On Tuesday president-elect Barack Obama officially selected former New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Lisa Jackson to head the EPA.
Simultaneously the NJ DEP and Gov. John Corzine released a far-reaching global warming plan developed largely by Commissioner Jackson and her staff.
The plan tackles all major sources of global warming pollution, including transportation, electricity generation, residential and commercial buildings and industry.
"The plan is the nation’s strongest and most comprehensive plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions," Matt Elliott, Environment New Jersey Global Warming and Clean Energy Advocate, said. "The recommendations will virtually end our dependence on fossil fuels, grow the economy with new green jobs, clear our air, and set a strong model for the nation to follow in tackling global warming."
The plan lays a path for the governor and the legislature to dramatically increase energy efficiency and renewable energy in our buildings, cars, and transportation systems, and to drastically reduce global warming pollution. It recommends state action and policies that will:
- Promote clean, efficient vehicles–including zero emission electric cars–toward a goal of eliminating fossil fuels from the transportation sector.
- Clean up existing power plants, ban new coal-fired power plants, and expand renewable energy such as wind and solar to ensure that all electric sources are carbon-free by 2050.
- Require buildings to meet state of the art efficiency standards and incorporate renewable energy so that, by 2030, every new building will generate more electricity than it consumes.
The plan must still be adopted and approved by the state legislature, and it does have some faults. Environment New Jersey urged the Corzine administration and the state legislature to reject industry opposition and fully implement each aspect of the plan.
The state legislature is currently considering a bill that would put trash incineration–a highly polluting process–on par with wind and solar and eligible for renewable energy credits.
In addition, while the new plan acknowledges that the state could meet all of its electricity needs with clean energy sources, it leaves the door open to more nuclear power, which damages marine ecosystems and creates highly toxic radioactive waste.
But on the whole, the plan is one of the most comprehensive and progressive in the nation. "This plan is the sort of real leadership we need in NJ and across the country to solve global warming," Elliot said.
Other Highlights of the Plan
Transportation
- develop a regional, multi-state low carbon fuel standard that will require fuels to meet increasingly strong standards for global warming pollution
- implement policies to promote zero emission vehicles such as electric cars
- maintain existing mass transit infrastructure, expand rail capacity, and support bus rapid transit
- promote transit-oriented development
- create incentives for the most efficient vehicles on the market, coupled with disincentives for the dirtiest
- ensure that all vehicle miles traveled are "green" (33 MPG or greater) within 15 years
Electricity
- establish standards for power plants that require fossil fuel-fired plants to be as clean as efficient natural gas plants
- ban new coal-fired power plants
- continue to aggressively increase the use of renewable energy so that all electricity generation is ultimately carbon neutral
- ensure that only clean biofuels are promoted and that full life-cycle emissions are considered
- Energy Efficiency–Residential and
Commercial Buildings
- by 2030, all new buildings will combine efficient technologies and renewable energy to reach net zero energy consumption
- support green buildings through enhanced codes and incentives
Other
- promote waste reduction strategies, including advanced recycling and composting, toward a goal of zero waste production by 2050
- establish the Garden State Climate Fund to identify and promote effective and verifiable offset projects for companies or individuals looking to offset their carbon footprint
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