Debra Coyle

A house in New Jersey destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. This coming October 29th will mark the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Sandy.  We can all remember the fear and anxiety that gripped communities as we faced winds up to 90 miles an hour and sea levels 14 feet higher than normal. The storm claimed  hundreds of lives and cost tens of billions of dollars in New Jersey, New York and up and down the East Coast. Health-related costs in New York and New Jersey alone were more than $3 billion. New Jersey is one of the fastest-warming states in the United States according to a recent analysis in the Washington Post. Temperatures here have increased by a full two degrees Celsius over the past century. That’s more than twice as fast as average in the lower 48 states – and the tipping point at which scientists say the impact of climate change becomes irreversible. Is New Jersey ready for the next Sandy? Our state faces an increased risk of hurricanes and other extreme weather events due to the dynamics of ongoing climate change.  Storms that used to happen once in a century will become commonplace, and we also face [...]

TRENTON– Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) today joined transit advocates and environmentalists in urging New Jersey Transit to expedite conversion to an electric bus fleet. “Cutting vehicle emissions is critical to the fight against climate change,” said Senator Weinberg. “NJ Transit should be in the forefront of the conversion to a zero-emission electric bus fleet that is a priority for forward-looking mass transit agencies across the country.” Senator Weinberg issued her statement in the wake of a press conference that brought together experts from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Clean Water Action, Environment New Jersey, ChargEVC, the League of Conservation Voters and the New Jersey Work Environment Council to urge NJ Transit to make electrification of its bus fleet a top priority. Read more from InsiderNJ.com.

Gym floor and school track manufacturers for schools will face tighter regulations, after the discovery of mercury-tainted fumes closed gymnasiums in districts across the state This month, the New Jersey Schools Development Authority reported it would, for the first time, require certification from rubberized or urethane floors floor manufacturers that their products do not contain mercury. The mercury fumes are given off by certain rubberized or synthetic polyurethane flooring that contain the chemical phenyl mercuric acetate, known as PMA. The chemical, found in gym, cafeteria and multipurpose room floors, as well as indoor and outdoor running tracks, has been used in floors since the 1960s, according to the New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teacher's union. The chemical breaks down over time and emits mercury fumes, according to the union. The chemical is not found in gym floors made of wood or vinyl tile, according to the NJEA. Read more at app.com