We Support Murphy’s Strong Environmental and Clean Energy Transition Report

The Governor’s office has released the “Report of the Environment and Energy Transition Advisory Committee” that was submitted to Governor-elect Phil Murphy and Lieutenant Governor-elect Sheila Oliver. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, is a member of the Transition Team for Environment and Energy and is proud to have worked alongside other members to create these goals. These goals include transition to clean energy, fighting climate change, focusing on environmental justice and protecting our state’s water and water resources.

“We support the recommendations of the Transition report. This is a very strong blueprint for the environment for Governor Murphy’s first 100 Days. We’d like to see more issues worked on as the Administration goes forward but this plan is an important first step. It’s critical that this report focuses on climate change, clean energy, environmental justice, and protecting water resources. Governor Murphy cares about the environment and the people of New Jersey. He will oppose offshore drilling, unnecessary pipelines, and fossil fuel expansion,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The Sierra Club was one of many environmental groups that are part of the team. This is compared to Chris Christie’s transition team, which only had one environmentalist. Christie’s report had rollbacks whereas Murphy’s is the opposite. It has strong goals to move us forward with clean energy, air, and water and make us a national leader again.”

The first environmental priority is listed is “a clean energy future for New Jersey.” This includes his already established goal of 100% clean energy by 2050. This also includes stabilizing New Jersey’s solar program, meeting an ambitious goal for offshore wind, and utilizing the Volkswagen settlement funds for advancing electric vehicles. The offshore wind goal includes 1,100 MW immediately and 3500 MW by 2030.

“We were part of the transition team and want to work with the Murphy Administration in implementing these important programs and goals. Phil Murphy will work to transition New Jersey to a green economy by promoting renewable energy over fossil fuels. We can promote green energy by working towards the goal of 100% clean energy by 2050. Murphy supports making New Jersey a leader in wind and solar power once again. We can commit to 3500 megawatts of offshore wind to support turbines off our coasts. Phil Murphy’s goals for renewable energy and green jobs with help New Jersey’s environment and economy as well,” said Jeff Tittel.

The second priority on the environmental transition document is “Confronting climate change.” This includes reentering New Jersey in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) as well as the US Climate Alliance. This would allow us to uphold the standards under the Paris Accords. The transition team goals include directing departments such as the DEP and DOE to include climate initiatives.

“We finally have a Governor who doesn’t deny climate change so we can move forward with protections. The effects that climate change could potentially have on New Jersey can be devastating from storm surges to flooding. The solution to mitigating these effects is investing in climate programs and clean energy sources. We can fight climate change by reopening the Office of Climate Change, creating a Coastal Commission on Sea Level Rise and rejoining RGGI. He can sign legislation for our state to follow the goals of the Paris Accords,” said Jeff Tittel.

An important step is to reverse course on Christie’s weakenings and rollbacks and move our state forward on clean air, water, and climate. We must strengthen water protections by reversing Christie’s lax rules and replacing them with stricter ones. Rules such as the Flood Hazard Area Control Act, Water Quality Management Planning, NJPDES, and Wetlands Rules are made to protect us from pollution and flooding. During his eight years, Christie’s Administration weakened many of these rules, allowing for more development in environmentally-sensitive and flood-prone areas.

“One of the most important parts of this report is the recommendations to freeze or reverse any rollbacks or rules from the Christie Administration that could threaten our waterways. This is a step in the right direction. It also includes language to fully enforce the Clean Water Act and state regulations on fossil fuel projects,” said Jeff Tittel. “Christie’s first Executive Order froze good regulations so he could roll them back. The Murphy Administration wants to freeze bad regulations so he can strengthen them.”

One of the other goals supports “pay-as-you-go” to fix water infrastructure. This includes upgrading the state’s aging water infrastructure, including drinking, waste, and storm water. This is important because New Jersey’s drinking water infrastructure needs a lot of work. Our old and out-dated pipes have contributed to the serious problem of lead in our drinking water.

“We have a serious problem with lead in our drinking water because many cities in New Jersey, have old pipes and aging water infrastructure. Some of this infrastructure goes back to the Victorian Age. This is a least a $8 billion problem that needs to be fixed immediately to keep the lead out of our schools. One quarter of our water is also leaking out of these pipes. The report also deals with CSO’s that threaten many of our communities,” said Jeff Tittel.

Another important goal listed in the report is “addressing environmental justice disparities. This includes establishing an Interagency EJ Task Force and instructing all agencies to include EJ language in their programs. It also includes dedicating monies from RGGI and the Volkswagen settlement to EJ causes.

“For the first time, we have an Administration that clearly wants to focus on Environmental Justice issues. Too many communities in New Jersey that are low-income or minority have a disproportionate burden from pollution. This is first administration that has put together a strong plan and vision to help these communities with their public health and environmental issues,” said Jeff Tittel.

Other goals mentioned in the transition team report include looking at non-lethal approaches to dealing with black bear management. The Christie Administration kept increasing the bear hunt to sustainable levels while failing to have a real management plan. Another goal is allowing municipalities to come up with fees for plastic bags or bottles. This is important because plastic bags and bottles contribute to landfill waste, pollution, and climate change.

“Although this is overall a strong set of goals for New Jersey, we do believe there are some things that are missing from this report. There is not enough mentioning of enforcing environmental rules. Nor does it address the issues of outsources and privatization of DEP programs. We also think there should be goals to fix funding for state parks,” said Jeff Tittel.

With the Trump Administration’s constant rollbacks of environmental regulations and denial of climate change, it’s more important than ever that New Jersey creates strong environmental goals. For example, the report includes repealing Christie’s Executive Order 2 that blocks New Jersey from having rules stricter than the federal government.

“Phil Murphy cares about clean water and our environment. He will work to protect New Jersey from future storm events by promoting reducing greenhouse gasses and switching our state to a green economy. I look forward to working alongside Phil Murphy, Sheila Oliver, and their Administration,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “After eight years of Christie trying to destroy the environment, it will be great to have leadership that wants to protect it. Phil Murphy will work to transition New Jersey to a green economy by promoting renewable energy over fossil fuels and protecting us from Trump rollbacks.”