on locally and nationally with attacks on the environment and progressive policies. The frustration seemed to stem from both the attacks themselves, and the complacency or a lack of organized response by environmentalists and progressives to them. The question was raised as to “how we can affect change” and motivate people to respond…
Continue reading Question du jour: When is a rant not a rant? (Or, ‘Is no nukes good nukes?’)
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