On Earth Day, N.J. pushes clean water measures

[struggle4progress]

Saturday, April 23, 2005

By JOHN CURRAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS



New Jersey observed the 35th anniversary of Earth Day on Friday with a flurry of environment-related events, with officials taking aim at a federal energy bill and unveiling legislation that would permanently ban offshore drilling.

The state, meanwhile, announced plans to speed cleanup of 10 contaminated sites along the Delaware River, but environmental advocates called the measure window dressing.

In Union, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Jeanne Fox joined with environmental advocates for a news conference denouncing the energy bill, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.

It includes $8.1 billion in energy tax breaks, with $2 billion toward increasing research into drilling for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico and $2 billion going to makers of the gasoline additive MTBE, to help defray the cost of phasing out the product, which contaminates drinking water. <snip>

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