Russ Steele
New Jersey followed California over the global warming cliff when Governor Corzine signed the New Jersey Global Warming Response Act in July 2007. Now Governor Christie is shredding the New Jersey Climate Change Program, by killing the emission reporting, diverting green energy funds, and de-funding the NJ Climate Office. Details here.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has taken a wrecking ball to the state's touted Global Warming Response Act, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). In recent weeks, the Christie administration has blocked required reporting from greenhouse gas sources, diverted $300 million in Clean Energy Funds dedicated to energy efficiency and proposed to zero out the state's Office of Climate Change and Energy."New Jersey's Global Warming Response Act is now a dead letter," stated New Jersey PEER Director Bill Wolfe, referring to 2007 legislation regarded as the crowning environmental achievement of the Corzine administration. "Whatever progress on climate change we can expect will have to come from Washington, because Trenton has gone AWOL."
Apparently by mutual agreement of the ongoing Corzine and incoming Christie administration, a proposed rule to require monitoring and reporting of emissions of greenhouse gases was allowed to quietly die on January 20, 2010 - one year after it was first proposed. This emission monitoring regime is a key mandate of the state's Global Warming Response Act. Without monitoring and reporting, New Jersey cannot track emissions or develop a regulatory program to meet the reduction milestones set forth in the Act.
As Steve Enos says, election have consequences. Since New Jersey followed California, and then came to their senses, when will California come to it’s senses?
In the mean time, if you want to sign the AB32 California Jobs Initiative, please give me a call at 273-8085.
