Democrats Try To Stop Gov. Christie's Decision To Exit Greenhouse Gas Program
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Three Democratic lawmakers are introducing legislation to force New Jersey's Republican governor to stay in a multistate pact to reduce greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.
Gov. Chris Christie announced last month that he was pulling the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative by year's end.
Christie, a Republican who has caught the fancy of the national party, said the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has failed to cut pollution and is expensive for taxpayers.
The three-bill package introduced Monday would prevent that by making participation in the initiative state law.
It also would require Christie to use the funds generated from the program for clean energy projects. Environmental groups have criticized him from diverting proceeds from the program to fill a budget gap, then complaining that the program wasn't working.
New Jersey is one of 10 states participating in the program. It seeks to reduce carbon dioxide pollution in the Northeast by 10 percent by 2018.
Is Christie right to drop out of the plan? Sound off in our comments section below…
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