Lavallette – Following a joint hearing of the Senate and Assembly Environment Committees on the environmental effects of climate change and its potential impacts on New Jersey, Senate Environment and Energy Committee Chairman Bob Smith issued the following statement:
“It is clear that we have to take urgent action to help protect against the environmental effects of climate change. As a coastal state, New Jersey is extremely vulnerable to the potential for harm caused by sea level rise and increasingly larger-scale and more violent storms.
“In the detailed report that was released earlier this week, scientists from 13 federal agencies detailed the damage already done by climate change and the very real dangers that increasingly warmer global temperatures are posing for life on the planet.
“The expert testimony we heard today underscores the need to take action. It localized the issue to the people along our state’s shorelines.
“It is clear that with this president in office, states will have to lead the way in protecting against climate change. Unfortunately, we have lost precious time in New Jersey under the Christie Administration to implement needed protections, but we are committed to taking action under a new administration. There is much to do, including rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and committing to meeting aggressive goals for reducing emissions.
“I stand committed to doing what is right for New Jersey. We have a chance to be on the right side of history and to take the action needed to help protect our planet for future generations.”