WILDWOOD – Sen. Michael Testa told members of the Greater Wildwoods Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Oct. 8, that Republicans have to “play prevent defense” on a certain amount of legislation they think is not in the best interest of New Jersey taxpayers.
“We sometimes have to play prevent defense to prevent bad legislation from being passed,” Testa said, adding that the situation could change with the gubernatorial election.
“If we have a new governor he will have veto power,” he said.
Although he said he did not wish to wax political, Testa said he feels there are problems that need to be placed at the feet of Gov. Phil Murphy.
He mentioned, as he did in Ocean City last month, that Murphy’s energy plan is a disaster, and that he has put all his eggs in one basket, referring to wind farms. The plan by the Orsted corporation to install wind farms off the New Jersey coastline proved to be difficult and were hugely unpopular in Cape May County, where the county government actively opposed the plan.
Testa said New Jersey has lost 1,100 megawatts of energy production under the Murphy administration, and there was no Plan B. He said New Jersey-based Holtec International produces small modular (nuclear) reactors, but there is no market for them in New Jersey.
“Two weeks ago they sent six small modular reactors to Europe. That really hurts,” he said.
Testa said opposing wind farms is not the same as being against renewable energy.
“We’re all for clean energy,” he said. “We know the need for it living in a Shore community.”
However, Testa said, people’s expectation is that they can flip the switch and there will be power. He said Murphy wished to emulate California, which has experienced rolling brownouts. He urged his audience to make their voices heard by the current administration.
He also spoke about the state’s stance on single-use bags, whether paper or plastic. He said New Jersey is the only state that bas a ban on paper and plastic bags, all while there is a paper bag manufacturer in Elizabeth that cannot sell its product in New Jersey.
He said Pennsylvania and New York have been trying to poach the company, taking 280 jobs to those states.
Testa also reiterated the fact that New Jersey has an 11.5% corporate tax, which is a selling point to bring New Jersey jobs to Pennsylvania, where the tax is half that rate.
“We need to do better to take care of our business community,” he said.
Assemblyman Antwon McClellan, who spoke before the senator, introduced the concept of fighting against bad legislation. McClellan said the fight is continuing against a tip bill that would require employers to pay minimum wage to tipped employees. He said the additional cost would be passed on to Cape May County visitors, putting a strain on the tourist economy.
McClellan also commented on the NJPACT/REAL programs, which call for new homes to be built 5 feet higher off the ground to account for sea level rise, based on projections to 75 years from now. He said the Murphy administration circumvented the entire Legislature on the matter.
He said he and Assemblyman Erik Simonsen were supporting a bill to require e-bikes to be registered and expects it to pass in the lame duck session after the Nov. 4 election. He also talked about supporting Testa’s $500 million manufacturing bill, which he said would grow living-wage jobs in New Jersey that don’t require a college education.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
