For Immediate Release
Contact Jeff Tittel, 609-558-9100
Today the Senate passed A4701 (Eustace)/S3059 (Sweeney) by a vote of 23-15. The bill has been passed by both houses and now goes to the Governor’s desk. The bill requires the State's full participation in Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Governor Christie pulled us out of RGGI without consulting the Legislature in August of 2015. RGGI is a ten-state regional compact to reduce climate change, air pollution and fund clean energy projects. The Governor has removed New Jersey from the program and does not take part in the carbon auctions. Exiting the program has caused New Jersey to lose jobs, increase pollution, and fail to combat climate change. The Governor exceeded legislative intent by pulling out of RGGI without the input of the public or the Legislature. The Assembly has already passed this bill so if the Senate does so, it will go to the Governor’s desk.
“Today the Senate stood up to stop climate change and stop Governor Christie. They have acted for the people and the environment by passing this bill to rejoin RGGI. People in our state have seen the impacts of climate change firsthand and demand action. Rejoining RGGI is the first step towards a greener future. RGGI worked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost 20 million tons and created 1,800 green jobs in the state. The money collected from RGGI went out to help environmental programs, expand renewable energy, create jobs, reduce greenhouse gases, and help middle class families save money on their electric bills,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We’re the only state out of ten that pulled out. While the other states were seeing these benefits, we’ve lost them. This bill will undo one of the most shameful acts of any Governor, that hurt jobs and the environment.”
The Governor clearly violated duties required of DEP, established by the Global Warming Response Act, when he pulled us out of RGGI. When the Governor pulled out of RGGI he violated the law. The rule clearly violates legislative intent, the RGGI law, and the Global Warming Response Act. DEP does not cite any legal authority in which they actually can pull out of RGGI through rulemaking. DEP is violating the Administrative Procedures Act as they do not make any attempt to quantify or describe how pulling out of RGGI impacts socioeconomics, jobs, or smart growth. They have not made the proper findings to justify these rules pulling out of RGGI. We believe the DEP is violating the law by pulling out of RGGI through this rule making process. What they are doing violates the Global Warming Response Act and the Administrative Procedures Act.
“By pulling out of RGGI, Christie gave one of the biggest corporate giveaways to polluters in state history. It allowed them to pollute the air and put communities in danger without consequences. Right after he pulled out of RGGI, Christie had lunch with the Koch brothers. This is more about his political ambitions than it is about New Jersey. Instead of implementing adaptation and mitigation planning and reducing carbon pollution, the Governor is rolling back policies that reduce climate change pollution and promote clean energy alternatives. Since taking office, the Christie administration has raided over $1.5 billion from different clean energy funding programs, and at least $63 million dollars of that came from RGGI. The second year he stole another $46 million to balance the budget. In the past, RGGI funds were used to fund the DEP Office of Climate Change, which has been eliminated, and New Jersey’s work on adaptation and mitigation,” said Jeff Tittel. “Now that both Houses have passed the bill, it will go to the Governor’s desk.”
RGGI worked by helping to create almost 1,800 jobs and reducing pollution. New Jersey has missed out on over $100 million of RGGI funds and another $500 million if we stay out of RGGI. The people in New Jersey want our government to protect us from climate change and RGGI is an important way to do so. New Jersey needs rejoin RGGI to meet the requirements of the Global Warming Response Act, President Obama’s Climate Action Plan and the new EPA carbon standards. Without participating in RGGI we will not meet those goals. RGGI is a proven and tested model for achieving the carbon reductions required in the new EPA Carbon Rule. In the future RGGI is going to be expanded to become more effective and include more sectors, increasing the reductions in carbon pollution.
“RGGI worked and New Jersey has been missing out on the environmental and economic benefits that the other states have reaped. When New Jersey participated in the program, the state achieved the RGGI greenhouse gas reduction goal of 10% in the first three years. A report by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners found that New Jersey’s participation in RGGI created $151 million in economic value and almost 1,800 jobs in our state. Throughout the region, RGGI saved customers $1.1 billion on their electric bills and $174 million on gas bills, offsetting the $912 million paid by customers. RGGI’s energy efficiency programs helped keep $765 million in regional economy instead of going to out of state fossil fuel interests, including natural gas and coal. RGGI generated $700 million for investment in clean energy and energy efficiency and created 16,000 new jobs since the program started. New York is investing $300 million in a clean energy bank to give out loans to businesses with revenue from the RGGI program,” said Jeff Tittel. “A lot has changed since Christie pulled us out of RGGI. Once we rejoin, we need to work alongside other states to modernize and update the initiative.”
With the Clean Power Plan, President Obama took the biggest step in U.S. history to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. The Trump Administration has now rolled back the CPP, as well as most other important environmental protections. New Jersey needs stronger state regulations since there will no longer be federal regulations when it comes to managing air pollution and greenhouse gasses.
“New Jersey needs to rejoin RGGI to send a message to the Trump Administration. It’s up to the states to work together to reduce greenhouse gasses because the fossil fool in the White House won’t. We must protect our environment, reduce carbon pollution, and move our state forward economically. RGGI is a win-win for New Jersey and Gov. Christie is a lose-lose when it comes to protecting our environment and reducing the impacts of climate change. We need to undo Governor Christie’s mistake and move the state forward. If Governor Christie does not sign this important bill and get New Jersey back into RGGI, we will need the Legislature to overturn that decision or wait for the next Governor,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Rejoining RGGI is the first step in fighting climate change in New Jersey. We need to commit to 100% renewable energy by 2030 and focus on solar and wind power. We can work with other states to make RGGI stronger and improve air quality for the entire region. We need to stand together and fight against climate change.”