Murphy's climate change speech at Rutgers met with opposition

Yesterday afternoon, Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) announced three new executive orders to protect New Jerseyans from climate change and achieve a 100 percent clean energy state by 2035, according to a press release.

Murphy announced these policy actions at Winants Hall on the College Avenue campus and live-streamed the speech on YouTube.

Before the event began, a group of demonstrators were gathered outside the building, promoting environmental justice and demanding action to be taken now rather than in the future with respect to climate change.

Murphy began his speech by explaining the irreversible effects of pollution and how they have affected future populations, according to the press release.

"We can’t undo the years of air pollution that have impacted generations of kids with asthma and left our planet warming," he said. "We can’t undo the years of water pollution that have degraded rivers and increased health risks, particularly in impacted communities. We can’t undo the rising seas and more extreme rainfall."

Murphy said Executive Order No. 315 would focus on ensuring that all electricity sold in the state would come from clean energy sources by 2035. The succeeding Executive Order No. 316 plans to eliminate carbon emissions from heating and cooling units in 400,000 residences and 20,000 retail locations.

Approximately 90 percent of New Jersey homes and over 80 percent of commercial buildings are currently powered by fossil fuels. Enacting changes to use electrically powered energy will affect the customers' everyday life, Murphy said.

"Alongside both our current moves to build a New Jersey-based clean-energy industry and consumers’ own desire for more energy-efficient homes and appliances, we can get to 2035 more affordably and with household energy costs well under control," he said.

The final, Executive Order No. 317, intends to reduce natural gas emissions below 2006 levels by 2030, mirroring proposals in Executive Order No. 274.

The most recent order also outlines the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) plan to reduce public utility costs for consumers and create well-paying union jobs in the natural gas sector.

The administration also allotted $70 million to reduce consumer costs for electric vehicles and created policies to make all new cars and light-duty trucks emission-free by 2035, according to the press release.

As Murphy ended his speech and applause ensued, a woman in the crowd shouted demands to reject a New Jersey power plant.

The woman was later identified as Paula Rogovin, who said she has been involved with the environmental organizations Empower New Jersey and Don’t Gas the Meadowlands.

She said she had questioned Murphy before on News 12, PBS and other outlets, but his responses always eluded her inquiries.

Her affiliated organizations attempted to block the New Jersey power plant in Kearny through protests and working closely with environmentalists like Maria Lopez-Nunez, she said.

"We've had demonstrations and press conferences and health workers working with us to explain the real problem when you add a power plant, and you're not just adding that power plant you're adding it to existing pollution," Rogovin said.

This speech was Murphy's moment to denounce the power plants and enact clean alternatives, but she said he said nothing of the sort.

Vanessa Thomas, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences senior, said that she would like to see Murphy’s administration work toward expanding public transit, reducing carbon emissions and objecting to future power plant investments.

"We really want (Murphy) to … stay true to his word. He's promised environmental justice. He's promised climate action and environmental action and … we need him to just stay true to what he's saying so that we can see results," she said.