By Doug O’Malley and Greg Lalevee

Environmentalist Doug O'Malley and Greg Lavelee, of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825, say we saw in Newark, which replaced 22,000 lead water lines in record time, how complicated this work can be. Thankfully, the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure legislation will provide New Jersey with $1 billion over five years to get the lead lines replaced.

---

The signing of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package last month was a historic step forward to invest and repair our nation’s infrastructure — from our roads, bridges and rail lines to investing in broadband and modernizing our electric grid to repairing our water infrastructure. This long-delayed legislation rightfully received the full support of every member of the New Jersey Congressional delegation.

The package included a $15 billion down payment to replace lead service lines across the nation and it also includes $200 million to help stop contamination of schools’ drinking water, which is pervasive. These investments should be the start of the action we need to take to repair the pipes that serve us daily with our drinking water.

The infrastructure package’s components to replace lead service lines borrowed heavily from the bipartisan Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) Get the Lead Out Act (H.R. 3300) bill which provides the roadmap — and funding — for the full replacement of all lead service lines.

New Jersey lost more people over the last year than all but seven other states as the coronavirus pandemic took its toll, new U.S. Census Bureau estimates show.

The bureau estimated that the state’s population dropped by 12,613 people between July 2020 and July 2021. And even the July 2020 figures were below official census numbers that put the state’s population at 9,288,994, defying estimates and enabling New Jersey to retain all of its 12 congressional districts.

Starting Monday, the Essex County Jail in Newark will pause in-person visits amid a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the county and state.

The policy is meant as a precautionary step due to the latest omicron wave, said Essex County Chief of Staff, Phil B. Alagia, who oversees the county’s Department of Corrections.

As of Friday, 101 officers and 28 inmates have tested positive for COVID at the Essex County Correctional Facility, according to county spokesman Anthony Puglisi. The jail has a total of 700 officers and about 2,300 inmates, he said.

The state of New Jersey, which was accused of gross negligence and incompetence over its handling of the COVID outbreak in the state-run veterans homes, has agreed to pay nearly $53 million to the families of 119 residents whose deaths were attributed to the coronavirus in the early days of the pandemic.

An administration official, who confirmed the wide-ranging settlement on background, said the families on average will receive $445,000, based on arbitration proceedings.

“Cases settle for a variety of reasons. The families of those who have lost their lives to COVID-19 have gone through so much,” said the official. “This settlement will hopefully allow them to move forward without years of protracted and uncertain litigation.”

Two of the veterans homes — one in Menlo Park and a second in Paramus — reported some of the highest COVID-related death tolls in the nation. The coronavirus claimed the lives of more than 200 residents as the virus swept through the buildings, prompting the state to send in emergency assistance from the Veterans Administration and the National Guard.

The mayor of New Jersey’s largest city announced Thursday that he will sign an executive order next week that will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for anyone five years of age and older to enter many establishments including restaurants, bars, theaters and concert and sporting venues.

Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a statement that he will sign the executive order on Monday and that it will start by requiring anyone attending public New Year’s Eve events and parties to show proof of vaccination.

By Jan. 10, anyone entering a facility or business must show proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose and be fully vaccinated three weeks later, the mayor said.