New Jersey will build new power plants, generate more electricity from wind and solar power, and cut its energy consumption by 20 percent by 2020, according to the State’s draft Energy Master Plan. More than a year in the making, the plan seeks to guide New Jersey’s energy policy for the next 12 years on everything from increased power generation to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The plan outlines five specific goals, each of which has several action items attached to it. Among the specifics are the development of Statewide building codes that improve energy efficiency by 30 percent, establishment of minimum energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment not covered by existing standards, and expansion of peak-demand pricing to more commercial and industrial customers.

Several public hearings on different segments of the plan will be held April 28 through May 1 at the War Memorial in Trenton. To download a copy of the plan and get the full public hearing schedule, visit www.nj.gov/emp.

NJBIA Calls for Streamlining Site Remediation Program

Streamlining New Jersey’s site remediation program would help protect open space by easing development pressures, provide new property tax ratables to municipalities, and protect the environment by cleaning up more polluted sites, NJBIA said on April 22. Testifying at a joint hearing of the Assembly and Senate Environment Committees, NJBIA Vice President David Brogan said it was critical that New Jersey find a way to reduce the backlog of contaminated sites in New Jersey and bring them back to productive use. Currently, 20,000 properties are contaminated, some of them severely. With 4,000 of those sites added to the rolls in the last year, the problem is only going to get worse.

Brogan said New Jersey should implement a Licensed Site Professional (LSP) program, which would permit brownfields developers to hire private-sector licensed environmental engineers to oversee cleanups and ensure they comply with State environmental laws. This would take pressure off of the staff at the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and speed cleanups. DEP has endorsed the concept and presented a detailed proposal to the committees.

The licensed professionals would operate as independent overseers of cleanup projects. The committee felt that the LSP’s should be held accountable for their actions, and suggested strong penalties for non-compliance. Citing the need for timely reviews and approvals by the department, Brogan said that accountability has to go both ways. "Just as the LSP’s are held to a certain standard, so too should the DEP."

With 20,000 brownfield sites in the State, DEP does not have the financial resources to clean them all up under the best of circumstances. New Jersey’s site remediation program must rely on the private sector if any meaningful reduction in the backlog of brownfields cases is to be achieved. And that means changing the program to make the process faster and more cost effective for the companies cleaning up the sites, while ensuring environmental standards are met. "In many cases there is no responsible party, and the only people who will clean up and develop those sites would be private developers," Brogan said. "The market will dictate whether or not the private sector will invest in New Jersey’s brownfields. We need to give them incentives to do so." For more information, contact David Brogan at ext. 236 .

Legislative Leaders Support Spending Cuts at NJBIA Event

If the Legislature’s Democratic majorities produce a budget that does not spend more than Governor Jon Corzine has proposed, Republicans could well end up supporting it. If not, however, expect a spirited debate when it is brought up for a vote in June. This scenario was discussed during NJBIA’s April 15 Meet the Legislative Leaders program, where Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean and Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce offered their ideas and took questions from about 120 NJBIA members.

"We have a budget that is controversial," DeCroce said, referring to Governor Jon Corzine’s proposed spending plan. "Will we support it? We will support it as long as it maintains the cuts (Corzine) has proposed." Watson Coleman said that was just what the Assembly Democrats intended to do, even though they may not necessarily make the same cuts proposed by the Governor. "We will have a budget consistent with what the Governor has proposed," she said. If the Democrats do try to increase spending, however, Republicans would not support them, Kean said, adding: "We will not support a budget that spends more than what the Governor proposes, and, in fact, we want to spend less."

Watson Coleman also assured the audience that the Legislature would move quickly to shore up the Unemployment Insurance fund with a $260 million appropriation. The move is designed to avoid an automatic $350 million payroll tax increase for employers that would otherwise be triggered on July 1, 2008 because of a drop in the fund’s balance. "This shows we are serious about supporting business," she said.

NJ Again Ranked Worst State for Operating a Small Business

New Jersey has again been ranked the worst state in the nation in which to operate a small business by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council’s Small Business Survival Index. Released April 10, the 2008 index analyzes taxes, regulations, mandates, government spending, litigation systems and property rights in each state and then ranks them according to the policy climate for entrepreneurship. New Jersey was ranked 50th in the nation in supporting entrepreneurship, ahead of only Washington, D.C. New Jersey was ranked 50th in 2007 as well.

According to the index, South Dakota, Nevada, Wyoming, and Washington are the best states for small businesses, while Minnesota, California, Iowa, and Rhode Island joined New Jersey at the bottom of the list. The index can be found at www.sbecouncil.org.

NJBIA’s Directory of the 213th New Jersey Legislature

NJBIA's handy, pocket-sized Directory of the 213th NJ Legislature is now available. It is the best resource in the State for contacting State and federal decision-makers and their staff. The directory contains legislators' photos and the towns they represent, committee assignments, district office addresses, phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses, and the names of their legislative aides. It also lists the members of the Governor's Cabinet, Senate and Assembly leaders and staff. The cost is just $4 per copy ($3 per copy if purchasing more than 100 copies) for NJBIA members and $7 per copy for nonmembers. For more information, contact Lynette Mujica at 609-393-7707, ext. 224. You can also order your copies online now.

NJBIA's 2008-2009 Legislative Priorities Now Available

Want to know what New Jersey's Legislature is up to? Check out NJBIA's new Legislative Priorities Web page and get the latest on legislation impacting the way you do business in the Garden State. It is a comprehensive list of the probusiness bills that we are trying to get passed as well as the anti-business bills we are trying to stop. It is a dynamic list that will be updated on a regular basis, so revisit the page often. If you have any questions, please contact Senior Vice President Melanie Willoughby at ext. 205.

Meet NJ's Top Government Leaders at 3 Special Briefings

NJBIA will bring together top Administration officials, along with legislative leaders, for insightful briefings at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township on three of the biggest issues impacting your business operations, Healthcare Reform - April 22, Energy - May 16, and Environmental Regulation and Legislation - October 17.

Support the NJ Business Hall of Fame Gala, April 17

The NJ Business Hall of Fame (NJBHOF) 2008 Gala, to be held April 17 at The Mezzanine in Newark, will honor three business leaders, including NJM Insurance Group President and CEO Anthony G. Dickson. Please support this special event by buying a ticket, being a sponsor and/or purchasing an advertisement. Call Dawn Schwartz at 973-533-1133 for more information.