Biodiversity and Habitat

Vegetation Management
PSE&G manages more than 15,000 acres of forests, wetlands, meadows and farmland located under its transmission lines.  PSE&G follows an integrated Vegetation Management Plan to maintain transmission system reliability while preserving ecologically valuable habitats, such as freshwater wetlands and trout streams.  In maintaining both transmission and distribution systems, PSE&G adheres to both its own Vegetation Management Standards and Guidelines and regulatory standards put forth by the North American Electric Reliability Council and NJ Board of Public Utilities Vegetation Management Standards.

Vegetation Management

A site-specific herbicide treatment program was initiated over the past two years to assist in converting existing rights of way with incompatible tall-growing species to grasses, low- growing shrubs and a herbaceous plant community.  This type of vegetation promotes enhanced songbird and butterfly habitat in addition to mammal and other wildlife species.

Construction Impacts
During the scoping and planning phase of construction projects, PSE&G evaluates the potential impacts in threatened and endangered species and either avoids and manages the impacts. 

Wetlands Restoration
PSEG Nuclear constantly monitors our nationally recognized Estuary Enhancement Program (EEP) and is very close to achieving vegetation success criteria for two of the seven sites.  Following the acceptance of our New Jersey Pollution Discharge Elimination System Program (NJPDES Permit Program) renewal application in 2006, PSEG Nuclear does not expect to file again until 2013.

PSEG Nuclear’s Estuary Enhancement Program was conceived as an alternative means of complying with NJPDES requirements. It encompasses over 20,000 acres on the Delaware Bay coast in both New Jersey and Delaware. The program consists of seven wetland restorations sites ranging from 578 to 4,171 acres, thirteen fish ladders, and a large preservation site measuring 4,384 acres.  The objective of the Estuary Enhancement Program is to provide expanded spawning/nursery habitat and food sources needed by fish and other aquatic life.  The efforts promote increased aquatic resources production and biodiversity in the Delaware Estuary.  Combined approaches are implemented to restore, enhance, and/or preserve degraded salt marsh and adjacent upland buffers. A bay-wide biological monitoring program and salt marsh research contribute to an improved scientific understanding of the importance of tidal marsh to fisheries production in the Delaware Estuary.

PSEG Nuclear involves local stakeholders in the management of the EEP through:

• The EEP Advisory Committee, which includes academic scientists, federal and state environmental regulators, county representatives, and meets twice a year.
• Community Involvement Committees in Elsinboro Township and Greenwich Township which monitor usage of the PSEG-supported recreational and educational facilities located on EEP sites in their communities.

Certified Lands for Learning
In 2007, the EEP sites were doubly certified as habitat and educational sites by the Wildlife Habitat Council’s Corporate Lands for Learning program and Corporate Wildlife Habitat Certification/International Accreditation Program.  These programs recognize meaningful wildlife habitat management programs, including environmental education programs. Accreditation through the Wildlife Habitat Council provides third-party credibility and an objective evaluation of these projects.

Creating Habitat on Corporate Lands
PSEG partnered with the NJ Audubon Society in early 2009 to launch the Corporate Stewardship Council to preserve and increase habitat. The Audubon Society will work with corporations with major land holdings in our state to develop and implement strategies for enhancing the habitat value of their properties. 

Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership 
The NJ Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (CWRP), chaired by PSEG, continues to provide unique benefits by supporting ecological restoration and watershed improvement projects, as well as related educational projects. The partnership also implemented a state-wide rain garden workshop building on the lessons learned from the rain garden demonstrations funded in 2007 and early 2008.  PSEG also serves on the CWRP national management committee and is the lead company for the Mid-Atlantic region.

Recently completed local projects include:

• Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary. The restoration of six acres of estuarine wetland and 16 acres of upland buffer will benefit a variety of migratory birds along New Jersey’s coastal flyway.
• Seber Dam Removal. The removal of this dam, one of five on the Musconetcong River in Hackettstown, is expected to improve water quality, enhance fish migration, eliminate potential flood hazards and allow recreational boaters to travel the length of a river that Congress in 2006 declared to be "wild and scenic."
• Oyster Bed Restoration NY/NJ Harbor. The Baykeeper has constructed three oyster reefs in NY Harbor, the Navesink River and Keyport Harbor. NJ CWRP has provided funding for two phases of this project with initial restoration within the original Navesink River acreage.  The year Baykeeper expanded the acreage of its Navesink River restoration site, seeding it with oysters grown in an aquaculture facility and by over 400 community volunteers enlisted in the Baykeeper Oyster Gardening Program.
• Six Mile Grassland Restoration. Restoration of 94.5 acres of grassland habitat along the Six Mile Run Reservoir in Franklin Township will secure approximately 320 acres of grassland habitat for many threatened and endangered grassland birds, and through partnership with the local farming community, maintain agricultural-wildlife friendly habitat.

The Osprey Return
For two consecutive years, and for the first time in approximately 50 years, osprey had a successful nest in the New Jersey Meadowlands District in Northern New Jersey.

For the first time in approximately 50 years, osprey are raising young in the New Jersey Meadowlands District of Northern New Jersey, nesting on platforms constructed and installed by PSEG.

Tree Replacement
When PSE&G work requires removal of trees, PSE&G works with local stakeholders to determine replacement of the trees.  In one instance, PSE&G was required by our regional transmission operator to modify its Roseland Switching Station, which resulted in the removal of approximately 300 trees.  Working with Township officials, PSE&G proposed a plan to replace those trees with approximately 550 on site and contributed to other township tree projects.  Also, in 2008 PSE&G designed and constructed a new substation in Franklin Township in a light industrial zone.  The substation required the removal of trees and PSE&G worked with the township to replace the trees either on-site or other locations.

PSE&G Forestry staff continues its support of the NJ Department of Parks and Forestry and NJ Tree Foundation by participating in the annual NJ State Arbor Day planting of over 100 trees. PSEG employees also volunteer as needed to help maintain trees in the Grove of Remembrance at Liberty State Park, Jersey City, to memorialize the 691 NJ residents who perished on 9/11. 

PSE&G is considering initiating a program with the NJ Tree Foundation to supplement planting efforts in areas affected by major construction of transmission overhead facilities.

Trees for Our Communities
PSE&G continued its 10-year partnership with the NJ Tree Foundation to support planting of the ‘right tree in the right place’ demonstration projects. The intent is to improve electric reliability by minimizing electrical contacts by branches and the small animals that use trees as pathways to the electric conductors.

PSE&G’s regional public affairs department incorporates these messages in presentations at community groups and municipal council meetings and also provides mini-grants to fund demonstration projects for planting utility-friendly trees.  During 2007 and 2008, PSE&G donated $28,000 to fund the planting of 140 trees in approximately 20 towns.

PSE&G will seek to encourage tree-plantings near schools so the students learn to appreciate that they can become environmental stewards and community advocates when they become adults and pursue professional careers.

Supporting Native Species
The PSEG Environmental Partnership Team recently fabricated Eastern screech owl and American kestrel nest boxes that were then assembled by local Boy Scouts.

Oyster floats built by PSEG volunteers are helping restore oysters to the urban waters of Newark Bay.

Through its partnership with Ducks Unlimited, PSEG continued working with the New Jersey Tae Kwon Do for Youth Foundation after-school program participants to build wood duck nesting boxes.

Recent upgrades to the Hudson Generating Station include cooling water intake structures which comprise of new ristroph screens and fish return systems that reduce impingement of fish.  A similar project is currently in the planning stage for Mercer Generating Station.

PSEG’s Environmental Partnership Team constructed 20 Taylor Floats for the Bayonne School district and NY/NJ Baykeeper’s Oyster Gardening Program for environmental research and oyster restoration efforts.

Awards
PSEG Chairman Ralph Izzo received Hackensack Riverkeeper’s 2008 Corporate Environmental Stewardship Award in recognition of the company’s exemplary contributions to improving the environment of the Hackensack River watershed.