The worthwhile transition to clean energy “will be expensive and regressive,” said Frank A. Felder, the director of the Center for Energy, Economic and Environmental Policy at Rutgers University. His op-ed for NJ Spotlight said residents will pay more directly and shoulder the increases passed along by businesses, nonprofits and government at all levels — hitting lower-income residents hardest.
Felder said the often-touted jobs in clean energy will be offset by jobs lost due to higher energy costs. And even if New Jersey zeroes out its greenhouse emissions — about 0.2% of global emissions — it will still bear the costs of adapting to climate change. Those too will fall on its residents.