From The Jersey Sierran, July - September 2022
CONSERVATION CHAIR’S MESSAGE
By Greg Gorman, ggorman@embargmail.com
During Earth Week, my daughter sent me a sonogram of my granddaughter, Eliana. Communities across the state exhibited Electric Vehicles, planted trees, walked along trails, and sponsored neighborhood cleanups. My Facebook friends posted pictures of blossoming flowers, greening trees, and roaring waterfalls. Their pages include videos of returning songbirds, scurrying salamanders, and frisky squirrels. The grandeur of spring is wonderful.
We also celebrated victorious campaigns to stop pollution, curtail climate crisis, and promote environmental justice. Starwood Energy and Atlantic City Electric announced the early retirement of the Logan and Chambers coal-burning plants, in South Jersey. The NJ Board of Public Utilities (BPU) made the Community Solar Program permanent a year earlier than planned. The BPU also plans to reallocate funds to the Clean Energy Program for energy efficient air conditioners and cold climate heat pumps. Unfortunately, efforts to pass the Build Back Better Act have stalled in Congress. This would accelerate clean energy investment and create an estimated 13,500 to 16,700 new direct jobs. As always, many more environmental victories are needed.
By the time you read this article, my granddaughter will have felt the summer sun shining on her face nestled in my arms. Please remember our commitment to the next generations so they, too, can feel the joy our planet brings.