Christie Says NJ Will Rely On Many Sources For Future Energy Needs
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has unveiled a draft of a new energy master plan for the Garden State which looks, in some ways, like the one it is designed to replace.
But it does differ in some areas.
The 2021 goal for renewable energy production in the state, for example, is lowered to 22½ percent, far more achievable than the 25-30 percent called for in the old plan.
To get there, Gov. Christie leans mostly on nuclear, offshore wind, and solar, particularly for businesses.
And he says he'd like to put unused land into play.
"Turning these brownfields sites and landfills into large solar generation projects will help to add solar energy to our grid," Christie said Tuesday.
The nuclear part of the equation is a little complicated, however, given that the Oyster Creek plant is scheduled to shut down permanently in eight years.
Christie says there's plenty of natural gas available to generate electricity, and three new plants are in the works. And he won't rule out a new nuclear plant like the one being considered in Salem County (see related story).
Reported by David Madden, KYW Newsradio 1060
