Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Durr: Blasts Murphy's Extreme Energy Policies

New Jersey State Senator Ed Durr said Governor Murphy was being disingenuous by announcing a rule that would force manufacturers to sell only zero-emission electric vehicles in New Jersey by 2035, and then telling New Jerseyans they are under no “obligation” to buy them.

Sen. Ed Durr said Gov. Murphy was being disingenuous by announcing a rule that would force manufacturers to sell only zero-emission electric vehicles in New Jersey by 2035, and then telling New Jerseyans they are under no “obligation” to buy them. (SenateNJ.com)

“Governor Murphy is once again circumventing the Legislature to implement his extreme green energy policies in a costly effort that would ban gas-powered vehicles from being sold in New Jersey,” said Durr (R-3). “Forcing car manufacturers to sell nothing but electric vehicles and then telling New Jerseyans they won’t be forced to buy them is radically disingenuous. You cannot take away all choice from consumers and make it sound like it’s not a forced mandate.”

In a press release on Monday, Governor Murphy said he was filing a rule that “requires vehicle manufacturers to make zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) an increasing percentage of their new light-duty vehicle sales, ramping up to 100% ZEVs by 2035.”

The governor also said the rule “does not impose any obligations on consumers or car dealers.”

Durr said the governor’s statement is disingenuous and that banning the sale of any gas-powered alternatives would leave consumers with just one option — to purchase an electric vehicle. The average cost of an electric vehicle today is over $60,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, and is expected to become more expensive in the years to come.

“Unless you want to ride a bike, Governor Murphy’s extreme energy policies will force people to replace their affordable gas-powered cars with more expensive EVs,” Durr continued. “The governor is also ignoring the fact that sufficient public charging infrastructure won’t exist by 2035 for the EVs that people will be forced to buy, if they can afford one. Not everyone has a garage they can park in or the financial ability to install their own home charging station.”

Senate Republicans sponsored S-3684 to raise concerns about the security, diversity and affordability of Governor Murphy’s extreme Energy Master Plan and the impact that it will have on taxpayers and energy utilities. Senator Durr co-sponsored the legislation and called out the hypocrisy of the Murphy administration while calling into question the constitutionality of the ban.

“I guess Governor Murphy doesn’t see the hypocrisy of his administration using taxpayer dollars to purchase a fleet of new gas-powered SUVs to shuttle him and other Democrat leaders around the state,” Durr added. “It’s like John Kerry with his multiple mansions flying around the world on his private jet while telling the rest of us to that we’re responsible for climate change. The rest of us are forced to suffer while they are the real problem.”

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