NEW YORK—Members of Americans for Prosperity from New Jersey gathered to protest the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in downtown Manhattan on Wednesday, outside the building where an RGGI auction was taking place.
The initiative, an effort among states in the northeastern United States, is the first market-based mandatory program in the nation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electric power plants. Each of the states participating in the program sets a limit on carbon pollution, sells emission allowances through auctions, and invests the proceeds into clean energy.
RGGI has reported auction earnings of $860 million to date, and 80 percent of this amount has been invested to create clean energy jobs. The program estimates generating 14,000 additional jobs annually in the state of New York.
“This is a lie,” said Steven Lonegan, New Jersey state director for Americans for Prosperity (AFP). “RGGI destroys jobs.” AFP is regularly involved in fighting government regulation of the oil and gas industries.
Lonegan, the former mayor of Bogota, N.J., called RGGI a “sketchy scheme” that passes on the costs of electricity to the rate payers. “Manufacturing businesses and energy consumers factor that into whether or not they’re either going to build a business here or move the business out,” he said.
According to a poll conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) last month, 60 percent of voters in New Jersey are willing to pay 75 cents more on their monthly energy bills—which is more than what the NRDC estimates the RGGI costs to be—in order to invest in cleaner, local energy. New Jersey pulled out from RGGI the same day.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said RGGI did not reduce emissions. “RGGI does nothing more than tax electricity, tax our citizens, [and] tax our businesses, with no discernible or measurable impact on our environment,” Christie said two weeks ago.
Under RGGI, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont plan to reduce carbon dioxide released by power plants by 10 percent by 2018.
“It’s not over yet. The governor of New Jersey has set the standard, but there are still nine other states that continue to participate in this scheme,” Lonegan said. “This is nothing but a money-making scheme to take advantage of people concerned about global warming.” There is no reason to fund clean energy projects with something with such high interest rates, he added.
“It should’ve been RGGR—Regional Greenhouse Gas Rip-off,” Herman Cain said. The businessman and radio host from Georgia recently announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. AFP fully supports his nomination.
“Why do they want to pose more taxes, more regulations, when people are looking for jobs? It makes no sense. It’s a rip-off on the American people,” Cain said. “A lot of people don’t realize this RGGI is a hidden tax.”
Both Cain and the AFP were critical and angry over how President Barack Obama’s administration is handling the national deficit.
“It’s about them having to deal with the $14 trillion unwanted liability,” Cain said. “I happen to believe, deep in my heart, that we can take our government back. We’re sick of this rip-off.”
Joe Martens, commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, told The New York Times that the investment of RGGI’s auction proceeds “is leading to savings for thousands of New York residents and businesses and to the creation of thousands of high quality jobs.”
Last year, New York invested $112 million in Green Jobs-Green New York, a program designed to provide energy audits for 100,000 households and small businesses, support the implementation of 56,000 projects, and facilitate training programs for 6,000 workers. Another $12 million from the auction was used to install 383 solar photovoltaic systems.
The initiative, an effort among states in the northeastern United States, is the first market-based mandatory program in the nation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electric power plants. Each of the states participating in the program sets a limit on carbon pollution, sells emission allowances through auctions, and invests the proceeds into clean energy.
RGGI has reported auction earnings of $860 million to date, and 80 percent of this amount has been invested to create clean energy jobs. The program estimates generating 14,000 additional jobs annually in the state of New York.
“This is a lie,” said Steven Lonegan, New Jersey state director for Americans for Prosperity (AFP). “RGGI destroys jobs.” AFP is regularly involved in fighting government regulation of the oil and gas industries.
Lonegan, the former mayor of Bogota, N.J., called RGGI a “sketchy scheme” that passes on the costs of electricity to the rate payers. “Manufacturing businesses and energy consumers factor that into whether or not they’re either going to build a business here or move the business out,” he said.
According to a poll conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) last month, 60 percent of voters in New Jersey are willing to pay 75 cents more on their monthly energy bills—which is more than what the NRDC estimates the RGGI costs to be—in order to invest in cleaner, local energy. New Jersey pulled out from RGGI the same day.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said RGGI did not reduce emissions. “RGGI does nothing more than tax electricity, tax our citizens, [and] tax our businesses, with no discernible or measurable impact on our environment,” Christie said two weeks ago.
Under RGGI, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont plan to reduce carbon dioxide released by power plants by 10 percent by 2018.
“It’s not over yet. The governor of New Jersey has set the standard, but there are still nine other states that continue to participate in this scheme,” Lonegan said. “This is nothing but a money-making scheme to take advantage of people concerned about global warming.” There is no reason to fund clean energy projects with something with such high interest rates, he added.
“It should’ve been RGGR—Regional Greenhouse Gas Rip-off,” Herman Cain said. The businessman and radio host from Georgia recently announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. AFP fully supports his nomination.
“Why do they want to pose more taxes, more regulations, when people are looking for jobs? It makes no sense. It’s a rip-off on the American people,” Cain said. “A lot of people don’t realize this RGGI is a hidden tax.”
Both Cain and the AFP were critical and angry over how President Barack Obama’s administration is handling the national deficit.
“It’s about them having to deal with the $14 trillion unwanted liability,” Cain said. “I happen to believe, deep in my heart, that we can take our government back. We’re sick of this rip-off.”
Joe Martens, commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, told The New York Times that the investment of RGGI’s auction proceeds “is leading to savings for thousands of New York residents and businesses and to the creation of thousands of high quality jobs.”
Last year, New York invested $112 million in Green Jobs-Green New York, a program designed to provide energy audits for 100,000 households and small businesses, support the implementation of 56,000 projects, and facilitate training programs for 6,000 workers. Another $12 million from the auction was used to install 383 solar photovoltaic systems.
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