Politics & Government

Environment New Jersey Hosts Town Hall

Gubernatorial candidates, representatives field questions from standing-room only crowd at Westfield Memorial Library.

Enviroment New Jersey sponsored a town hall-style debate at the Westfield Memorial Library Tuesday night with Chris Daggett, independent candidate for governor, and representatives from Jon Corzine and Chris Christie's campaigns.

"When we set out to plan this event we knew that we really wanted to send a strong message to the candidates running for governor that clean energy matters in New Jersey and that the next governor will have to be a leader on clean energy if he hopes to get elected, if he really hopes to take our state forward," said Matt Elliot, global warming and clean energy advocate for Environment New Jersey. 

Daggett was joined by Assemblyman John McKeon of West Orange representing Gov. Corzine and Rick Dovey, president of the Atlantic County Utility Authority representing the Christie campaign.

Find out what's happening in Cranfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The decisions made by the next governor will shape our energy future for decades to come," Elliot said. "I really think that with strong leadership from the next governor New Jersey  could look like a very different state" through such things as solar panels on every home, windmalls off our coast and electric cars zipping up and down the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike.

While all three campaigns agreed energy is an important issue this election cycle, the often differed on the nuances of energy policy on topics including liquid natural gas, nuclear power, solar panels and the expansion of coal plants.

Find out what's happening in Cranfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While Maplewood Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta posed a question about the state's solar energy goals, none of the discussion centered around local energy concerns.

All three acknowledged the steps the state has made with the approval of Gov. Corzine's Energy Master Plan which sets goals for the state to reach.

But Daggett and Dovey say it's time for implementation.

"The time is now," Dovey said.

McKeon, however, called the master plan a "a Kennedyesque-like goal."

"The Energy Master Plan and all the nuances of it is going to get us where we have to be," he said. "It shows the leadership you should stand behind."

However, the costs of moving toward renewable energy was raised by both the panel and the audience.

Daggett, who has already been endorsed by the Sierra Club, said he felt some of the goals of the Energy Master Plan were too ambitious and that the state needed to be "more realistic" in it's goals.

However a true comparision of the candidates was difficult because for several of the issues raised including one about a proposed coal plant in nearby Linden, Dovey said the Christie campaign did not have a position.

The event was cosponsored by the New Jersey Highlands Coalition, Clean Ocean Action, and TheAlternativePress.com.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here