Governor Phil Murphy's Environment and Energy Transition Advisory Committee says the administration's first priority should be making a clean energy future a reality in New Jersey.
It proposed four main priorities for the new administration last week, in its report.
The priorities were in line with the “Environmental Agenda ’18, New Jersey’s Conservation Road Map,” released by a coalition of 30 environmental groups last Fall, said New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Ed Potosnak.
The NJLCV Education Fund led that effort, and the road map gave the new administration a list of priorities in nine categories the groups want the administration to tackle in its first 100 days, first year and first term.
"To achieve the Governor’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2050, the committee believes that an essential step is for the Governor to jumpstart NJ’s most promising new clean energy industry – offshore wind," the advisory committee report said.
"Other urgent actions include stabilizing the state’s solar market and utilizing 100% of the Clean Energy Fund to advance energy efficiency, grow the clean energy economy, and drive down carbon emissions," it said.
It also recommended the Governor utilize the recent Volkswagen settlements and the signing of the multi-state Memorandum of Understanding on Zero Emissions Vehicles "to serve as a springboard for the electrification of the state’s transportation system."
Confronting climate change, addressing environmental justice issues, and protecting water and natural resources were the other main priorities in the report.