Corzine Administration on Global Warming

New Jersey Governors' office, Jul 23, 2007

TRENTON – Following a briefing by the Union of Concerned Scientists regarding the effects of global warming on New Jersey and the northeastern United States, Governor Jon S. Corzine issued the following statement.

“Overwhelming evidence has proved that global warming poses a serious threat and if we as a people continue on a course of inaction the planet will continue to warm, water levels will continue to rise and Atlantic City and our coastal communities will drown. In absence of leadership on the federal level, the fight to reduce greenhouse gases has now fallen upon the states. While it’s important for states to lead on initiatives like overall green house gas reduction, the real difference in this fight will be made through small contributions by individuals. Citizens must know that they can make a tremendous difference by simply driving less, using mass transit and switching to energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs.”

Highlights of Corzine Administration Initiatives to Combat Global Warming

Signed Legislation Making Aggressive Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals the Law:

In July of 2007, the Governor signed legislation to adopt proactive and ambitious goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey. The order specifically calls for stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, a 20 percent reduction. This is to be followed by a further reduction of emissions to 80% below 2006 levels by 2050. New Jersey is only the third state in the nation make greenhouse gas reduction goals law and these provisions were previously set in Executive Order 54 which the Governor signed in February. To reach this goal, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will work with the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and other stakeholders to evaluate methods to meet and exceed the 2020 target reductions. The DEP Commissioner will make specific recommendations to meet the targets while taking into account the economic benefits and costs of implementing these recommendations. The order calls on the DEP to develop a 1990 greenhouse gas emission inventory as well as a system for monitoring current greenhouse gas levels so that progress toward goals can be accurately tracked. The law will also ensure that all electricity imported into New Jersey from power generation facilities in other states meets New Jersey’s rigorous emission standards.

Took on Leadership Role in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative:

Under the Corzine Administration, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection and NJ Board of Public Utilities have taken on leadership roles in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a ten state cooperative effort to implement a regional mandatory cap and trade program in the Northeast and Mid Atlantic addressing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. The first mandatory market-based program to reduce carbon emissions in the U.S., the program will cap regional power plant carbon dioxide emissions at approximately current levels from 2009 through 2014 and reduce emissions 10 percent by 2019. On August 15, 2006, a set of model regulations establishing the cap-and-trade program was released. Each participating RGGI state will proceed to adopt these regulations, either by rulemaking or legislation.