On February 1, 2018, the Jersey Shore Chapter participated in the NJ OFF Fossil Fuels campaign launch in Trenton! Various environmental groups formed a coalition which formally launched a campaign to support legislation requiring New Jersey to get to 100% clean, renewable electricity by the year 2035.
Standing alongside bill sponsors Senator Patrick Diegnan and Assemblyman Tim Eustace, an enthusiastic crowd chanted, sang, and shouted out our support for bold action to create a clean energy revolution in the Garden State.
The bills (A1823, S1405) are remarkably straightforward: They call for a rapid transition to a statewide 100% clean energy system, using the state’s existing renewable portfolio standards. They do not rely on gimmicks like a carbon tax or other market-based schemes, but direct reductions of emissions and heavy fines for polluters that break the law.
At the launch, Katie Smith of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance linked the fight for a clean energy system to her organization’s campaign to keep gas pipelines out of the Pinelands. Carol Gay of the NJ State Industrial Union Council spoke about the false debate that puts workers against the environment, pointing out that clean energy creates safe and stable local jobs. And Kevin Moore of the NJ Environmental Justice Alliance spoke about the toll that dirty energy takes on frontline communities across the state.
John Weber, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of Surfrider, linked the fight for clean energy with the urgent need to stop the Trump administration’s plans for offshore drilling, while Jackie Schramm of Franciscan Response to Fracking told us how their group came to be a driving force in the state’s anti-fracking campaigns. And throughout it all, the Solidarity Singers kept our spirits up with some rousing sing-alongs about the urgency of our fight for clean energy!
Launched by Food & Water Watch, the NJ Off Fossil Fuels campaign is supported by a diverse coalition of 50 organizations, including the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Women for Progress, UU Faith in Action, and the Ramapough Lenape Nation.
Special thanks to Jersey Shore Volunteer Diana Pittet for her support!
Click here to read more: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/news/getting-fossil-fuels-new-jersey-ready