GOVERNOR’S TRANSPORTATION CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON STIMULUS AND KEY PROJECTS
More than 700 business, labor and government leaders will attend the Sixth Annual Governor’s Transportation Conference on Monday, April 13. Governor Jon Corzine will give the keynote address and will be joined by members of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation.

Hosted again by the New Jersey Alliance for Action, the Conference will be held at the Lafayette Yard Marriott Conference Center in Trenton with registration beginning at 8 a.m and the program at 9 a.m.

Top New Jersey and bi-state transportation officials, will discuss, among other issues, how federal stimulus funding will affect key highway and transit projects, such as the trans-Hudson rail tunnel extension of PATCO in South Jersey and improvements to the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway.

Speakers also will include Chairman Anthony Coscia of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; State Commissioner of Transportation Stephen Dilts, who also chairs the Turnpike/Parkway Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority; NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles; and John Matheussen, CEO of the Delaware River Port Authority.

The Governor’s Transportation Conference originally was scheduled for March 2 but was postponed because of a snowstorm.

A capacity attendance is expected so please go here to reserve a place.

CONDITION OF PHARMACEUTICAL/MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY IS REPORTED
Decisions in Washington on health care reform will have a deep impact on New Jersey’s premiere industry, pharmaceutical and medical technology. That was the message delivered to an audience of more than 200 by Bob Franks, President of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey, at a Trenton conference co-hosted by the Alliance for Action and the Institute.

Another “danger sign,” Franks declared is the $40 billion worth of patents held by New Jersey companies that will expire by 2011-2012.

With the theme of “Construction in Challenging Times,” the conference featured reports by officials on construction plans of their companies.” They include James Breen, Vice President of Project Management, Worldwide Engineering and Real Estate, for Johnson and Johnson; Louis Fedele, Vice President, Facility Operations for Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Aris Gennadois, Vice President & General Manager, Catalent Pharma Solutions.

Other speakers included Jack Donnelly, Deputy Chief of Governor Corzine’s Office of Economic Growth, and Dr. Aaron Fichtner of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. A panel was moderated by Bill Healey, Executive Vice President of the HealthCare Institute. The panelists were:
Dr. Fichtner, Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu, Caren Franzini, CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority; Ridgeley Hutchinson, Business Representative of Carpenters Local Union 781, and Tom Manning, President of the NJ State Association of Pipe Trades.

FEDERAL STIMULUS BENEFITS FOR NEW JERSEY ARE REPORTED
Federal stimulus funds are expected to bring New Jersey approximately $17.5 billion in economic benefits.

That was the report given by Ed McBride, Chief of Staff for Governor Corzine and Co-Chair of the Governor’s special task force to review the distribution and award of federal stimulus dollars. He spoke before some 300 people at a special conference on the impacts to New Jersey of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act sponsored by the Alliance for Action in Trenton.

McBride declared that the per capita economic benefits of the stimulus program in New Jersey are expected to be the highest in the country in proportion to population. He emphasized that the role of the task force is not to select projects, but to ensure that they are based on merits. He emphasized that the biggest infrastructure funding streams at this stage are for transportation and clean and drinking water. New Jersey State Transportation Commissioner Stephen Dilts said New Jersey’s share of stimulus dollars from Washington will total $1.1 billion --- $652 million for highways and $424 million for transit. A key share of the transit funding will be $130 million for final design of the trans-Hudson rail tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan.

Dennis Merida, Division Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, commended New Jersey for its head start on a package of transportation projects to apply for federal funding.

Alliance President Philip K. Beachem opened the conference by telling the audience that the stimulus funds represent a very large responsibility which requires communication and cooperation among all involved public agencies.

On the environmental side, Dennis Hart, Executive Director of the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust, reported that U.S. stimulus funding includes $161 million for New Jersey’s Clean Water Revolving Fund and $43 million for drinking water projects.

Gary Sondermeyer, Chief of Staff and Operations Director for the State Environmental Protection Department, said that in addition to the clean and drinking water programs, the DEP is focused on eight other environmental needs. They are underground storage tanks, Superfund cleanups, Brownfields remediation, wild fire hazard reductions, lowering diesel emissions, Army Corps of Engineers projects, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Programs and water quality management planning grants.

Also participating in a panel discussion of transportation needs were three executive directors of regional planning organizations, Mary K. Murphy of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Timothy Chelius of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization and Barry Seymour of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Authority.

JCP&L SELECTED AS SMART GRID DEMONSTRATION HOST SITE
Jersey Central Power & Light was chosen as a smart growth demonstration host site by the Electric Power Research Institute, a California-based nonprofit that studies electrical usage, distribution and generation.

Through its Integrated Distributed Energy Resources project, JCP&L hopes to reduce summer-time demand by eight megawatts --- or enough energy to power 5,000 homes annually. The initiative is part of the company’s efforts to meet benchmarks in New Jersey’s 2008 Energy Master Plan.

WEST WINDSOR TRANSIT HUB DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVED
The West Windsor Council approved by a 3-1 vote a long-debated plan to redevelop 350 acres around the Princeton Junction train station. The plan allows a mixture of affordable and market-rate housing for some 500 units and construction of a parking garage. The State Office of Smart Growth has advocated clusters of housing, offices and retail around transit hubs. The next step is for the Council to issue a request for proposals from developers seeking to execute the plan.

NJ TRANSIT WILL RETROFIT TRAIN STATIONS FOR THE DISABLED
NJ Transit will retrofit 130 rail and light rail stations to make them fully accessible for customers with disabilities to comply with the Americans for Disabilities Act. The program is expected to be completed in 2010.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Somerville train station for the project to begin later this spring. The work will include new platforms that will be level with train doors and adapting two service elevators for customer use that will provide access between the pedestrian tunnel, street and platform levels.

OYSTER CREEK’S OPERATING LICENSE TO BE RENEWED
FOR 20 YEARS
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted 3-1 to allow the Oyster Creek nuclear reactor in South Jersey to operate for another 20 years. The license extension was expected to be granted by Thursday, April 9.

The NRC vote upheld the recommendation to extend the Oyster Creek operating license made by the Atomic Safety & Licensing Board. It also rejected the appeal filed by a coalition of environmental groups opposed to the renewal, claiming risk.

Oyster Creek, located in Lacey Township, is owned by the Chicago-based Exelon Corporation and began operations in 1969, making it the nation’s oldest nuclear reactor.

ALLIANCE GOLF CLASSIC SET FOR MAY 18
The New Jersey Alliance for Action will hold its 33rd annual Golf Classic on Monday, May 18, at Eagle Oaks Golf & Country Club in Farmingdale. The day will include greens fees, golf cart, luncheon, cocktails, dinner buffet and prizes. For reservations for individual golfers or foursomes, please call the Alliance at (732) 225-1180 or go here.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
-Richard E. Williams, Somerset County Administrator, will receive the 59th Annual Award as Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Somerset County Business Partnership. Williams, who is a member of the Alliance Board of Directors, will be honored at a dinner on Wednesday, May 5, at the Martinsville Inn.
-Stephen T. Boswell, also a member of the Alliance Board of Directors, will be honored by the Foundation for Free Enterprise at a luncheon on June 10 at The Venetian, Garfield. Boswell is President and CEO of Boswell Engineering, South Hackensack.

To tell us what you think of our on-line news Go Here.

Back to Online News Home Page