It seems as if every day New Jerseyans wake up to another proposal to ban something that has been in use for as long as many of us can remember. In 2021, the legislature voted to ban “plastic and paper single-use bags, and polystyrene foam food containers, plates, cups, and utensils.” That is just the beginning.
The governor’s Energy Master Plan (EMP) calls for banning the sale of gas-powered trucks and automobiles by 2035. The New Jersey BPU recently met to approve regulations that would be a de facto ban on gas stoves and water heaters. Legislation has already been introduced that would ban gas-powered weed whackers, lawn mowers, chain saws and other outdoor instruments. In short, these mandates would make an already expensive state infinitely more costly to live in day to day.
The objective of cutting carbon emissions is certainly commendable, however, not when it comes at the expense of our economy and quality of life. Moreover, when put in a global context, all these heavy-handed initiatives will have miniscule to no impact on global climate. As our national “climate czar” John Kerry recently stated, 90% of the world’s carbon emissions come from outside of our borders.
Conversely, China, India, Nigeria, and dozens of other similar countries who account for most of the world’s population, have abysmal environmental records with China averaging one new coal plant a week. Why then must New Jersey residents be bludgeoned with one mandate after another – especially when it will have zero impact on climate change?
The cost and inconvenience of forcing residents to comply with these mandates aside, there is the reality of the existing grid and its ability to accommodate total electrification. In 2021, Robert Bryce, an expert on the U.S. electric grid testified before the U.S. Senate that, “the average American home endured more than eight hours without power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration – more than double the outage time five years ago.
In California, over the past two or three years, blackouts have become almost daily events.” Simply put, the electrical grid does not have the capacity to supply the power needed to replace energy resources which account for much of our present-day power. Moreover, eliminating other sources of energy to rely solely on electric would make the grid a tantalizing target for our enemies. One major attack would be catastrophic and paralyze the country as never before.
Angry constituents, fed up with the obsession of banning anything related to fossil fuels before a viable replacement and associated infrastructure is in place have been reaching out asking what they can do to stop the chaos. The answer is, in a word, vote.
The only way to get the attention of those pushing an expensive, unworkable energy policy is at the ballot box. Only then will we find our energy equilibrium with workable, reliable, and economically feasible policies that will include a diversity of resources that will not put us at risk.
