Job-Killing Cap-and-Trade Schemes

Americans for Prosperity: Environment New Jersey Spews More RGGI Lies into Atmosphere

Another Bogus “Study” Belies the Facts about Job-Killing Cap-and-Trade Scheme

BOGOTA, NJ – Americans for Prosperity, the state’s leading grassroots, free-market organization, is blasting the radical environmental group Environment New Jersey for blatant lies and misleading statements about the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) Cap-and-Trade scheme.

In response, AFP state director Steve Lonegan issued the following statement:

“The eco-zealots at Environment New Jersey continue to repeat a number of debunked claims about the failed RGGI scheme, including the absurd notion that this hidden tax on electricity somehow fuels economic growth.

“Given that RGGI’s emissions targets have already been met, one can only conclude that the only ‘green’ the radical environmentalists at Environment New Jersey care about is the green in our wallets and pocketbooks.

“Environment New Jersey’s real desire is to keep in place a slush fund that will use ratepayer dollars to fund their pet projects and other ‘green’ rip-offs in order to keep alive their utopian environmental dreams. Meanwhile the rest of us are left to suffer the consequences in the way of lost jobs and by being socked with higher rates.

“No amount of bogus studies they foist upon is will alter this reality.” ENVIRONMENT NJ CLAIM:

“According to ‘A Record of Leadership: How Northeastern States are Cutting Global Warming Pollution and Building a Clean Economy,’

New Jersey and the 9 other states that participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) have cut per capita carbon dioxide emissions 20 percent faster than the rest of the nation, even as the region’s gross product per capita grew 87 percent faster than the rest of the United States.”

FACT: According to RGGI’s own consultants, the cap-and-trade program is unlikely to have any impact on reducing carbon emissions until the Year 2030 (Source: New Jersey Watchdog)

FACT: Falling natural gas prices and reduced demand have been the primary factors in reduced carbon emissions; not RGGI (Source: New Jersey Watchdog)

FACT: There is no proof that RGGI has created net jobs or increased economic growth; such claims are based on a ‘hypothetical simulation’ and “modeling’ forecast with no basis in reality (Source: Institute for Energy Research)

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen-leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity.