There are plenty of substantive reasons to oppose Phil Murphy’s quixotic push for “zero emissions by 2050,” Save Jerseyans, including the astronomical price tag (billion, just to start) and the complete lack of evidence that it would make a meaningful impact on global climate change. If you’re going to virtue-signal with junk science and other people’s money? Try to do it affordably for God’s sake!
But Phil naturally couldn’t care less. He signed four bills related to solar energy and electric automobiles on Friday purportedly aimed at helping achieve the 2050 goal. A fifth – which addresses offshore wind – is still awaiting action from the front office.
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What’s not getting enough attention is how many of these “green energy measures” are in actuality primarily designed to consolidate decision-making authority in Trenton.
One of the bills signed Friday strips local planning and zoning boards of their authority to approve charging stations. The aforementioned wind farm bill would completely remove local authorities from giving any input on how wind farms offshore of their communities come ashore. It’s all part of a larger plan. We previously warned you about a Murphy Administration move to give the NJDEP plenary power over zoning in the name of combating burdening “overburdened communities.”
Any subjectively positive environmental impact (which is minimal at best) is a secondary aim. Remember: New Jersey’s total annual carbon emissions equate to only 3 or 4 days of annual Chinese emissions. The goal here isn’t saving the environment or creating jobs with clean-generated power.
The goal is to concentrate power – the pure human, political variety – in the hands of people who don’t live in or anywhere near your town where you’ll need to live with the consequences.
