Murphy administration’s aggressive clean-energy push a negative factor?
By Tom Johnson, NJ Spotlight
For many years, the environment enjoyed broad bipartisan support among the public and those elected to shape policies. Yet, amid a worsening climate crisis, that support appears to be wavering in New Jersey.
In this fall’s election, with all 120 of the state’s legislative seats on the ballot, there is mounting speculation whether the Murphy administration’s aggressive push to clean energy could be a significant factor in a handful of closely contested districts. And not in a positive way.
“It is the first time I can recall, in my memory, the environment has been shown to be a negative in legislative elections,’’ said Jeff Tittel, a longtime environmentalist and native of New Jersey.
Whether this trend is enough to end the Democrats’ long control of the Legislature remains to be seen, but as policies to implement the shift to green energy move closer to reality, they have triggered a surprising pushback not only from residents but also from politicians on both sides of the aisle.
The opposition centers on some of the key initiatives identified as the focus of the state’s clean-energy goals: offshore wind farms off the coast; phasing out the natural gas used to heat homes; and finally, a proposal to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars in New Jersey beginning in 2035.
“It is too much, too fast and no one has put a price tag on what it is all going to cost,’’ said Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Morris), who added “many folks see Gov. Murphy’s Energy Master Plan as extreme.’’
But clean-energy advocates dispute support for the environment is fading, insisting climate action remains strong despite a well-funded campaign by the fossil fuel industry.
“The environment has become more partisan,’’ acknowledged Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “Whether it is electric vehicles or offshore wind, there is always a push from the right to muck up the issues,’’ he said. “Bringing change is hard. This is not going to happen overnight.
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