That's just an excuse to create a money-making cap-and-trade scheme that'll drive up electric rates.
High energy costs, like taxes, just make New Jersey a tougher state in which to do business. This is not a partisan issue, it’s just a bad deal for New Jersey.
Over the past ten months, the RGGI Cap & Trade scheme has been exposed as nothing less than a devious and deceptive tax. This is a program that has been stained by secrecy and open to exploitation by speculators looking to profiteer on the backs of ratepayers all while driving up electricity rates and contributing to the continued exodus of jobs and industry from our state.
We remain completely committed to the idea that we have a responsibility to make the environment of our state and world better. We’re not going to do it by participating in gimmicky programs that don’t work.
RGGI drives up energy costs for consumers at a time when nobody can afford any additional taxes.
[RGGI is] nothing more than a tax on electricity, a tax on our residents and on businesses with no discernible effect on our environment.
This program is not effective in reducing greenhouse gases and is unlikely to be in the future. The whole system is not working as it was intended to work. It’s a failure.
[RGGI money] was taken by regulators from consumers in the form of higher electricity bills and then redistributed to environmental special interests friendly to the politicians in power.
No state or nation has enhanced economic opportunities [from cap-and-trade and] Europe's cap-and-trade system has been undermined by political favoritism and accounting tricks.
Forcing business, industry, and food producers to reduce carbon emissions through government mandates and cap-and-trade policies under consideration for the regional climate initiative will increase the cost of doing business, push companies to do business with other states or nations, and increase consumer costs for electricity, fuel, and food;