News Highlights
A quick review of top environmental news stories from the past 2 weeks

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​Local

• Two Union County parks get spruced up via “Adopt-a-Park” volunteer program
• More parks, fields and trails? Somerset County takes an important step
• Highlands Council funds watershed protection projects in Morris County and plan conformance assessment in Warren County
  
• ​First two master plan streaming meetings cover land use and mobility in South Orange's future
• Hazlet fight against NJ Natural Gas regulator station chained to fate of Holmdel case
• Businesses near 2 NJ cities can replace stinky trucks with electric ones under new pilot program
• Freehold regional schools chop energy use 31% since September
• NJ rejects plan to give tax break to Warren County farmland eyed for development

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Around the country

• EPA publishes first installment of controversial final risk evaluation for asbestos
• Trump administration jams in environmental rollbacks in final days
• ​Will 2021 be the year for environmental justice legislation? States are already leading the way
• Biden administration must mobilize 'entire federal government' to face climate crisis
• Biden's extremely busy Day 1 on climate change
• ​Businesses aim to pull greenhouse gases from the air. It’s a gamble.
• ​Survey finds consumers show ‘strong preference’ for paper packaging over plastic
• ​How an environmental justice controversy sparked in Upper Darby
• With Biden in charge, NJ's clean air advocates hope the days of diesel are numbered
  
• ​Supreme court case could limit future lawsuits against fossil fuel industry
• Forever chemicals are widespread in US drinking water
• Federal energy commission opts not to consider PennEast Pipeline a day before Biden becomes president ...

In New Jersey

• Climate change: New Jersey had its second-warmest year on record in 2020
• Bateman bill bolstering electric vehicle charging infrastructure advances
• NJ Transit withdraws permit for fracked gas plant
• NJ Uber riders may soon choose electric cars for pickup (but it'll cost you)
• NJ Transit pulls plug on air permit application for gas power plant, a win for those opposing it
• A toolkit for local environmental responsibilities

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 Global

• How much does Amazon and E-commerce contribute to plastic pollution?
• Big Oil’s flagship plastic waste project sinks on the Ganges
• The leaders in the race to build a better EV battery
• EU farmers could get cash to curb emissions from belching livestock
• Electric car batteries with 5-minute charging times produced
  
• ​Big Oil hits brakes on search for new fossil fuels

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Opinion & analysis

• A $1.5 billion investment to combat climate change 
• New Jersey has to face the impacts of climate change 
• A commissioner's farewell and hopes for a stronger, fairer, greener New Jersey
• Lessons from Newark's aggressive replacement of lead service lines

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The views expressed in these articles do not necessarily represent positions held by ANJEC.