Governor Christie has announced that he will take $158 million from the Clean Energy Program in 2010, and additional funds in 2011. Funds that had been budgeted by the NJ Board of Public Utilities to support critical energy conservation, efficiency and renewable energy programs for residents, businesses, industry and local governments across the state.”
The Governor’s line is: 609-292-6000, please call ASAP, or send an e-mail through the NJ State website at http://www.state.nj.us/governor/contact/
I have calls into his press office to get information about what this means to current programs.

A copy of the letter I sent to Christie’s office today
I am outraged by the announcement the you intend to raid the Clean Energy Program of 158 million dollars earmarked for efficiency and clean energy measures. As someone who has reported on the Clean Energy Programs for the last 4 years I can attest to the impact they have had financially and otherwise.

When you look for ways to jumpstart the economy on NJ there are few examples better than the Renewable Energy Incentive Program and the Home Performance with EnergyStar.

In looking at the return on investment for a typical PV Solar rig in NJ. It will return over $200k over the life of the system on a $40k investment.

In my home, the energy improvements we’ve made through the Home Performance program will save us $2160/yr for the life of our home.

But not only do these programs provide REAL BOTTOM LINE BENEFITS to the homeowners and businesses in NJ they create jobs. In speaking with several contractors in this sector I have heard time and time again how they are hiring, how they have more work than they can handle, how they welcome competition because there is such a demand and need for this work and room in the sector for growth.

How does wasting energy, cutting the legs out from under a growing job market, taking money out of the pocket of homeowners and businesses in the form of higher utility bills, and undermining efforts to actually address the climate crisis help this state?! If you are driven by financial concerns can’t you see that there are financial costs to climate change that will be felt in NJ in the form of more sever winter storms like we just had, more flooding from more frequent extreme rain events like we just had, and rising sea levels which will damage our significant tourism trade and compromise billions of dollars in real estate? You say it’s time to lead. Putting off the solutions to these problems is not leadership it is cowardly.

In your budgetary address you claimed to not be playing politics with short-term solutions. If this is not a short term solution that cuts off NJ’s nose to spite it’s face what is?