The former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, James Woolsey, issued a stark warning, based on a US government study, that the death of millions of Americans could be only weeks away due to our national power grid’s shocking vulnerability to man-made and natural disasters. Knowing that, you might assume that our national leaders are doing everything in their power to ensure that the grid is adequately protected and that tragedy will be averted. But you would be wrong.
Consider this, the United States is the most powerful country the world has ever known. We have the ability to cure the incurable, to explore the unexplorable, to give generously to our friends and to wreak devastation upon our enemies. We can do this because we, as a people, are inventive and determined, and we have the energy infrastructure to facilitate these amazing things. Simply put, our modern-day success is interdependent with our energy infrastructure.
Yet, all of this could come to a screeching halt through a single cyber or electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack from a rogue state or terror organization, or a major solar flare, known as a Carrington Event, which could plunge our nation into an extended blackout.
The oil slick in Sandy Hook Bay that was reported to be two miles long by 900 feet wide on Thursday afternoon was observed to be one mile long by 150 wide at 10AM this morning, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Frank Iannazzo-Simmons during a phone interview with MMM.
Iannazzo-Simmons said a unified command consisting of personnel from the Coast Guard, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, NOAA and the National Park Service were still working to identify the both the source and product of the sheen. The color of the sheen changed from a rainbow to a “silverish” metallic color. Last evening it was reported that authorities believed the product to be diesel fuel. Today, they are taking samples to determine what it is.
20 feet of boom was installed at Horseshoe Cove yesterday as a precaution to protect the environmentally sensitive area. Today 70 feet of “hard boom” was installed to shore up the precautionary protection. Horseshoe Cove was deemed to be the only environmentally sensitive area that could be impacted by the sheen.
The sheen remains located at the northern end of Sandy Hook on the bay side.
In New Jersey, energy issues have emerged as a high priority for both consumers and businesses, with costs typically ranging in the top 10 most expensive in the nation. The Christie administration’s Energy Master Plan cites cutting those costs as a chief concern, in part, to make New Jersey more competitive with neighboring states. It is… Read the rest of this entry »
For most customers who use natural gas to heat their homes, costs will drop this winter. The state Board of Public Utilities yesterday approved new rates for the state’s four gas utilities, with all but South Jersey Gas customers seeing drops in their gas bills. The rates take effect today. The decline in customers’ bills continues… Read the rest of this entry »
Consumers could be paying up to $1.3 billion more than they should because the operator of the regional power grid fails to account for savings from energy efficiency in its long-term forecasts for electricity demand, according to a new study. The study, commissioned by the Sustainable FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) project, suggested the failure of… Read the rest of this entry »
With the Transportation Trust Fund scheduled to run out of money a year early, Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic legislative leaders are looking to reach agreement on a long-term solution to the state’s transportation funding crisis that is likely to include increased taxes on motor fuels. High-level talks involving Christie and legislative leaders, Christie’s nomination of… Read the rest of this entry »
Gov. Chris Christie and state legislative leaders are now focusing on how to refinance the state’s Transportation Trust Fund, which currently provides $1.6 billion a year in state funding for highway, bridge, and mass-transit construction projects. The TTF program approved in 2011 was supposed to run five years, but four years of overborrowing by the Christie… Read the rest of this entry »
An executive for the coalition of investors trying to build the country’s first offshore wind farm today said it will appeal a decision by New Jersey regulators to reject the $188 million project. “We plan to play out the process and file an appeal…
In a case with the potential to save New Jersey’s utility customers billions of dollars on their electric bills, a federal district court this week declared Maryland’s effort to spur building of new power plants unconstitutional. The ruling does…
Bipartisan Legislation Advances Administration’s Commitment to Development of Renewable Energy Resources in New Jersey
Trenton, NJ – Taking action that continues the Christie Administration’s commitment to fostering the development of renewable energy resources in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie today signed into law bipartisan legislationto strengthen and encourage the continued growth of New Jersey’s solar industry, while protecting ratepayers from increased costs. The bill, S-1925, couples an acceleration of the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for solar energy with a reduction of the solar alternate compliance payments, meeting an important goal of the Governor’s 2011 Energy Master Plan (EMP), strengthening the solar market in New Jersey, and securing the state’s place as a national solar energy leader.
“Since my time running for office, I made it clear that my Administration would be unrivaled in our aggressive support for the development of renewable sources of energy in New Jersey. Renewable energy not only helps meet our goals of increasing sustainability and protecting the environment, but can be an engine for economic growth and the creation of good-paying jobs for the people of our state,” said Governor Christie. “The bill I am signing today furthers these goals and will help us remain a national leader in the solar energy industry as we continue to promote innovative approaches to solar development, like developing landfills and other unusable lands and transforming them into sources of usable clean energy, all while holding down costs for families and businesses.”
By Scott Rudder
