New Jersey rejoining RGGI a boon for state’s economy and environment

Gov. Phil Murphy has signed an executive order to put New Jersey back in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cooperative market-based program among several states to reduce greenhouse gas pollution.The order reverses a decision by former Gov. Chris Christie and will kick off a negotiating process to determine the best pathway for New Jersey to re-enter the innovative carbon trading program.

“Under Governor Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey will again join leading states in addressing serious climate and environmental challenges through RGGI, a successful market-based program that can lead to significant economic gains for the state,” said Mary Barber, Director of New Jersey Clean Energy.

Yet Food & Water Watch’s Lena Smith says Murphy’s action doesn’t go far enough.

“Governor Murphy’s action to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative cannot take the place of bold, urgent action on clean energy,” Smith said.

“For all the talk about the need for New Jersey to rejoin RGGI, the program has played little to no role in actually reducing carbon emissions, and fails to even account for methane emissions from fracking,” she said. “And programs like RGGI actually deepen our reliance on burning fossil fuels. The governor must go much further than RGGI by supporting new bills in Trenton that would mandate a 100 percent clean energy system by the year 2035.”