(BELMAR) – Governor James E. McGreevey today commemorated the 50th anniversary of New Jersey’s Air Pollution Control Act by proposing new rules that redefine carbon dioxide as an air contaminant, clearing the way for New Jersey to participate in a regional greenhouse gas emissions reduction program.
“New Jersey’s longstanding legacy of environmental protection is evident in the Air Pollution Control Act signed 50 years ago,” said McGreevey. “Today, New Jersey is a model for some of the strongest, most protective clean air regulations in the country.
“As a coastal state, New Jersey is especially vulnerable to the consequences of global warming,” McGreevey continued. “While the Bush administration refuses to confront the serious consequences of rising greenhouse gas levels, New Jersey is taking the first steps toward real, regional initiatives that will reduce harmful carbon dioxide emissions.”
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that helps trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere, contributing to a rise in the earth’s average temperature.
Under the proposal announced today, the Department of Environmental Protection would revise several air pollution control rules, bringing them in line with current scientific consensus that carbon dioxide is an air contaminant. The revision lays the groundwork for regional initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide.
As part of the rule proposal, the DEP is publishing a formal determination that carbon dioxide emissions are responsible for significant adverse impacts on human health and the environment by contributing to global warming.
New Jersey is currently part of the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) that is working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Other participating states are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. In addition, Pennsylvania, Maryland, the District of Columbia, the Eastern Canadian provinces and New Brunswick are participating as observers in the initiative.
Joining the Governor at today’s event were DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., Belmar Mayor Kenneth Pringle, students from St. Rose High School and local environmental and public health advocates.
“Today’s announcement of new rules on carbon dioxide is a fitting tribute to the legacy of last century’s air pollution legislation” Campbell said. “It will allow New Jersey to address one of the most critical air pollution issues facing society in the twenty-first century.”
Global warming is a serious threat to New Jersey, with projections forecasting average temperature increases between five and 10 degrees by 2100. Such a severe climate change could contribute to air quality problems by exacerbating smog and ozone problems in the summer.
New Jersey is especially vulnerable to sea level rise (due primarily to warming and melting of polar ice caps) and increases in extreme weather events, such as droughts, flooding and hurricanes. These consequences could have serious impacts on New Jersey’s environment and coastal communities. There is a strong scientific consensus that these impacts are inevitable if action is not taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Governor and Commissioner also discussed a new study completed by Rutgers University and funded by the DEP that found that for the past century, human-induced global warming accounted for almost one-half of the sea level rise in New Jersey.
Today’s action reflects McGreevey’s ongoing commitment to improving air quality and reducing pollution. Since taking office, the Governor:
n Proposed the most stringent rules in the nation for controlling mercury emissions from power plants and other facilities. These rules will reduce in-state mercury emissions from power plants and other large sources by up to 90 percent starting in 2007.
n Signed the Clean Cars bill, bringing New Jersey’s emission standards for automobiles in line with the toughest standards in the nation.
n Adopted regulations to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds–significant contributors to the formation of ozone and smog that exacerbates respiratory ailments.
The New Jersey Air Pollution Control Act, signed in September 1954, was one of the nation’s first state statutes to recognize a need to address air pollution. Although early air pollution acts focused on more prosaic and public safety-related concerns such as the threat of fires from the open burning of leaves, the 1954 act has been amended and evolved over the years to form the underlying basis of many of the state’s health-based clean air regulations in effect today. The act also created the 17-member Clean Air Council, which continues to recommend air quality priorities to the (DEP).
Today’s proposed confirmation that carbon dioxide is an air contaminant will appear in the October 18, 2004 New Jersey Register and will be subject to a 60-day public comment period.
