Worried about Trump, former governors urge N.J. to beef up environmental protection in 2017
TRENTON - As the race to succeed Gov. Christie begins to take shape, former Govs. Jim Florio and Christie Whitman joined environmental advocates Tuesday in launching a campaign to press New Jersey's next leader to make the environment a priority.
TRENTON - As the race to succeed Gov. Christie begins to take shape, former Govs. Jim Florio and Christie Whitman joined environmental advocates Tuesday in launching a campaign to press New Jersey's next leader to make the environment a priority.
Expressing concern that President-elect Donald Trump's administration would threaten environmental protection, the governors argued that states - and New Jersey in particular - need to play a prominent role in setting policy.
New Jersey "is often looked on as a role model for other states," said Whitman, who participated by phone in the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Education Fund event at the Statehouse.
A Republican who served as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Whitman said she was "very troubled" by Trump's attitude toward the EPA but hoped to spur New Jersey's next governor to act.
"Our governor is the most powerful of the 50 states," and "has the ability to make deep and long-lasting differences," she said.
Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno announced Tuesday that she was running to replace Christie. She will face Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli of Somerset County in the GOP primary.
Democrats seeking their party's nomination are Phil Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and ambassador to Germany; Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski of Middlesex County; and State Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak of Union County.
Whitman and Florio - a Democrat - noted that the environment traditionally has been a priority for New Jersey governors, including Republican Tom Kean and Democrat Brendan Byrne.
"There's been some slacking off, though, over the last couple of years," Florio said. "We have to function in a better way to maintain the reputation that New Jersey has."
Florio didn't name Christie but faulted the administration's replacement of pipeline foes on the Pinelands Commission and the lack of progress on offshore wind.
The campaign announced Tuesday - dubbed "Green in '17" - plans to push a number of issues ahead of the November gubernatorial election, including achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2050, preserving land and parks, protecting drinking water, modernizing public transportation, and demanding environmental justice, said Ed Potosnak, the education fund's executive director.
The fund has committed $750,000 to the campaign, which will educate voters and candidates, Potosnak said.
Even beyond New Jersey's election, public opinion on the environment could prove especially influential in the next four years, Florio said.
Describing Trump as more opportunistic than ideological, Florio said the incoming administration appears to be "particularly sensitive" to public opinion. How voters respond, he said, "could be determinative of policy."
856-779-3232 @maddiehanna