Christie rolls back hippie dreams in Jersey

Can New Jersey get 30 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2021? Fuggetaboutit, says Gov. Chris Christie, R, who is scaling back the goals to a still-ludicrous 22.5 percent.

His change is part of an overhaul of the state’s 10-year energy master plan, which had been expected since last year, when he asked the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to evaluate renewable energy targets he found too aggressive. But after his decision last month to withdraw from a multistate trading system, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, environmental advocates called the move another setback undermining the state’s leadership on energy initiatives…

…The new plan maintains support for offshore wind projects and emphasizes development of large-scale commercial and industrial solar energy projects, particularly on landfills and brownfield sites. But the governor called the 10-year goal of 22.5 percent realistic, “not a pie-in-the-sky number.”

The New York Times dutifully records the subsidy sucklers’ complaints. But we should be learning from recent experience in Europe that massive government subsidies for “green” energy only create asset bubbles and waste good investment money on stupid stuff no one wants.

One thing the article does not mention is the current share of renewable electricity generated in New Jersey. As of 2009, the federal Energy Information Agency reports, wind, solar, and all other renewables (not including nuclear or hydro) made up 1.2 percent of electric generation in 2009 — up from 1.1. percent a decade earlier. At least it’s headed in the right direction!

Christie rolls back hippie dreams in Jersey

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