Global Warming News

TRENTON—A new report by the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group finds that New Jersey’s carbon dioxide emissions, the largest contributor to global warming, are on the rise. The report, Global Warming Pollution in New Jersey: Key Steps to Reduce Emissions from Electricity Generation and Transportation, was released on the eve of an important meeting between the Codey Administration and eight other Northeast states to develop a program to reduce global warming pollution from regional power plants.

“The effects of global warming - including rising sea levels and more unhealthy smog days - will increasingly affect every region of New Jersey, but especially the shore. We owe it to New Jersey’s health and shore economy to provide leadership to reduce global warming pollution,” said Emily Rusch, Energy Advocate for NJPIRG.

The report, which calculated fuel use data from the Environmental Protection Agency to estimate annual emissions, found that:

- Fossil fuel use in New Jersey resulted in 115.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in New Jersey. Despite the relatively small size of our state, that equals about 0.5% of total global emissions.

- Transportation produced 62.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions - 54% of the New Jersey’s total in-state emissions. Gasoline use rose 9.1% and diesel use rose 16.1 percent between 2001 and 2004.

- Electricity use from New Jersey based power plants contributed to 18.9 million metric tons of CO2 emissions—16 percent of New Jersey’s total emissions. The report noted that since about 20 percent of our electricity comes from coal-fired power plants from Pennsylvania, total emissions from New Jersey’s electricity use are actually even higher.

- The majority of global warming pollution from power plants comes from a handful of the dirtiest plants. In 2003, the Hudson, Mercer, and B.L. England coal plants together produced over one-third of power plant emissions.

To reduce emissions, the report focused on three policy solutions:

- Implement a regional cap-and-trade program to require the Northeast to reduce carbon dioxide from power plants by 25 percent by 2020.

- Establish a clean energy standard for New Jersey companies, so that 20 percent of our energy comes from clean, renewable sources by 2020.

- Implement California’s forthcoming tailpipe standards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars and trucks.

NJPIRG Energy Advocate Emily Rusch focused on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative as a significant first step forward. The Initiative is a commitment from nine Northeastern states, including New Jersey, to create a regional cap-and-trade program to reduce global warming emissions from power plants. A meeting tomorrow between DEP Commissioner Brad Campbell, BPU President Jeanne Fox, and agency heads from the other Northeastern states is expected to lead to decisions about the details of the program.

The goal of the Initiative is to create a program that will bring about significant emissions reductions in the Northeast and serve as a model for other states seeking to do the same.

NJPIRG and over 100 other organizations have called on the Northeast states to reduce global warming pollution 10 percent by 2010, and 25% by 2020.

“The good news is that by utilizing cost-effective measures like energy efficiency, the Northeast can prove to the rest of the nation that we can reverse the trend of rising global warming pollution at low cost to ratepayers,” said Rusch. “This is an opportunity for New Jersey to provide leadership on global warming for the rest of the country.”