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Testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Committee in Washington Tuesday. Gov. Jon S. Corzine said the United States is on the verge of a "green revolution."
"This revolution will require a new way of thinking about our energy supply, energy demand and our impacts on the global environment," Corzine said. "It will require the creation of new jobs across virtually every sector of our economy.
"From financial institutions that are investing in the next innovation in solar energy technology, to the construction firms that will be modernizing our aging energy infrastructure, to the scientists at Rutgers University who are developing ways to convert algae into a renewable energy fuel. Skill and ingenuity of many kinds will be needed.''
Corzine said serious challenges must meet with serious solutions. He said, if not met, the challenges will compromise the reliability of the energy supply, burden homes and businesses with spiraling energy prices and threaten the global environment."I am proud to say that New Jersey is at the forefront of leading this green revolution, and meeting the challenges that threaten our economic and environmental security," the governor said. "Through efforts such as our energy master plan, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and our efforts under our Global Warming Response Act, we have fashioned responsible, comprehensive and aggressive strategies."
New Jersey has set targets by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, reducing energy consumption 20 percent by 2020, reducing peak demand for electricity by 5,700 megawatts by 2020 and having 30 percent of the state's electricity supply come from renewable energy by 2020.
One state energy standard requires electricity suppliers to purchase a specified percentage of their electricity from renewable energy each year. In addition, New Jersey participates in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which is the first mandatory carbon cap and trade program in the nation.
Additionally, the state has set targets for both solar energy and offshore wind development. New Jersey is home to more solar energy installations than every other state in the country, except California. New Jersey also attempting to locate the first offshore windmills off its Atlantic coast.
– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
