New Jersey is preparing a comprehensive and aggressive set of policies aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to a changing climate. Governor Phil Murphy has issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Environmental Protection to make sweeping regulatory reforms, branded as Protecting Against Climate Threats (PACT).
The Executive Order accompanies a new Energy Master Plan, which outlines key strategies to reach the Administration’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050. The plan targets emissions reductions and reforms in the transportation, building, and energy sectors and promotes expanded use of renewables and energy conservation measures.
The sweeping suite of climate change regulations will include rules that:
- Establish a greenhouse gas monitoring and reporting program to identify all significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions
- Adopt new regulations under the Air Pollution Control Act establishing criteria to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and short-lived climate pollutants, and
- Reform environmental land use regulations to incorporate climate change considerations into permitting decisions, which will support planning and building more resilient communities.
For more details, see here.
