GOP tax plan could suck the juice out of NJ clean-energy


Just when New Jersey’s clean-energy advocates find
an ally in the governor’s office to back their agenda,
the federal government is moving to phase out tax incentives that have helped promote solar and wind energy, as well as electric vehicles.


Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:

New Jersey Gov.-elect Phil Murphy won a string of endorsements from environmentalists for his clean-energy platform, which included a goal of having 100 percent of the state’s electricity generated by renewable energy by 2050.
But achieving that target could prove difficult if Republicans in Washington, D.C., succeed in passing a tax plan that would eliminate and slash tax credits that encourage the use of solar and wind power, and give consumers more of an incentive to switch to electric vehicles.
The tax-reform plan now being debated by Congress would eliminate a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles, reduce a tax credit for wind production by one-third, and eventually phase out an existing tax credit for solar after 2027.


Undermining NJ’s efforts


The actions could complicate the state’s plans to ramp up its reliance on renewable energy, as well undermine efforts to build the infrastructure for electric vehicles and convince motorists to switch to cleaner-running vehicles.
“This plan barely touches huge tax giveaways for fossil fuels,’’ said Ana Unruh Cohen, director of government affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “But it would zero-out cost-effective electric-vehicle tax credits and weaken tax credits for wind and solar that are creating jobs, spurring innovation, meeting consumer demand, and cleaning up the air.’’
In New Jersey, as elsewhere in the Northeast, the biggest source of greenhouse-gas emissions contributing to global warming is the transportation sector. The state’s global-warming reduction law requires an 80 percent decrease in such emissions by 2050, a target that likely will be impossible to meet unless steep cuts from vehicles are achieved, according to clean-energy advocates.
Sen. Bob Smith, the chairman of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee, is planning to put a priority in the next legislative session in January on moving a package of bills that would promote the use of electric vehicles. Losing the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles is a blow to that goal.
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Candidates targeted in racist mailers win election in NJ

Luke Nozicka reports for NJ.com:
EDISON — The two school board candidates who were targeted in racist “Make Edison Great Again” mailers that made national headlines won seats in the election Tuesday.
Jerry Shi and Falguni Patel, who respectively claimed their seats with 6,259 and 6,115 votes, will serve a three-year term on the Edison Township Public Schools board.
Beth Moroney also won a seat on the board with 5,991 votes. Nine people vied for the three open spots.
The race in New Jersey’s fifth most populous town gained notoriety last week after an unknown group sent mailers to homes in Edison proclaiming “Make Edison Great Again” and calling for the deportation of Shi and Patel.
“The Chinese and Indians are taking over our town,” the postcards read. “Chinese school! Indian school! Cricket fields! Enough is enough.”
Another candidate in Hoboken was also targeted in xenophobic fliers days before the election. Hoboken Councilman Ravi Bhalla, won his race to become the city’s first Sikh mayor.
Those fliers were placed on car windshields in the city with the message “Don’t let TERRORISM take over our town!” above a picture of Bhalla.
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Capturing governor’s seat, NJ Dems now running the show


At end of the day, Democrats still have the Legislature locked up — after withstanding some tough challenges and pulling out a few surprise victories

Chase Brush reports for NJ Spotlight:

sweeney

Senate President Steve Sweeney fought off a surprisingly tough challenge from his Republican opponent, funded by NJEA money.
New Jersey voters went to the polls yesterday and turned their attention to all 120 seats in the Legislature, ending a busy election season that was rife with special interest spending, political attack ads and controversial mailers, as well as some energetic get-out-the-vote efforts.
Democrats now control the Legislature and the chief executive’s position after former ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy defeated Republican opponent Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in the state’s high-profile governor’s race. The party had previously held majorities in both the Senate, where Democrats had a 24-16 advantage over Republicans, and Assembly, where they had a 52-28 edge.
They expanded that control last night, picking up one seat in the upper house and, though the final votes have yet to be tallied, likely two in the lower.. An upset in the 11th District helped bump the party’s Senate majority up to 25, while victories in the 2nd and 16th districts gave them a boost in the Assembly. Republicans also secured seats in tightly contested races in both houses, though they were offset by losses
The night, therefore, was seen as a win for Democrats, who will enter the next legislative session exercising broad jurisdiction over setting the state’s agenda and tackling some of its most serious problems.

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He’s had enough; NJ Congressman LoBiondo calling it quits

Jonathan D. Salant reports for NJ.com:

Rep. Frank LoBiondo, the New Jersey Republican who most often breaks with his party, announced his retirement Tuesday with a blast at the partisanship that has taken over U.S. politics.

“I always looked for solutions that produce real world results built upon cooperation and partnerships,” said LoBiondo, R-2nd Dist. “Regrettably, our nation is now consumed by increasing political polarization; there is no longer middle ground to honestly debate issues and put forward solutions.”
His retirement puts the congressional district up for grabs in the 2018 election.
“Furthermore, as some of my closest colleagues have also come to realize, those of us who came to Congress to change Washington for the better through good governance are now the outliers,” LoBiondo said. “A vocal and obstinate minority within both parties has hijacked good legislation in pursuit of no legislation.”
LoBiondo’s most recent act of defiance against his party came last month when he voted against the congressional budget resolution targeting the deduction for state and federal taxes. He also was one of three House Republicans from New Jersey to oppose health care legislation that the Congressional Budget Office said would leave 23 million more Americans without insurance.
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New DEP rule in NJ limits air pollution from soot

Plants and businesses that spew soot will be required to comply with new regulation when they apply for new permits

Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:

soot

The state yesterday adopted a rule that aims to keep New Jersey in compliance with an important federal air-quality standard designed to limit pollution from a contaminant linked to many respiratory ailments.
The state Department of Environmental Protection adopted the rule with only minor changes, intending to reduce emissions of fine particulate matter, or soot, a pollutant believed to cause tens of thousands of premature deaths a year.
The rule is meant to tighten control on emissions from thousands of facilities by requiring them to use the best-available pollution control technologies when seeking new permits for their plants or businesses.
For many years, New Jersey failed to achieve the health standard for the pollutant, coming into compliance with the standard four years ago.
The pollutant is made up of microscopic particles released from manufacturing smokestacks and other sources to produce a haze that lessens visibility and can penetrate deep into the lungs, causing a range of respiratory illnesses.

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