CLEAN AIR COUNCIL SUPPORTS INCENTIVES FOR I&M
PROGRAM AT ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING
The New Jersey Clean Air Council, a 30-year-old state advisory body,
is recommending a study be conducted of the possibility of offering an
incentive program to encourage private facilities to participate in
the state's enhanced auto inspection and maintenance (I&M) program.
The recommendation is part of a report submitted today to the state
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The report summarizes
the testimony received at the council's public hearing in April.
Outgoing Council Chair Stephen Papenberg of Pennington presented the
report to DEP Commissioner Bob Shinn.
The report commends the DEP for achieving significant and widespread
progress in reducing acid rain, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen dioxide, particulates and lead in New Jersey's air. It calls
for additional measures to reduce ozone levels and bring the state
into compliance with the Clean Air Act.
"The I&M program will bring cleaner air to New Jersey, and we welcome
all suggestions to facilitate its implementation," said DEP
Commissioner Shinn, noting that the council recently joined the
Coalition for Clean Air, a group supporting implementation of the I&M
program. "The council is to be commended for not only compiling this
report, but for its 30-year effort to improve air quality in New
Jersey. They are long-time partners in our quest for cleaner air."
Special recognition was given to council members Irwin Zonis of West
Orange and Rutgers University Professor Emeritus Raymond Manganelli of
Hillside who have served on the council since its inception. The
council also welcomed two new members, Margaret Nordstrom of Long
Valley and Somerset County Freeholder Peter Palmer, and incoming
chair, Joseph Spatola, executive director of the Union County Resource
Recovery Facility.
The council's report notes the state's ozone levels will be
exacerbated by the deregulation of the power industry, and recommends
that "green power" - electricity generated without producing high
levels of air pollution - be narrowly defined to include only those
meeting rigid air pollution standards.
Copies of the report are available by calling DEP at 609-292-1413 or
by visiting the DEP website at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/
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