Jack Ciattarelli pledges to pull New Jersey from greenhouse gas initiative

New Jersey Governor Hopeful Seeks to Pull State Out of Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Citing Rising Electricity Rates.

Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli has pledged to pull New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multistate compact aimed at reducing emissions by requiring fossil fuel plants to buy tradable emission allowances. According to Ciattarelli, this move would save ratepayers approximately half a billion dollars annually as the initiative effectively levies a surcharge on generators that must purchase these allowances.

The RGGI program was created in 2005 and has been successful in reducing emissions by pushing power production away from coal plants and toward cleaner sources. However, New Jersey's participation has had an unintended consequence: increasing electricity rates. By raising operating costs for fossil generators, the initiative has caused grid demand to shift towards generators in other states that would be more expensive than those in New Jersey.

Experts argue that withdrawing from RGGI could reduce electricity costs, but there is no guarantee that this would happen as market forces alone cannot dictate whether generators remove the full cost of emission allowances from their prices. Additionally, the financial benefits of New Jersey's withdrawal would be spread across the entire PJM grid, which might limit its impact.

New Jersey has participated in RGGI before and again pulled out under Republican Governor Chris Christie in 2011. The state rejoined in 2020 under Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, who leaves office soon.

Ciattarelli argues that the program's focus on reducing emissions while increasing costs for ratepayers is no longer effective. By leaving RGGI, New Jersey could redirect its funding priorities and avoid the cost increases associated with the initiative.

The decision would also impact other states participating in RGGI as their participation could change the dynamic of electricity prices across the grid. Pennsylvania attempted to join the program but was hindered by litigation over regulatory authority.

Ultimately, Ciattarelli's plan faces an uncertain fate due to the composition of the state Legislature and the makeup of the Board of Public Utilities, which regulates utilities in New Jersey. The board is dominated by Democrats, but a Republican majority could potentially support withdrawal from RGGI.

idk why ciattarelli's all about pullin' outta rggi... like he thinkns savin 500mil will magically make energy prices drop? i mean, we've seen this before under christie in 2011 and it didnt end well for NJ. and now phil murphy's leavin office and ciattarelli's all like "hey newjersey let me save u $$$" but what about the impact on other states? its not just nj, dude... rggi affects the whole grid and pennsylvania's already had issues joinin'. maybe ciattarelli should focus on findin a better way to reduce emissions instead of playin politics

electricity rates are getting outta control i feel for ppl struggling to pay bills... but at the same time, reducing emissions is super important ciattarelli's plan might not be the best solution tho gotta consider the bigger picture and how it'll affect other states and the grid as a whole maybe NJ should just find ways to make the RGGI program more affordable for ratepayers instead of pulling out altogether?

Leaving RGGI would save NJers half a billion bucks, but it's not like they're gonna give that money to the people... It's all about politics and power struggles, fam

U can bllieve this dude Ciattarelli thinks he's saving ratepayers cash by gettin outta RGGI... newsflash bro: market forces aren't exactly on his side lol. I mean, yes withdrawing might lower electricity rates in NJ but what about the ripple effect across the grid? It's like, hello, we're all connected here . And let's be real, the financials are sketchy too... is he really sure he can control how the savings get split amongst the PJM grid? I think his plan needs a lot more work before it goes from "novel idea" to actual reality

Meh, I don't know about this one... Pulling outta the RGGI initiative sounds like it might save ratepayers some cash, but at what cost? We're talkin' 'bout a state that's already seen its electricity rates skyrocket due to climate change efforts in the past. And now Ciattarelli's all like "let's just pull out and save a billion bucks"? I mean, sure, it might seem like a win, but think about the bigger picture here... We're not just talking about New Jersey anymore, we're talkin' 'bout the whole PJM grid. What happens to those other states that are already participating? They gotta absorb the costs too? It's all pretty complicated, if you ask me...

Ugh, can't believe some politicians are trying to sabotage our efforts to reduce emissions ! Like, we're already at 50% renewable energy usage and it's making electricity prices go up? Yeah, that sounds like a recipe for disaster... or maybe they just don't want to take responsibility for saving the planet? I mean, come on, Jack Ciattarelli, how can you say we're wasting money by being part of RGGI when it's helped us reduce emissions so much?! It's not like we're getting ripped off or something. Plus, withdrawing from RGGI would just hurt our fellow states that are trying to do the same thing... I hope some sense prevails in the NJ Legislature and they don't let politics get in the way of making a difference for our planet!

omg I'm lowkey confused about this ... so like, the guy wants to pull outta this program cuz its causin electricity rates 2 rise but wont it just b better 4 ppl if we go back 2 lower emmison levels ? its all abt finding that perfect balance tho I feel like our gov't & reps r tryna make a buck offta people's wallets instead of thinkin bout the planet & our future

I'm not sure why they wanna pull outta this thing... I mean, we're already strugglin' with climate change and stuff . Sure, electricity rates might go down in the short term, but think about all the benefits of reducin' emissions! It's like, what's a few hundred million dollars when it comes to savin' our planet? Plus, I'm not convinced that just pullin' outta RGGI would actually make a big difference... isn't there still gonna be some kinda cost associated with it? I dunno, maybe I'm just not seein' the bigger picture here . But hey, at least we can all talk about it and share our thoughts on the matter!

.. can you believe this? Another politician trying to make electricity cheaper for NJ residents . Jack Ciattarelli thinks leaving RGGI would save us half a billion dollars annually... yeah sure, and I'm the Queen of England . We all know how those numbers work out in reality . The thing is, withdrawing from RGGI wouldn't magically make generators lower their prices; market forces aren't that simple . Not to mention the ripple effect on other states participating... it's like playing a game of electrical roulette . Let's not forget, we've been in and out of this program before (2011, under Christie) and now we're back in (2020, under Murphy). Can't a politician just stick with what works?

Umm... wonder how those $$1 billion+ saved would magically appear outta thin air? I mean, if we're really that concerned about electricity rates, shouldn't we be looking at the bigger picture and not just blame it on one program? Like, have you seen the costs of living in NJ lately? And what's the plan B? Just gonna let the grid demand shift to other states and hope for the best?

I gotta say, this whole thing with Jack Ciattarelli wanting to pull outta the Greenhouse Gas Initiative is super confusing . On one hand, he says it's gonna save ratepayers some cash, which sounds like a good deal. But on the other hand, experts are all like, "Uh, nope, it won't actually do that." And then there's this thing about market forces and grid demand shifting... it's all just really complicated .

I'm not sure what Ciattarelli thinks is gonna happen if New Jersey leaves RGGI, but I gotta wonder if he's got some data or something that says this is gonna be a slam dunk. I mean, we've seen this movie before - they tried to leave in 2011 and then came back in 2020... what makes now any different?

I can feel the frustration in Jack Ciattarelli's words... people are paying more for electricity because they're trying to reduce emissions... it's like, we get that reducing emissions is important, but can't we find a way to do it without hurting our wallets? I'm not sure what to think about this whole thing, but it seems like New Jersey is caught in the middle of something that doesn't really have an easy solution. The fact that experts are saying there's no guarantee that leaving RGGI would actually save people money just makes me feel all anxious and worried... what if we're just delaying the inevitable?

OMG, can't believe NJ is trying to opt out of RGGI ! Like, I get it, rising electricity rates are no joke . But pulling out would just create more chaos in the grid . The financial benefits might seem like a win for ratepayers, but what if other states aren't as lucky? And have you seen the PJM grid? It's like trying to herd cats .

Let's be real, withdrawing from RGGI is a huge gamble . The science on climate change isn't up for debate, but can we really trust the market to balance emissions and costs? Not convinced yet . Jack Ciattarelli needs to do his homework before making such a drastic move . Can we have a more sustainable future without sacrificing our wallet's happiness? #RGGI #Sustainability #NewJerseyPolitics

omg i get what ciattarelli is saying about rising electricity rates tho idk if he's thinking it through fully...i mean, we know rggi has its downsides, but pulling out of it altogether seems like a huge risk...what if nj just switches to more expensive energy sources instead? also, i'm not sure how much savings ciattarelli is talking about - half a billion dollars annualy sounds crazy and what's the plan for the funding priorities anyway? redirecting them towards something else isn't that clear-cut...i hope democrats in the legislature are keeping an eye on this, 'cause it could have major grid implications

OMG, this is so crazy!!! I mean, I remember when those Obama guys were talking about saving the planet and all that jazz... anyway, it's like New Jersey is trying to be independent again or something? Like, they want to just take care of their own electricity problems without worrying about what the rest of the country thinks. And Ciattarelli thinks this will save them some money? It's not that simple! I mean, have you seen those TV shows where the bad guys always try to outsmart each other? This is like one of those plot twists... but who knows if it'll actually work out in the end?

OMG, I'm all for saving that half a billion bucks on electricity rates! But, like, I don't know if pulling outta RGGI would be the best idea... It seems like it's already causing some major headaches with grid demand shifting to other states. And, honestly, I'm not sure if we'd really see those cost savings. Maybe they just wanna stick with the status quo and avoid making any big changes? But, hey, who doesn't love saving a bit more cash on their electricity bill?!

idk why ppl r still debating about RGGI i mean it's not like its perfect or anything but we cant just leave cuz of rising electricity rates... like what about the emissions tho? ciattarelli has a point tho, redirecting those funds could be a good move for NJ. maybe nj can create its own programs to reduce emissions? i dont think pulling out would be as simple as just removing cost from generators, it would affect other states too... like pennsylvania wasnt able to join cuz of regulatory issues

I think this move would be a big mistake for NJ, especially with Phil Murphy leaving office . They're already paying more for electricity due to the program, and withdrawing now would just make it worse .

Here's a simple diagram to show what's happening:
```
+-----------+
| NJ |
| (in RGGI)|
+-----------+
|
|
v
+-----------+ +-----------+
| Other | | NJ |
| States | | (out of |
| (paying | | RGGI) |
+-----------+ +-----------+
```
It's like a domino effect . If NJ leaves, other states might follow, and that would just increase electricity prices across the board .

We should be investing in cleaner energy sources instead of trying to opt out of this program . Ciattarelli's plan sounds like a Band-Aid solution at best .

Im not sure if pulling out of RGGI would really save ratepayers that much $$$ . Those extra emission allowances are meant to reduce pollution, and I think its kinda backwards to cut funding just 'cause some people dont want to pay more for their electricity . Plus, all these states hooked up to the same grid... how's a single state gonna dictate what prices other states can charge? It's like trying to hold water in your hands - it'll just slip away.