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Getting NJ Back In RGGI Could Take More Than A Year

Catherine McCabe testifies at Assembly Budget Committee hearing

Governor Phil Murphy wants New Jersey to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

But indications are that won’t happen quickly.

Acting Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine McCabe told

lawmakers the nine other states in RGGI are ready to welcome New Jersey back but it’ll take a while to negotiate the specifics of the agreement.

“I would hope that we could be finished with this process frankly within a few months. And it will take about one year for the rulemaking process with the all stakeholder outreach that we have to do. And we cannot begin that process until we complete the negotiations with the other states.”

“We know what the program does. We know what the changes are. The first thing they should be doing is putting out a rule to repeal the rule that took us out of RGGI and then move forward with how we’re going to spend the money and deal with it. It should only take a few months.”

Environment New Jersey director Doug O’Malley says there should be a rules process that allows public comment but also ensures that the state rejoins the program by early next year.

“Over the last three years we’ve seen increased economic growth and we’ve seen a reduction in global warming pollution in RGGI states. So New Jersey needs to rejoin RGGI as quickly as possible.”

Former Governor Chris Christie pulled New Jersey out of RGGI in 2012.

The cap and trade program imposes surcharges on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.