MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. -- A manufacturing study first conducted in 2009 was re-launched May 24 across New Jersey by the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc. (NJMEP) to reassess state manufacturers on strategies that win in the global economy.

The "2011 Next Generation Manufacturing Study" provides a framework for understanding Next Generation Manufacturing (NGM) by identifying competitive performances and corporate best practices for achieving world-class status in the 21st century. The strategies explored by the NGM Study are customer-focused innovation, superior processes/improvement focus, human-capital management, supply-chain management and collaboration, sustainability, and global engagement.

The study, a web-based questionnaire, can be accessed at www.NGMStudy.com. Any manufacturing owner, CEO or senior-level executive is eligible and invited to participate. The study is being rolled out nationally through the American Small Manufacturers Coalition (ASMC), the sponsoring organization composed of all of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers in America, which includes NJMEP.

Participation in the study, which takes 20-25 minutes to complete, is confidential or can be anonymous. Deadline for participation is June 21, 2011. Study participants who participate confidentially (but not anonymously) will receive a comprehensive Next Generation Performance Report showing how their organization compares to other manufacturers (all participants as well as groups of manufacturers similar to their organization) in the key strategic areas. The analysis will address these questions:

How does my company's performance stack up vs. our competitors?

What do I need to do differently to catch up -- or stay ahead?

What's the latest innovation in manufacturing management -- and am I ready to adopt it?

Do I have the talent and tools to compete in 2011? In 2015?

TRENTON - Spending of more than a quarter-billion dollars on Green Acres land-preservation purchases and related projects was unanimously approved in the state Senate Thursday, though lawmakers said hard decisions are ahead after current voter-approved open space funding runs out.

The New Jersey Green Acres program, launched 50 years ago, has a 13-for-13 record at the ballot box, but the 2009 borrowing referendum was approved by a four-point margin, the closest call for any of the votes.

Environmentalists said it’s time look at different ways to pay preservation bills. David Pringle, campaign director for the N.J. Environmental Federation, said a new water usage tax had been advancing until lawmakers "who previously said they supported it backed away."

State Sen. Richard Codey, D-Essex, said he agrees there has to be a change but said he has not developed specifics.

"When the economy is tough, people will vote against what they feel they can’t afford," Codey said. "I think the question of how to fund Green Acres is going to be a big deal soon when the approved money runs out."

When the automobile first emerged at the end of the 19th century, there were two types of cars on the road: gasoline-powered cars and electric cars. And at first, it was unclear which type would attract more drivers.

"Electric cars had some early advantages," says science writer Seth Fletcher. "Gas cars were loud and dirty and nasty, and they had to be started with a hand-crank, which could sometimes backfire and break your arm. And electric cars were clean and quiet and civilized and they worked well in the city."

But the gasoline-powered car slowly improved. And once people started driving longer distances, it quickly won the battle of the roadways.

"If you were out in the country and you ran out of charge [with an electric car], you were stuck," Fletcher says. "If you were driving a gas car, you could stop and get a tin of gasoline from the general store and fill up in a matter of minutes. That [recharging] problem has actually plagued the electric car ever since. If you want to take electricity on the road with you, you have to have a way to store it. And we've always needed better batteries."

Fletcher traces the battle to create a better, long-lasting battery in Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars and the New Lithium Economy. Fletcher tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies that lithium, the material of choice for battery manufacturers, has the potential to transform the automotive industry, power grids and the environment.

Flanked by NJ Board of Public Utilities President Lee Solomon (left) and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin (right), Governor Chris Christie speaks during a press conference at the Statehouse where he outlined the state's plan for renewable energy.

Gov. Chris Christie unveiled his plans Tuesday for powering New Jersey in the coming years, and it is a future that may include a new nuclear plant to replace the aging Oyster Creek facility.

At the same time, the governor's blueprint for generating more power while reducing the price of electricity scales back the state's goal to bolster renewable sources like solar energy.

"It lays out a vision for greener, more renewable energy as we move forward in a plan that is realistic and achievable, not pie in the sky meant to pander to any particular constituency," Christie said at a Statehouse news conference.

The proposals, part of the governor's long-delayed Energy Master Plan, come just two weeks after his announcement that he will withdraw New Jersey from a 10-state program aimed at cutting power-plant emissions of carbon dioxide.