Bill Text: NJ AR206 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress to enact "Green New Deal" legislation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-12-10 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee [AR206 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-AR206-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman NANCY J. PINKIN
District 18 (Middlesex)
Assemblywoman YVONNE LOPEZ
District 19 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress to enact "Green New Deal" legislation.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging Congress to enact "Green New Deal" legislation.
Whereas, Global climate change will present profound political, economic, and technological challenges in the coming decades; and
Whereas, Climate change also represents an opportunity for the United States to reinforce its status as a global economic and political leader; and
Whereas, The increasing demand for energy efficient and "carbon free" products, the urgent need for updated infrastructure to cope with the effects of climate change, and the rising political will to enact policies that mandate reduced greenhouse gas emissions suggest that the time is ripe for Congress to enact a series of bills that will make the United States a world leader in combating climate change; and
Whereas, Such sweeping legislation has been coined a "Green New Deal" in homage to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's visionary program to combat the Great Depression and in recognition of the fact that climate change represents an equally serious threat to the economic and political order; and
Whereas, One key component of "Green New Deal" legislation should be higher fuel and energy efficiency standards for everything from personal appliances to regional power grids; and
Whereas, Such standards would require the production of more sophisticated and innovative products and systems, which would lead to more high-skill jobs to engineer and manufacture them, and those jobs would be ideally suited to this country's highly educated workforce; and
Whereas, The wind power sector in Texas represents a persuasive argument for the productive interplay between government standards and private sector innovation and growth; and
Whereas, Tens of thousands of new wind power jobs have been created in Texas since Governor George W. Bush signed a law in 1999 that required power companies to produce 2,000 new megawatts of electricity from renewable sources by 2009; and
Whereas, Another key component of "Green New Deal" legislation should be a carbon tax, which would include the social costs of carbon dioxide emissions in the cost of fossil fuels; and
Whereas, A carbon tax, if structured carefully, could have bipartisan support; and
Whereas, In 2017, a group of prominent Republicans, led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, and former Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson Jr., endorsed a plan for a carbon tax in which the revenue generated is passed on to the consumer; and
Whereas, Such a plan is also supported by 66 percent of registered voters, according to a 2016 survey; and
Whereas, "Green New Deal" legislation would protect future generations from the costs of climate change while fostering innovation and economic growth in the short term, thus Congress should prioritize this just and prudent legislation; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully urges Congress to enact "Green New Deal" legislation to combat climate change while reinforcing this country's economic and political leadership on the world stage.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and Vice-President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate; The Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives; and every member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This bill urges the United States Congress to enact "Green New Deal" legislation. "Green New Deal" is a term for sweeping legislation to address climate change while fostering innovation and job creation at home and reinforcing the leadership role of the United States on the world stage.
Climate change will present profound political, economic, and technological challenges in the coming decades. However, it also presents a social and economic opportunity to be at the vanguard of the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the creation of updated infrastructure necessary to cope with the effects of climate change, and the engineering and manufacture of energy efficient and "carbon free" products. The United States should leverage its technological and educational advantage to become the global leader in manufacturing energy efficient products and renewable power systems. Doing so would create a demand for highly skilled engineering and manufacturing jobs, which are not easily outsourced to other countries.
Congress should catalyze a nationwide shift to green technology by passing a "Green New Deal." This legislation should include higher fuel efficiency standards for cars, higher energy efficiency standards for consumer products, and a mandated percentage of renewable power to be generated by utilities. This legislation should also include a carbon tax, an idea that has recently received support from several prominent Republicans, including former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, and former Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson Jr.
"Green New Deal" legislation would protect future generations from the costs of climate change while fostering innovation and economic growth in the short term. It would also reinforce this country's status as a global leader and problem solver. Congress should therefore make enacting "Green New Deal" legislation a top priority.
