There are some legitimate reasons to move cautiously when it comes to building offshore windfarms. But none of those reasons are on the mind of Paul Sarlo:
"This is an unproven market here in New Jersey," Sarlo said. "We're going to give (builders of the turbines) $100 million and raise rates. ... What if they build these farms and they don't work?"
Yes, Paul Sarlo is worried that a windmill attached to an electrical generator will somehow fail to work. And this guy has an engineering degree? One has to wonder what part of the technology the good Senator believes will be problematical...is it the part where wind makes the wheel turn? Perhaps it is the part where the magnet, whirling inside a coil of wire, produces electricity? Oooh! I know - he's worried that New Jersey will have a wind shortage!
Chris Christie released his energy plan yesterday and while we will certainly have time to look at the specifics, I wanted to point out a fundamental disagreement that Republican members of Congress and co-chairs of his own campaign have with the party standard bearer in NJ.
In announcing his plan, Christie tried to attack Corzine saying he hadn't done enough, while also trying to hook himself to the Obama train. But statements by Republican members of Congress, in justifying their support for the Energy legislation, stood in square opposition to the argument that Corzine hasn't helped New jersey lead the way. First Leonard Lance:
"The fact of the matter is New Jersey and the Northeast are well ahead of the curve on many of the key elements of the legislation before the House.
"Here at home, the state of New Jersey is already subject to limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants under the ten-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. And our state renewable portfolio standard is more aggressive than the federal program contained in the bill.
"New Jersey serves as a national model for its investments in new, clean energy technologies that have reduced greenhouse gas emissions and created thousands of jobs. I heard from a number of New Jersey's leading businesses that firmly believe today's legislation would strengthen our state economy through innovative and sustainable job creation. It is time for other states to follow New Jersey's leadership and do their share to set limits on greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate development of low-carbon energy sources and green jobs."
Follow New Jersey's leadership he says. Maybe Lance needs to talk to Christie and bring him up to speed. Joining them in that conversation could be Congressman Frank LoBiondo, who also recognizes New Jersey's role, under the leadership of Governor Corzine in leading the way:
"This is by no means a perfect bill but, for New Jersey businesses and families, many of the federal standards that will be created are mirroring state standards long on the books. For the past decade, New Jersey has been forward-looking in its energy policy and sought to establish diverse, renewable alternative sources of energy to meet the state's needs. From the development of biofuels based on crop waste and planning for additional nuclear reactors, to building small and large-scale wind farms and countless solar panel projects, individuals and municipalities recognized opportunities and took action.
"In the process, new local businesses were founded and jobs were created in the emerging 'green industry' here in New Jersey. What must happen next is the growth of domestic manufacturing of the materials needed for alternative energy production, such as solar cells, wind turbines and environmentally-friendly buildings. This legislation rightly focuses on growing that manufacturing base, creating green jobs and finally establishing our energy independence. The positive effects will be felt nationally and here in South Jersey. These are objectives I have long believed and advocated for as part of a national energy policy."
And four of those ten years were under the leadership of Governor Corzine, who Chris Christie is criticizing. So Chris Christie supports the federal efforts by President Obama, which members of his own party say were modeled after the efforts of our state, under the leadership of the person he is criticizing in the process. This must be more Christie logic.
On the heels of Chris Christie putting out a video talking about his plans for energy, the Corzine campaign is out with a web ad showing some more contradictions for Christie. As the Corzine campaign puts it, he'll say anything and you can't believe any of it. Let's go to the video:
