New Jersey Governor Chris Christie    Matt Rainey/Getty Images

Despite growing calls for action on climate change, dramatically displayed Sunday in the giant march in Manhattan, Governor Chris Christie insists that he will not allow New Jersey to return to the regional greenhouse gas compact, RGGI.

The New York Times reports:

"As Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey explores a 2016 presidential campaign, he is under growing pressure from his State Legislature to rejoin a regional cap-and-trade program that would limit New Jersey’s carbon emissions — and likely hurt his chances for the Republican nomination.

"Mr. Christie, who withdrew from the program in 2011 as he first considered running for president in 2012, remains adamant that New Jersey not participate in the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, even though the majority of state legislators say it would be in New Jersey’s economic and legal interests. Business groups remain divided on the plan. “No, I would not think of rejoining it,” Mr. Christie told reporters during a recent trip to Mexico. “I think it’s a completely useless plan.”

NJ Senate President Steve Sweeney has introduced a bill to force the state’s return to RGGI. An identical bill in the Assembly is sponsored by Assemblyman John McKeon.

EnviroPolitics caught up with McKeon yesterday following the Assembly Environment and Natural Resources Committee and asked for his comments which you’ll hear in the video below.