NJ Sierra Club Speaks out on Governor Murphy’s Proposed Budget

Trenton- Today the Assembly Budget Committee will be holding a public hearing for the FY 2019 State Budget. The proposed FY2019 budget includes initiatives for clean energy and fighting climate change but continues the pattern of slashing the DEP budget. This year the agency is allocated $275 million; down from $321 million from last year’s budget. The budget also diverted $140 million from the Clean Energy Fund. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released the following statement:

“Governor Murphy spoke about important environmental issues in his budget speech however the budget does not live up to those fine words.  After years of DEP being cut consistently, the DEP budget will be cut again. Millions of dollars are being diverted from Clean Energy Fund to fill more holes in the budget. Money is also being diverted from other DEP programs. In some ways we have a new Governor but with the same old budget. We need to start weaning New Jersey off this pattern of stealing Funds and instead dedicate money to where it should be going. While we have these important goals, we must make sure that the DEP, the BPU, and other agencies have the resources and funds to make them happen. We need the legislature and the Governor to fix the green part of the budget and make it greener.

“The Clean Energy Fund is being raided once again. They are trying to take $142 million from the fund.   This includes $80 million for NJ Transit, $50 million for lights in government buildings, $2 million to the BPU and $5 million to implement RGGI. This Fund is meant to support projects that make our homes more resilient such as weatherization, along with energy efficiency and green jobs. Yet, ever since Christie was Governor, the Clean Energy Fund has become the state’s ATM. Christie consistently used the money to balance the budget. He took $1.5 billion from the fund, now we are taking more. This has become a hidden energy tax on consumers. Instead of using this money for the environment and creating jobs, it is used to plug budget holes.

“The DEP has seen a 40% cut over the last 10 years, and it is being cut again. The budget cuts the DEP budget overall by 14% but what is worse is that they are cutting operations from $213 to $207 million.  We need to start hiring more people to do the core work of the department. Based on NJDEP’s online database, total enforcement actions issued from 2008 to 2013, fell by 77 percent and site inspections have seen an 80 percent drop under Christie. Lack of testing and oversight has put New Jersey at risk, especially when it comes to lead in the drinking water. It will be important to build up morale and funding in the department that’s been disheartened and slashed over the last eight years.

On top of the clean energy fund raids, they are diverting $80 million dollars from the DEP. This is funding for important DEP programs that would go towards cleaning up toxic sites, brownfield redevelopment, and watershed protection. This has a real impact on DEP, by diverting those funds, they are not hiring enough staff for DEP to do its job. If we want our economy to grow, we need to have people in the DEP in charge of permits and projects. What makes it worse is that there is more money coming into the DEP from NRD, the $200 million gas station settlement, the $75 million Volkswagen settlement and RGGI. Plus, they are going to raise the corporate business tax by 4% for DEP programs but none of that is reflective in the budget. DEP would have resources to do its job if they stop diverting it.

“We cannot move forward on renewable energy and energy efficiency programs if they are holding the BPU funding flat. While we are supposed to do all of these programs on offshore wind, solar, and energy efficiency, we may not have enough staff to put the programs in place to be 100% clean energy by 2050.

“The legislature and the Governor need to fix this budget and put the resources into the programs to make these agencies be able to do their jobs. They cannot talk about improving the environment without improving funding for those programs. In the past we have gone after Christie’s budget when it raided funds and cut programs. Unfortunately, Murphy’s budget is too similar. We know Christie dug a huge financial hole and it will take time to start digging us out of it, but we need to start now.  We need the legislature and the Governor to put the resources in this budget that are necessary for the environment and for a greener economy. We need to work together and make this happen.”