NJ candidates focus on renewable energy

By: Phil Gregory

Both of New Jersey’s major gubernatorial candidates took their campaigns to renewable energy manufacturing plants Tuesday.

By: Phil Gregory
philgregorynews@gmail.com

Both of New Jersey’s major gubernatorial candidates took their campaigns to renewable energy manufacturing plants Tuesday. Governor Corzine was in West Windsor to open a new headquarters for a company that makes products that reduce industrial energy consumption. His Republican challenger, Chris Christie, was in nearby Robbinsville, outlining a renewable energy plan at an idle solar panel manufacturing plant where about 500 workers have been furloughed since December.

Christie says more renewable energy use and generation in the Garden State will help the environment and create jobs. He’s proposing tax credits for any wind turbine or solar manufacturing facility that locates in New Jersey. His plan also calls for installing solar farms on every landfill and having up to 20 percent of land in the farmland preservation program used for solar panel installation

Christie: If 20 percent of that land were to become part of our solar energy plan that’s nearly 35,000 acres that could potentially be used for solar panel installation and solar farms.

Christie says New Jersey is ranked 43th in the nation in production of renewable energy and questioned Governor Corzine’s ability to make meaningful progress in developing the industry.