Natural gas has moved to the forefront of New Jersey's energy future, with backers and foes clashing over the implications of the booming industry.

The Grow New Jersey Assistance Program, which will provide tax credits to businesses that make capital investments, was advanced by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

The still-weak economy continues to squeeze state and municipal governments, which have less to work with as long-established revenue streams dry up in the prolonged recovery.

New Jersey special interest political action committees spent $28.2 million in 2010, 20.4 percent less than in 2009, according to a report by the Election Law Enforcement Commission.

Hackensack University Medical Center’s application to reopen Pascack Valley Hospital as a full-service hospital was approved by the State Health Planning Board, clearing a key hurdle to the facility’s reopening.

The loss of revenue for the state and the loss of competition for retailers in New Jersey "compounds daily," said New Jersey Retail Merchants Association president John Holub, because of online retailers that avoid the 7 percent sales tax.

A bill that would ban the transport and treatment of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in New Jersey was released by the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee earlier today.