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Environmental Glossary
 
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Following is a list of 200+ acronyms used frequently in
the Conservation Committee emails, the Jersey Sierran and in Sierra Club Press Releases

Click on either the acronym or full name for more information.

7Q10
The lowest 7-day average hydrological flow that occurs (on average) once every 10 years.
Flow of water in a stream during prolonged dry weather.
ACE
Atlantic City Electric
ACEEE
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
ACO
Administrative Consent Order
ACUA
Atlantic County Utilities Authority
ACOE
Army Core of Engineers
ALEC
American Legislative Exchange Council - CONSERVATIVE
ANJEE
Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education
ANJEC
Association of NJ Environmental Commissions
API
American Petroleum Institute
ARC
Access to the Region's Core - Trans-Hudson Rail Tunnel
ARCS
Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments
ANWAR
A common misspelling of ANWR.
ANWR
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
ARB
California Air Resources Board
ASMFC
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commmissions
ATV
All Terrain Vehicles
BERA
Baseline Ecological Risk Assessment
BGS Auction
Basic Generation Service Auction to procure electrical supply for customers who did not switch to a competitive retailer.
BLM
Bureau Of Land Management
BOD
Sierra Club Board of Directors
BOEM
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
BPU
Board of Public Utilities
C1 Waterway
Category 1 Waterway
C3
IRS Code section 501(c)(3) - Non-profit funds allowing tax deductions for contributions. e.g. Sierra Club Foundation.
C4
IRS Code section 501(c)(4) - Non-profit funds NOT allowing tax deductions for contributions.
CAFE
Corporate Average Fuel Economy
CAFRA
Coastal Area Facility Review Act
CAA
Clean Air Act Extension of 1970
CAPP
Coalition To Stop Pilgrim Pipeline
CBT
Corporate Business Tax
CEQ
Council on Environmental Quality
CERCLA
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
Commonly known as Superfund.
CCL
Sierra Club Council of Club Leaders - Rich Isaac
CD
Congressional District - National
CDBG
Community Development Block Grant Program. HUD
CDBGDRA
Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Action Plan
CDSI
Conservation Delivery Streamlining Initiative
CFD
Carbon Fee and Dividend
CMP
Comprehensive Master Plan
or Comprehensive Management Plan
COAH
Council on Affordable Housing
CSO
Combined Sewer Overflow
CWA
Clean Water Act
CWA
Communications Workers of America
CWF
Clean Water Fund
DCA
Department of Community Affairs
DEC
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
DEP
Department of Environmental Protection
D&R Canal
Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission
DG
Distributed Generation
DOE
Department of Energy
DOI
Department of Interior
DOT
Department of Transportation
DRBC
Delaware River Basin Commission
DRCC
Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission
DRN
Delaware Riverkeeper Network
EDA
Economic Development Authority
EA
Environmental Assessment
ECG
East Coast Greenway
EDC
Electric Distribution Companies
EELC
Eastern Environmental Law Center
EIA
Environmental Impact Assessment
EIS
Environmental Impact Statement
EJAC
Environmental Justice Advisory Council
ELC
Environmental Law Clinic
EMP
Energy Master Plan
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency - Fed
EPAct
Energy Policy Act of 2005
EIR
Environmental Resource Inventory (Highlands)
ERA
Ecological Risk Assessment
ERO
Electric Reliability Organization
EV
Electric Vehicle
EWA
Edison Wetlands Association
FAC
Federal Advisory Committee
F&WW
Food and Water Watch
FEIS
Final EIS - Final Environmental Impact Statement
FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency
FERC
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
FLREA
Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act
FOIA
Freedom of Information Act
FONSI
Finding of No Significant Impact
FSC
Forest Stewardship Council
FWS
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (DOI)
GEHWA
Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association
FRIP
Field Recruitment Incentive Program (Sierra Club Group)
GHG
Greenhouse Gases
GIS
Geographic Information Systems
GMO
Genetically modified organism
GPEP
Global Population and Environment Program - SC
GSPT
Garden State Preservation Trust - State of New Jersey
GW
GigaWatt (A billion watts)
GW
Ground Water
HDCs
Highlands Development Credits
HHRA
Human Health Risk Assessment
HOT
High Occupancy Toll
HOV
High Occupancy Vehicle
HR...
House Resolution - prefix for bill numbers in the House of Representatives
HUC11
11 Digit Hydrologic Unit Code
HUC14
14 Digit Hydrologic Unit Code
HUD
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
HUD
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
ICO
Inspiring Connections Outdoors (Formerly Inner City Outings)
IGW
Impact to Groundwater Standard (see PWTA)
IGWSRS
Impact to Groundwater Soil Remediation Standard
IPCC
U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IHGS
Intelligent Vehicle/Highway Systems
ITS
Intelligent Transportation Systems
JCP&L
Jersey Central Power and Light
KIG
Keep it Green
Keystone XL (KXL)
Keystone oil pipeline extension
From the Keystone terminal in Canada to Texas
kWh
Kilowatt-Hours - Standard unit for billing electrical usage
LCAPP
Long Term Capacity Agreement Pilot Program - NJ. Financial incentives for building new power plants.
LCV
League of Conservation Voters
LD
Legislative District - State Senate and Assembly Districts
LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - (US Green Building Council)
LNG
Liquified Natural Gas
LOI
Letter of interpretation
LTE
Letter to the Editor
LUL
Land Use Law
LWG
League of Women Voters
MCL
Maximum Contaminant Levels
MERI
Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute
MLUL
NJ Municipal Land Use Law
MOA
Memorandum of Agreement
MOU
Memorandum of Understanding
MW
MegaWatts - A Million Watts
NEPA
National Environmental Policy Act
NERA
National Economic Research Associates
NERC
North American Electric Reliability Council
NIETC
National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor
NIMBY
Not in My Back Yard
N.J.A.C
New Jersey Administrative Code
NJAC
New Jersey Association of Counties
NJEF
New Jersey Environmental Federation
NJDEP
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
NJCF
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
NJDEPE
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy
NJEDA
NJ Economic Development Authority
NJDEPES
A common misspelling of NJPDES
NJLOM
NJ League of Municipalities
NJPDES
New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
NJNG
New Jersey Natural Gas
NJSC
New Jersey Sierra Club
NPDES
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
NPS
National Park Service (DOI)
NRA
National Recreation Area (e.g. Delaware Water Gap & Gateway)
NRA
National Rifle Association
NPS
National Park Service
NRCS
Natural Resources Conservation Service (nrcs.usda.gov) New Jersey
NRD
Natural Resource Damages
NRDA
Natural Resource Damage Assessment
NRDC
National Resources Defense Council
NREL
National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
NRRB
EPA's National Remedy Review Board
NWF
National Wildlife Federation
NWR
National Wildlife Refuge
NSPS
New Source Performance Standards - Air pollution emission standards
OCC
Ocean County College
OPRA
Open Public Records Act
ORD
Office of Resource Development (DEP)
ORECs
Offshore Renewable Energy Credits
OSHA
Occupational Safety and Health Administration - Home
OWEDA
Offshore Wind Economic Development Act
PACE
Property Assessed Clean Energy
PCM
People's Climate March
PEER
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (NJ)
PILOT
Payment in Lieu of Taxes
funding for municipalities with preserved open space.
Pinelands CMP
Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan
PMC
Pinelands Municipal Council
PPA
Pinelands Preservation Alliance
PJM
Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection
an independent regional transmission organizations (RTO) coordinating the movement of power through the transmission network across and within its region and reporting to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
PSE&G
Public Service Electric and Gas
PWTA
Private Well Testing Act
RCRA
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
REC
Renewable Energy Certificate
RGGI
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
RECO
Rockland Electric Company
RES
Renewable Energy Standard (See also RPS)
RMP
Regional Master Plan
ROSI
Recreation and Open Space Inventory - Green Acres
RPS
Renewable Portfolio Standard
RRC
Rural Residential Center
RREM
Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Elevation and Mitigation
RRO
Regional Reliability Organizations - NREC Regional Entities
RTO
Regional Transmission Organization e.g. PJM
Single stream
Put all recyclables together
SADC
State Agriculture Development Committee
SEIU
Service Employees International Union
SIP
State Implementation Plan
SJG
South Jersey Gas
SHPO
State Historic Preservation Office
SAGE
Sustainability and Green Energy
SLAPP
Strategic lawsuits against public participation
SREC
Solar Renewable Energy Credits
SPLP
Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure
SVOCs
Semi-VOCs
TCIA
Tree Care Industry Association
TDM
Transportation Demand Management
TDR
Transfer of Development Rights
TEAC
Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee
TGP
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company
TID
Transit Improvement Districts
TMDL
Total Maximum Daily Load
TOD
Transit Oriented Development
TPL
Trust for Public Land
TPP
Trans-Pacific Partnership
Transco
Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company, LLC, a division of TWA - Williams Energy
(see Leidy Southeast Expansion Project)
USDA
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USFS
U.S. Forest Service (part of USDA)
VOC
Volatile Organic Compounds
VTM
Vehicle Miles Traveled>
WIPA
Water Infrastructure Protection Act
WMA
Watershed Management Area
WMA
Wildlife Management Area
WQMP
Water Quality Management Plan

Other Terms: From "Land Use and Preservation in New Jersey: A Beginner's Guide" and other sources.

C1 Waterway: Category One Waterway. Classification used for a waterway determined to be of high environmental value, and offering it the highest level of protection in the state, including a three hundred foot buffer between the water's edge and any new development.

Clean Water Act: Federal legislation authorizing the Environmental Protection Agency primary responsibility for regulating the release of pollutants into U.S. waterways. New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection assumed responsibility for Clean Water Act regulations.

DEP: The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; the state agency that oversees the regulation of environmental laws.

Endangered Species: Species whose prospects for survival are in immediate danger and thus need assistance to prevent future extinction. Species can be listed at the Federal level, State level, or both.

Environmental Assessment (EA): Short report detailing the proposed development plan, the site, and potential environmental impacts. There are three outcomes: a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI); a Mitigated FONSI (in which the project can go forward provided some changes are made); and the need for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS): Detailed document, required under the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), describing the proposed project, environmental, demographic and economic impacts, and all possible alternatives. An EIS requires public hearings after the draft (DEIS) is released. All questions asked by the public and by private agencies during the comment period must be answered in writing before the final EIS (FEIS) is released.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Mapping technology that allows the user to create and interact with a variety of maps and data sources.

Green Acres Program: New Jersey's Green Acres Program provides a source of matching funds for counties and municipalities to preserve open space for passive and active recreation.

Ground WaterRainwater runoff that seeps into the ground to become ground water. Ground water moves into water-filled layers of porous geologic formations called aquifers.Historic Designation : Local or state recognition deeming a site, structure, or area as having historical, archaeological or architectural significance.

IMAP: A brand of GIS mapping software.

LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. A certification process for environmentally-friendly and energy efficient buildings developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

Master Plan: A document describing the land use rules for every parcel in a municipality

MLUL: Municipal Land Use Law, New Jersey's set of rules that govern development.

NIMBY : Stands for "Not in My Back Yard" and refers to an organization or person opposing a development only because it is in their immediate area.

Nonpoint Source PollutionContamination that results from everyday activities such as fertilizing the lawn, walking pets, changing motor oil and littering. With each rainfall, pollutants generated by these activities are washed into storm drains that flow into our waterways and ocean.Open Space: Land in a predominantly open and undeveloped condition that is suitable for use as a natural area, wildlife and native plant habitat, or for passive or active recreation. Open space can include wetlands, watersheds, and stream corridors.

Ordinance: A municipal regulation or requirement. A zoning ordinance, for example, details what can and cannot be built in specific areas of a municipality.

Permit: A formal document granting permission. Permits are issued by municipalities, states, and by the federal government.

Pro Bono: Latin, "for the good." In legal terms, pro bono means "at no cost."

Riparian AreaRiparian areas are ecosystems adjacent to a river or waterway that, in an undisturbed state, provide habitat for wildlife and help improve water quality. Riparian areas are usually transitional zones between wetland and upland areas and are generally comprised of grasses, shrubs, trees, or a mix of vegetation types that exist within a variety of landscapes (e.g., natural, agricultural, forested, suburban, and urban).ROSI: Recreation and Open Space Inventory. A listing of all Green Acres-funded properties as well as all other municipal land held for conservation and/or recreation purposes.

SLAPP: Strategic Lawsuit against Public Participation. Litigation initiated by an agency more powerful than the citizens attempting to stop it for the purpose of shutting down opposition to a project.

Soil Map: A map showing distribution of soil types and/or soil properties (soil pH, textures, organic matter, etc.)

Surface WaterWater in lakes and streamsThreatened Species: Those species that may become endangered if conditions surrounding them begin to or continue to deteriorate.

Waiver: An exception to municipal or state regulations that allows non-compliance with a specific ordinance or rule.

WatershedThe area of land that drains into a body of waterWetlands: A wetland is defined by a high water table, waterlogged soil, and vegetation that can survive frequent inundation. Wetlands are protected by the federal Clean Water Act and include marshes, swamps, bogs, and forests where repeated flooding is common.

Glossaries:
NRDC: Glossary of Environmental Terms
List of Acronyms | US EPA
Glossary of Environmental Terms | Calif. Dept. of Toxic Substances Control
Environmental Acronyms | AGCThe Associated General Contractors of America AcronymFinder

Contacts:
NJ Chapter Issue Coordinators

  Page Last Modified 1/10/2016