The final version of the 2011 New Jersey Energy Management Plan was made available in early December. That’s according to the New York Times.
The plan includes Governor Chris Christie’s vision of how the state will meet its electricity needs over the next 10 years. It calls for 22.5 percent of New Jersey’s electricity to be generated from renewable energy by 2021, down from a previous goal of 30 percent. Christie said the lower amount is more realistic, the Times reports.
The plan also puts greater emphasis on natural gas and recommends changes to help stabilize the market for the state’s solar incentive program.
New Jersey has set an overall goal of meeting 70 percent of its electricity needs with clean energy, but expands the definition of the sources to also include nuclear power, natural gas and hydroelectric plants, the Times says.
The energy plan is subject to revisions at least once every three years.
Some environmentalists and state legislators are upset with the modified renewable energy goals as well as Christie’s decision to withdraw from a regional trading system that provides participating states with hundreds of millions of dollars for investments in clean energy and energy efficiency projects.
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