Press Release: Energy & Climate Change
Governor Corizne's Energy Plan Graded a "D"
Falls short on clean energy, advocates more power plants in New Jersey
View a pdf file of Corzine's Energy Master Plan Report Card, April 2008.
For Immediate Release:
04/17/08
Contact: David Pringle, NJEF Campaign Director, 732-996-4288
Trenton, NJ - Governor Corzine released a draft of his 15-year Energy Master Plan today, and a broad coalition of environmentalists and clean energy advocates faulted the plan for lacking in vision and failing to realize New Jersey's full clean energy potential.
"This was an important test of Governor Corzine's commitment to clean energy, and we have to grade him a D," said Matt Elliott, Global Warming and Clean Energy Advocate at Environment New Jersey. "His plans to reduce energy demand and promote clean alternatives fall short of our state's potential, and he has failed to minimize our reliance on dirty and dangerous power plants."
Nine months ago, Governor Corzine signed the historic Global Warming Response Act and committed the state to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 20% by 2020, and by at least 80% by 2050. The law is the toughest global warming law in the nation, and Corzine pledged to use his Energy Master Plan to detail strategies to meet the 2020 goals and set the state on track to meet the 2050 goals.
"Unfortunately, despite Governor Corzine's promises on global warming and clean energy, this plan fails to measure up," said Elliott. "The challenges presented by global warming demand a visionary plan and unprecedented political leadership. This plan lacks both."
While the plan calls for renewable energy and greater energy efficiency, environmental leaders said the governor's goals fall far short of the state's potential. In addition, they said, the plan fails to detail the specific steps the state will take to achieve its goals.
The groups put out an alternate vision, calling upon the governor to increase his wind, solar, and efficiency goals, and to support emerging clean energy technologies.
With the right plan from the Governor, they argue, the state could:
- Promote highly efficient homes, buildings, and appliances and cut energy demand 10% below today's levels. The Governor's goal will stabilize demand at current levels.
- Generate 1750 megawatts of clean electricity by harnessing New Jersey's offshore winds - enough to power at least 450,000 New Jersey homes per year. Their plan would generate 75% more wind energy than the Governor's proposal.
- Bring solar panels to tens of thousands of rooftops within the decade.
- Eliminate the need to expand fossil fuel or nuclear power plants.
The new Energy Master Plan - or EMP - is missing the TY. The Plan is EMPTY on leadership for renewable energy and energy efficiency," stated Jeff Tittel, Director of the NJ Sierra Club. "Governor Corzine needs to step up and lead New Jersey to a cleaner, greener future with more wind, solar and better energy efficiency goals."
The coalition also criticized the plan for failing to assess the state's current fleet of power plants. The plan does not determine which current power plants the state should plan to keep online, which it should clean up, or which it should aim to phase out. It skips such an assessment, assumes none of the current capacity can be counted on in the future, and concludes that new power plants and additional transmission lines are needed.
"New Jersey is at a historic crossroads," said Dave Pringle of the NJ Environmental Federation. "Governor Corzine is missing the opportunity to truly go green, drive the 21st century economy, and rid ourselves of the 19th and 20th century technologies that saddle the state with so many environmental, public health and security problems. The question is not coal versus nuclear to keep the lights on, but rather those antiquated, dangerous technologies versus cutting edge clean renewable and efficient solutions."
The Governor's plan comes at a time when New Jerseyans are saddled with a host of energy-related issues. The cost of traditional fuels has risen sharply in recent years, with no end in sight. Consumers are paying record prices to fuel up their cars and to heat their homes. The cost of electricity has risen significantly as the cost of coal, gas, and uranium makes power plants increasingly expensive to operate. And global concerns of foreign imports, global security, and global warming, have left the public clamoring for energy alternatives.
"With $4/gallon gas, double digit increases in energy costs, and a global market competing for finite fossil fuel-based energy sources, we need to think differently about energy," said Pam Frank of Sun Farm Network. "We need to start aggressively harnessing renewable, price-stable, carbon-neutral sources of energy as part of our overall energy architecture. Wind, solar, and other renewable sources must be central to any Energy Master Plan."
The Energy Master Plan is currently in draft form and open for public comment.
"Governor Corzine needs to hear that the public expects more leadership from him," said Elliott. "His draft plan is not nearly green enough, but that can change with enough citizen input."
Fletcher Harper, Executive Director of GreenFaith, said his network of faith-based institutions plans to weigh in on the plan. "Global warming is one of the most important moral issues of our time, and New Jersey has an obligation to offer strong leadership. Unfortunately, the Energy Master Plan falls short. Future generations will look at it and ask what we were thinking."
Citizens can comment on the Energy Master Plan by calling the Governor's office at
609-292-6000.
New Jersey Takes National Lead in Response to Global Warming
For Immediate Release: Friday, July 6, 2007
Contact: David Pringle: 732-996-4288
Meadowlands, NJ -- David Pringle, the NJ Environmental Federation’s Campaign Director, made the following statement as part of Governor Corzine’s bill signing ceremony today for the Global Warming Response Act.
“In preparing for today my 8 year old heard me tell our sitter that he cares a lot about global warming in part because it threatens polar bears. He explained: ‘I’d rather take care of animals than have dessert for 3 years’. And anyone who knows children, especially my Ryan, knows that’s saying a lot!
Today’s bill signing (mandating 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emission by 2020, an 80% reduction by 2050, and requiring out of state power producers doing business in or through New Jersey to meet the same standards as in-state producers) is a very important moment for many reasons in addition to saving the polar bear.
This bill arguably the strongest in the nation makes New Jersey a national leader in clearing the skies of greenhouse gasses and all the benefits that come with that …
Reducing reliance on fossil fuels, foreign oil, and all the commensurate foreign policy and public health benefits -- one just has to visit an emergency room on a bad air day or visit a veteran’s hospital on any day these days to understand this …
Leading while others point fingers at others like China and India. Mr. President, your words will be more credible if you walk the walk when you talk the talk. And as so often has been the case, states, often New Jersey, have set the precedent for national and international action …
Avoiding if I can borrow a phrase the "inconvenient truth" of all sorts of extreme weather like heat waves and flooding, polar ice caps melting, glaciers receding, and sea level rise, leading to economic disruption and worse – without action where we stand today will likely be underwater by the turn of the century …
Requiring dirty power states to clean-up their act if they want to do business in or through New Jersey …
And making New Jersey an economic development breeding ground for the green technologies that will lead the world in the 21st century and beyond.
The science will never be as crystal clear as we'd like but it certainly isn’t foggy. We know global warming is here and has to be addressed and today New Jersey is stepping up to the plate.
I’d like to thank some of the key players who got us here today: Governor Corzine, Governor Codey, Speaker Roberts, Senators Buono, Smith and Kean, Assemblywoman Stender and Assemblyman McKeon, and their staff. A special thanks to Vice President Gore. His leadership has been essential and his presence here demonstrates how important this bill is.
I’d also like to thank coalition partners – Clean Water Action, which NJEF is the Garden State Chapter of, PSE&G, Environment NJ and especially the Sierra Club. And all the volunteers, like Rebecaa Hoeffler, a high school junior, who almost single handedly organized an educational forum that included a Congressman, state legislators, high level DEP staff, and over 150 local citizens from the small town of Cranford in the middle, literally the middle, not leading up to or just before, but right in the middle of the April Nor'easter this year that saw the worst flooding in Cranford and elsewhere in years.
And a final thank you to the canvassers, NJEF’s core -- they work harder than anyone, knocking on doors in freezing cold and blistering heat. Without your efforts, none of us would be here today.
Now the next time my son sees a global warming story with a photo of a polar bear clinging to a small piece of sea ice (as he did a few months ago), he’ll be able to rest a bit easier. Thank you all.
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