Environmental Activists Demand RGGI Action At Shore

Three key shore Republicans in the state legislature are about to get a load of paperwork pertaining to  a touchy environmental matter.

Governor Chris Christie's decision to pull New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative prompts Environment New Jersey members to deliver petitions in excess of 1,000, by their count, in opposition to the offices of state Senators Robert Singer (R-30), Jim Holzapfel (R-10) and Jennifer Beck (R-11). They're also bringing handwritten letters and detailing phone calls and e-mails to the legislators demanding support for reversing the decision.

Proponents of RGGI say that it will reduce air pollution emitted by power plants and encourage investment in clean-energy alternatives that are seen as nuclei for job growth and sustainable energy. Critics, including Americans for Prosperity, contend that the initiative is a money-waster that unnecessarily penalizes the energy sector.

AFP, headed by former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, is funded in large part by the Koch industrial empire, with deep investments in natural resource production.