Elizabeth - River View Observer https://riverviewobserver.net A lifestyle and entertainment publication serving the Jersey City, Hoboken, Bayonne, Weehawken, West New York, North Bergen, Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Secaucus and Guttenberg Waterfront Communities Wed, 10 Jul 2013 04:06:35 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 Bayonne: Gun Buyback Program Set for Bayonne, Other Locations on July 12-13 https://riverviewobserver.net/bayonne-gun-buyback-program-set-for-bayonne-other-locations-on-july-12-13/ Wed, 10 Jul 2013 04:06:35 +0000 http://riverviewobserver.net/?p=6874 Gun Buy Back program comes to Bayonne New Jersey Friday and Saturday July 12 and 13th to Mt. Carmel Parish Center in Bayonne

The post Bayonne: Gun Buyback Program Set for Bayonne, Other Locations on July 12-13 first appeared on River View Observer.

]]>

           Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish Center will be the Bayonne location for a New Jersey gun buyback program on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on both days.  The parish center is located at 39 East 22nd Street in Bayonne. The Mt. Carmel Parish Center is set back from the street, and has a parking lot for visitors. The gun buyback program will also take place at five other church locations in Hudson and Union Counties on those same two days.  Residents can turn in up to three guns anonymously, with no questions asked.  In return they will receive up to $250 per weapon. 

        CITY OF BAYONNE SEAL  The event is co-sponsored by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, the Hudson and Union County Prosecutors’ Offices, and the Bayonne, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Linden, Plainfield, and Union City Police Departments. 

          The gun buyback program began last December, and has taken place in several locations across New Jersey.  Since December, there have been gun buyback events in New Jersey in Atlantic, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Mercer, Monmouth, and Passaic Counties.  They have resulted in the collection of more than 12,500 deadly firearms statewide.  The program’s goal is to reduce the number of weapons in circulation. New Jersey’s Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said, “A gun that is no longer in circulation – a gun that no longer exists – cannot be used to commit a crime, to shoot someone in the heat of an argument, or go off accidentally in the hands of a curious child.”  Mayor Smith said, “Gun violence is a serious problem in America.  The gun buyback program is an important step forward in improving public safety in New Jersey. The City of Bayonne welcomes the opportunity to participate in this statewide effort.”  Public Safety Director Jason O’Donnell said, “I would like to thank the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Bayonne Police Department for working together closely to plan the gun buyback event in Bayonne. We look forward to continuing more such efforts in the future.”  Police Chief Ralph Scianni said, “The Bayonne Police Department and all of the law enforcement agencies involved have developed the gun buyback program in cooperation with local churches.  I would like to thank Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church for providing its parish center as the Bayonne location for this important program. The members of the religious community are vital partners in the effort to reduce crime and violence.”    

          As with the other state gun buyback programs, guns will be purchased using funds provided by the Attorney General’s Office through its Division of Criminal Justice.  Additional funding will be provided by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office and CarePoint Health. 

          All weapons must be transported to the buyback sites unloaded and contained in a closed or fastened case, gunbox, securely tied package, or locked in the trunk of the vehicle in which it is being transported. The police are warning the public not to handle or attempt to unload unfamiliar weapons.  Instead, residents can contact Captain Robert Mullins at 201-858-6917.  He will arrange to send a firearms expert to their homes to render the weapons safe. The firearms expert from the Bayonne Police Department would then transport the weapons to the buyback site at Mt. Carmel Parish Center. In order to receive money for the weapons being surrendered, the persons who possessed the weapons would have to make their own way to the buyback site the same time as the police officer.  The police will not transport anyone to the site.

           People wishing to turn in weapons, but who are unable to travel to the buyback site, should contact Captain Mullins at 201-858-6917 to schedule an appointment to have the weapons picked up at their homes. However, in that situation the resident would not receive cash for the weapons being surrendered.  The Bayonne Police Department is not handling the cash for the buyback program. Police officers will not be delivering money to people’s homes.          

           In addition to the parish center of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Bayonne, the other churches providing sites for the buyback program are: 1) Evangelismos Greek Orthodox Church, 661 Montgomery Street, Jersey City; 2) St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, 615 8th Street, Union City; 3) New Zion Baptist Church, 800 Flora Street, Elizabeth; 4) Morning Star Christian Church, 1009 Chandler Avenue, Linden; and 5) Shiloh Baptist Church Annex, 525 West 4th Street, Plainfield.

          For more information, please go to the website, www.nj.gov/guns, or call 609-984-5828. 

 

=

The post Bayonne: Gun Buyback Program Set for Bayonne, Other Locations on July 12-13 first appeared on River View Observer.

]]> City, State and Federal Government Take Action for Cleaner Port of New York and New Jersey https://riverviewobserver.net/city-state-and-federal-government-take-action-for-cleaner-port-of-new-york-and-new-jersey/ https://riverviewobserver.net/city-state-and-federal-government-take-action-for-cleaner-port-of-new-york-and-new-jersey/#respond Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:22:34 +0000 http://riverviewobserver.net/?p=2168 Truckers Gain Access to Millions of Dollars to Slash Air Pollution    (Elizabeth, N.J. – March 10, 2010) Leading the way to cleaner air and healthier communities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) unveiled a comprehensive agreement that will cut harmful pollution from the … Continue reading City, State and Federal Government Take Action for Cleaner Port of New York and New Jersey →

The post City, State and Federal Government Take Action for Cleaner Port of New York and New Jersey first appeared on River View Observer.

]]>

trucks_on_highway-againTruckers Gain Access to Millions of Dollars to Slash Air Pollution

 

 (Elizabeth, N.J. – March 10, 2010) Leading the way to cleaner air and healthier communities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) unveiled a comprehensive agreement that will cut harmful pollution from the east coast’s busiest port. The states launched a $28 million truck replacement program, partially funded by $7 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which will replace old trucks with vehicles that meet stricter pollution standards. The agreement, signed by a wide array of federal, state and local partners, details the specific steps the partners will employ to reduce harmful diesel pollution from the Port of New York and New Jersey. EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck, PANYNJ Chairman Anthony R. Coscia, PANYNJ Executive Director Christopher O. Ward and Robert Martin, Acting Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection were joined by other state and local partners as they put the final signatures on the milestone agreement today in Port Elizabeth. The innovative pact outlines actions such as investing in pollution reduction technologies and developing air pollution inventories. The New York City metropolitan area has unhealthy air and does not meet air quality standards for ozone and fine particulate matter. Diesel exhaust particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and pose serious health risks, including aggravating the symptoms of asthma and other respiratory problems in healthy individuals.

To memorialize their goals, the milestone document was signed by EPA, PANYNJ, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, The City of New York Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, New York City Economic Development Corporation, New York Shipping Association and the cities of Bayonne, Elizabeth, Jersey City and Newark.

“Trucks and equipment used at ports are a significant source of pollution in the communities that surround them,” said Judith Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Efforts like the Port Authority’s new truck replacement program and the much broader sustainability agreement signed today will go a long way toward cutting this pollution and improving air quality and public health.

Reducing dirty diesel emissions will protect the health of truck drivers and other workers at the port, along with the nearby community. I applaud the Port Authority for its leadership.”

Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said, “The Clean Truck Program is the latest in our efforts to achieve cleaner air at and around our port. On top of our other investments — including $600 million to build on-dock rail and $60 million to acquire and preserve environmentally sensitive property — we believe this program will help build on our legacy as good environmental stewards.”

Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward said, “We have worked closely with all stakeholders to make sure that this new program will help clean up the pollution at our ports, and, in the process, ensure that we do not overburden our already struggling port and trucking industry. I want to thank EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck and the entire EPA for their generous support of this program, and I want to thank all of the members of our Truck Working Group for coming together around such a critical initiative.”

The truck replacement program will replace about 600 model year 1993 and older trucks with cleaner, 2004 and newer trucks. Trucks manufactured in 2004 and later meet EPA’s later pollution requirements and are up to 98% cleaner than older trucks. Under the program, the PANYNJ will cover 25% of trucker’s costs for newer trucks. PANYNJ also plans to phase out additional older trucks serving the port as part of a broader strategy to reduce diesel emissions from their operations. Their phase out program consists of 2 steps: a ban on pre-1994 trucks beginning January 1, 2011 and a ban on pre-2007 trucks beginning January 1, 2017. There are more than 3 million truck trips to and from the Port of New York and New Jersey marine terminals each year, resulting in nearly 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and 55 tons of fine particle pollution. Nitrogen oxide is a precursor to smog, which can contribute to severe respiratory ailments. Likewise, fine particles are linked to lung and heart problems. Nationwide, diesel engines emit 7.3 million tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides and 333,000 tons of soot annually. This pollution is linked to thousands of premature deaths, hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks and millions of lost work days.

The Truck Replacement Program is part of a broader Clean Air Strategy on which EPA and the Port Authority worked closely with a consortium of state and local government agencies and industry, labor and environmental groups to reach a broad consensus on a landmark agreement between EPA, PANYNJ, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the City of New York Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, New York City Economic Development Corporation, New York Shipping Association and the cities of Bayonne, Elizabeth, Jersey City and Newark. This diverse group worked together to reduce emissions associated with maritime operations – including ships, harbor craft, cargo handling equipment, locomotives and trucks – within the Port District. This agreement memorializes PANYNJ’s Clean Air Strategy for the Port of New York and New Jersey, which identifies me sures to reduce maritime and port-related emissions such as by using cleaner fuels, supporting development of low emission warehouses on port fields, promoting shore power electrification (cold ironing) and other green ideas. The truck replacement program is a significant component of the port’s overall clean air strategy.

To learn more about EPA’s efforts to reduce air pollution in NY and NJ or to obtain the full text of the agreement, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region02/air

To download an application for the truck replacement program, visit: http://www.replacemytruck.org

Truck replacement program contact: 877-309-1680, info@replacemytruck.org

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

The post City, State and Federal Government Take Action for Cleaner Port of New York and New Jersey first appeared on River View Observer.

]]> https://riverviewobserver.net/city-state-and-federal-government-take-action-for-cleaner-port-of-new-york-and-new-jersey/feed/ 0