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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio rolled out a $98.6 billion “recovery budget” on Monday – the largest budget in the city’s history – but he’ll only get to spend half of it. Because six months into the next fiscal year, a new mayor will be taking office. So it seemed odd that the mayor’s executive budget was met with near silence from the eight leading Democrats who are hoping to inherit the city – and the $3.9 billion budget gap that de Blasio’s bean counters predict for the next mayor’s first full fiscal year. Shaun Donovan, who once managed the $4 trillion federal budget, was the only candidate who even put out a statement, criticizing de Blasio for failing to make progress on key issues like police reform and “passing the buck to his eventual successor and ultimately, the NYC taxpayer.” (Unlike his arguably misdirected finger-pointing at de Blasio for the census results, Donovan’s budget statement went largely unnoticed.)
Massachusetts Community Continues EV Infrastructure Push
Since 2016, leaders in the town of Cohasset have been implementing electric vehicles and the supporting infrastructure wherever they can. The recent addition of six new charging stations brings the total up to 18.
April 30, 2021 •
Shutterstock (TNS) Cohasset leaders gathered in celebration on Sunday as the town continues to sit at the forefront of the electronic infrastructure push in Massachusetts.
In 2016, Cohasset christened its first fleet of electric vehicles for town employee use after receiving a grant from the state s Electric Vehicle Incentive Program.
After a three-year lease with local dealer Coastal Nissan ran out in 2019, the town re-upped and rolled out another wave of vehicles last February.
The complaint alleges odors detectable up to at least three miles from the plant.
The complaint also alleges the company told the Department of Environmental Protection it had stopped producing the crumb rubber asphalt during an investigation, but continued production for months.
According to the complaint, the company s installation of unauthorized equipment, failure to inspect and maintain the plant, and emission of pollutants and noxious odors all violated its operations permit.
Under the settlement, the company will pay $1.45 million in penalties, of which $460,000 is suspended for two years pending compliance.
Neighborhood concerns
The asphalt plant is only such plant in town, allowed as a pre-existing, nonconforming use under town zoning.
‘Skip the Straw’ Campaign Begins Saturday
The “Skip the Straw” campaign beginning Saturday reminds Montgomery County restaurants and food service businesses to forego the extra plastic.
County Executive Marc Elrich proposed the law which prohibits straws given to dine-in customers, except on request or in compliance with federal disability rights laws. The Montgomery County Council approved the bill in December 2020.
The campaign is sponsored by the County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Single-use plastic straws have proven to be harmful to the environment by littering waterways and streets and jamming recycling machines.
Bill 32-20 will require businesses in the food industry to get rid of plastic straws and instead adopt degradable and compostable alternatives. The straws are said to be comparable in cost to the original plastic straws, according to Elrich.
Credit: (Doug McGrady via Creative Commons; CC BY 2.0)
In its finding in favor of the Pinelands pipeline, a state appeals court said it did not threaten the rare sickle-leaved golden aster.
A state Appellate Court on Thursday rejected an appeal by two environmental groups to halt construction of a natural-gas pipeline in South Jersey, saying there’s no evidence that the nearly complete project will hurt groundwater quality, damage endangered species or conflict with the principles that govern management of Pinelands preserve.
The court dismissed arguments by the New Jersey Sierra Club and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance that the Pinelands Commission, which manages the region, was wrong in 2017 to approve the Southern Reliability Link a 30-mile New Jersey Natural Gas pipeline that runs east from Chesterfield to near Lakehurst.