Polluters Pay Act Stalls In NJ: 'We're Not Going Anywhere,' Environmentalists Vow

A controversial environmental bill has stalled in New Jersey, raising cheers from critics – and vows of more action from supporters.

The Polluters Pay Act would penalize companies that have engaged in the trade or business of extracting fossil fuel or refining crude oil since 1995, and have contributed to greenhouse gas emissions. The legislation would generate $2.5 billion annually from an estimated 82 fossil fuel corporations, raising $50 billion over two decades, its sponsors say.

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The money would be earmarked for flood protection, stormwater and sewage system upgrades, extreme weather preparation, health care related to climate change, upgrades to the electrical grid and energy-efficiency projects, among other uses.

The proposed law moved forward in the Statehouse last month. But it didn’t see a vote before Gov. Mikie Sherrill and state lawmakers reached a deal on their new budget – which got a round of applause from the New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA).

“In addition to the extra energy costs it would impose on New Jersey households, this bill sets a chilling precedent that any job creator in our state could be retroactively targeted for billions of dollars in penalties, even if it complied with the law, regulations and its permits,” NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka said.

“That is nothing short of business hostility, in a state already challenged by its business reputation,” Siekerka said.

Advocates aren’t giving up the fight to get the Polluters Pay Act over the finish line, however.

“We're not going anywhere,” said Matt Smith, New Jersey state director of Food & Water Watch.

“This is a clear choice between the world's biggest polluters and the people of New Jersey,” Smith said. “Our lawmakers can't say they’re working to make the state more affordable while they put Big Oil’s profits before all of us. Families are paying for a mess they didn't create, and they're done waiting.”

“This should have been a no-brainer,” agreed Amy Goldsmith, New Jersey state director of Clean Water Action.

“What happened today was Trenton politics at its worst,” Goldsmith said last week.

The bill currently has 43 sponsors in the Assembly and 19 in the Senate, including Sen. John McKeon, a Democrat from the 27^th district.

McKeon pointed to a severe round of storms that recently hit the state, “leaving whole towns underwater” and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of people. Earlier in the week, more than two dozen people reportedly died in an extreme heat wave, he said.

“These are stark reminders that climate change is no longer a distant threat – it is already here, and it is a crisis that we must address today,” the senator said.

According to Siekerka, although the Polluters Pay Act needs to “go away permanently” – the need for more resiliency in the face of wild weather may be something that everyone in the Garden State can find common ground over.

“Given the fact that New Jersey is a coastal state with a long history of extreme weather and flooding, we do agree with sponsors and supporters that conversations need to take place regarding future resiliency funding,” Siekerka said. “And we hope to have those conversations with all sides represented – government, environmentalists, business, labor and industry – to see the best way to go about it.”

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