Dear Members of the New Jersey State Legislature:
“Climate Superfund Act” Too Important to Rush in Lame Duck
Policymakers and consumers all recognize that New Jersey has an energy supply and energy affordability crisis. The incoming administration should have their own opportunity to work with various stakeholders to address this problem, and the “Climate Superfund Act” (S-3545: McKeon / Smith) should be debated in that context. Rushing this type of legislation during the “lame duck” session is a mistake and will further exacerbate the problem if not done correctly.
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO supports expanding the renewable energy sector and we support building out our infrastructure to do so. However, organized labor must have “a seat at the table” when developing this policy, to ensure that the jobs created – in construction, operations and maintenance, are family sustaining union jobs, with fair pay and benefits.
To that end, we respectfully request legislative leadership to not act on this legislation during the current session, and instead, put together a stakeholder group to work with the Sherrill Administration to ensure that this legislation, if advanced, helps reduce the cost of energy and increase supply as well as creating union jobs.