New Jersey Quits RGGI, Bans Coal Plants

[Steve]

New Jersey governor Chris Christie has pulled the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the only mandatory cap-and-trade program in the U.S., while promising to ban new coal-fired plants in the state.

He said the program's allowances were never expensive enough to change behavior, and that New Jersey has brought its carbon emissions below its 2020 goal as a result of market forces rather than cap-and-trade. Any benefits from the RGGI tax will also now be miniscule in comparison to those from New Jersey's incentives for wind, solar and natural gas generation, Christie said.

"RGGI has not changed behavior and it does not reduce emissions," the governor said. "…RGGI does nothing more than tax electricity, tax our citizens, tax our businesses, with no discernible or measurable impact upon our environment.

In his announcement yesterday, Christie also said that New Jersey will enact an immediate ban on new coal-fired power plants. "From this day forward any plans that anyone has regarding any type of coal-based generation of energy in New Jersey is over," Christie said.

He affirmed New Jersey's commitment, through its renewable portfolio standard, to derive 22.5 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2021. And he announced the creation of a a State Energy Savings Initiative Oversight Committee, to design a framework to improve energy efficiency at state-owned buildings.

since this tax came in our electricity cost have skyrocketed.. and even with the repeal.. they continue to climb..


but he was not satisfied with his efforts to shut down any new plants and has sued Pennsylvania in an effort to close some of theirs and will soon close several more older plants in NJ...

he said we could easily switch over to natural gas...

oh yea.. he banned that as well...

Chris Christie Fracking Ban: New Jersey Governor Proposes 1 Year Gas Drilling Moratorium

"The potential environmental concerns with fracking in our state must be studied and weighed carefully against the potential benefits of increasing access to natural gas," Christie said in a statement. "I believe a one-year moratorium on fracking in New Jersey while the issue is studied ... is the most prudent, responsible and balanced course of action."

New Jersey sits atop a small and easternmost portion of the Marcellus shale formation, thought to contain billions of dollars in natural gas reserves hidden in the underground rock.

Drilling is prevalent in neighboring Pennsylvania and a moratorium on drilling has recently been lifted in New York.

The Delaware River Basin Commission, on which Christie serves through his role as a governor in state in the basin, voted recently to postpone passing new drilling regulations in that specific area – including parts of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania – due to increased pressure from environmental groups seeking a ban on fracking in the environmentally sensitive area.

well we can always buy oil and gas from Brazil... or shut down our refineries..

:roll:

 

[hypocritexposer]

Geez, I wonder what this will do to the price of NG and oil, along with the decreased supply with the reduction in federal drilling permits.

If this situation is not corrected shortly, in about 5 to 7 years, the US is in big trouble.

 

[Steve]

Geez, I wonder what this will do to the price of NG and oil, along with the decreased supply with the reduction in federal drilling permits.

If this situation is not corrected shortly, in about 5 to 7 years, the US is in big trouble.

yes, and liberals such as Christie (R) will sit in their fancy air-conditioned homes while they complain about the windmills blocking their views...

 

[Steve]

New Jersey and France Ban Natural Gas Drilling Based on Fracking

Without fracturing, there is no unconventional gas production–and without production from these fields, the nation's dependence on foreign energy would send gas prices and energy bills soaring.

France, which has shale oil and gas fields that "are potentially some of the most promising in Europe." Despite the economic potential, the French legislature passed a law that gives energy companies two months to declare what type of drilling techniques they will use in areas they have received drilling permits. If a company doesn't respond or answers that it plans to use fracking, French regulators will revoke its drilling permit.

France's eco-friendly legislation reflects the strong green movement in Europe right now and follows Germany's decision to ban all nuclear power by 2022. The French Canadian province of Quebec has imposed a moratorium on fracking since March pending a detailed environmental review.

Elliott Gue, editor of the market-beating Energy Strategist investment service, agrees with the moderate Cuomo approach. Mr. Gue is confident that the U.S. will not ban fracking, calling the controversy a 'tempest in a teapot." His reasoning is convincing:

The Haynesville Shale of Louisiana is typically found at a depth of 10,000 to 14,000 feet below the surface, and the productive shale layers are anywhere from 200 to 500 feet thick.

Freshwater aquifers are found roughly 1,000 feet or less below the surface. There is certainly no drinkable water located at a depth of 10,000 or 14,000 feet. Accordingly, wells used to tap these aquifers would be located more than 10,000 feet (roughly two miles) away from drinking water supplies. In between the aquifer and shale layers are multiple layers of solid rock of different composition.

It's all-but-impossible for fracturing fluids injected into a formation 12,000 feet underground to migrate through two miles of rock and into an aquifer if a well has been properly installed and cased.

Proper regulation is the key. Let's mend it, not end it. American independence from foreign oil depends on it!

stupid liberals...