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Oct. 13 to 19
The EV Retreat
Under Gov. Phil Murphy, New Jersey followed California’s lead and established an electric vehicle mandate. The multipart plan says all new light-duty vehicles sold or leased in the Garden State must be plug-in electric by 2035. The state established the Charge Up New Jersey rebate program as an incentive for the transition.
The mandates are daunting. They involve getting more EVs on the road, growing the charging infrastructure and electrification of public vehicle fleets, including buses. At the same time the state moved to phase out the sales tax exemption that helps encourage EV purchases.
In Washington President Donald Trump overturned federal preemption waivers that allowed California to set strict emission rules and EV vehicles sales mandates. Eleven other states had joined with California on the mandates and standards, with New Jersey as one of them. Now Attorney General Matthew Platkin has joined in a multistate lawsuit claiming that “revoking state vehicle emission standards is illegal.”
Yet the reality is that the transition to electric vehicles is not going as fast as it must if the mandates are to be met. In neighboring Canada, an electric vehicle sales mandate set to go into effect has been paused. Officials in the European Union are rethinking their 2035 target for eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from cars.
In the U.S. General Motors announced it would take a $1.6 billion charge because of slowing electric car sales. Prior to the announcement the automakers had lobbied strongly for relaxation of the requirements over the last year.
Meanwhile N.J., as of September, has 254,000 EVs on the road with a little over two months left to hit Murphy’s target of 330,000 EVs by the end of 2025.
In the race for governor, Jack Ciattarelli has said he will repeal the EV mandates. Mikie Sherrill has been less definitive. She supports the transition to EVs but also expresses concern about whether the infrastructure is ready for it.
Historic Spending
Candidates and private groups spent an insane $145 million on the 2025 primaries to see who gets to follow Phil Murphy as the Garden State’s governor. Now the latest information tells us that an additional $43 million has been spent so far in the general election contest. The expectation is that the race will pass $200 million before Nov. 4. That will make it the most expensive campaign for governor in the state’s history,
Part of the reason for the flow of funds is that it is seen as a race either candidate can still win. An Oct. 17 Fairleigh Dickinson University poll puts Sherrill in the lead 52% to 45%, with 3% of the voters still undecided. But no one thinks the race is over.
Democrats and Republicans have lined up behind their candidates, with 93% of Democrats saying they will vote for Sherrill and 97% of Republicans saying the same for Ciattarelli. More and more independents are indicating that they have made up their minds, but spending to change those minds will continue apace. The race’s issues have ranged from energy policy and health care on one hand to single-use plastic bags and pork roll/Taylor ham on the other.
Outside spending groups have been big as contributors to the campaigns. According to filings, Sherrill has received $12.2 million from outside groups, and Ciattarelli $7.2 million. New Jersey has attracted national attention and money by being just one of two governor races on ballots, the other being Virginia.
Both candidates have also done well in terms of public financing, the earning of state matching funds for candidates as they raise money. Not counting the spending by outside groups, Sherrill has raised $17.5 million, with $9.7 million coming from public financing. Ciattarelli has raised a little less at $16.5 million, including $9.6 million in matching funds.
The race is seen by some pundits as a referendum on Donald Trump and by others as one on Murphy’s policies. However one sees it, both candidates are likely to ramp up the spending as Election Day nears. So far Ciattarelli’s campaign has outspent Sherrill’s, leaving the Democrat with a larger war chest for the closing weeks.
The previous record for spending has already been broken regardless of what happens between now and Nov. 4. In 2005 a contest between Democrat Jon Corzine, who won, and Republican Doug Forrester saw spending at $145.5 million. This year’s primary by itself came close to breaking that record.
Affordable Care Act Subsidies
Subsidies for those gaining health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act are at the center of the government shutdown that is in its third week. A great deal of press attention has gone to discussions of what the loss of the subsidies would mean for millions who currently have ACA coverage.
New studies have looked at the issue from the point of view of the providers. New analysis by the Urban Institute argues that the loss of the subsidies would have significant downstream impacts on providers, costing as much as $32 billion in revenue over the next year.
In addition losses due to uncompensated care, when hospitals and doctors provide care without reimbursement, could rise by $7.7 billion.
Reports from the federal government in January showed a record 24 million people signed up for ACA plans. Many of them were attracted to the plans because of the subsidies, which will only be in place through the end of this year. The research argues that between 4 million and 5 million individuals would no longer be able to afford their insurance and would increase the pool of uninsured Americans.
A sudden increase of that size in the uninsured, the analysis argues, would lead to huge drops in health-care spending. According to the analysis, hospitals will be hit the hardest, losing as much as $14.2 billion in revenue. Doctors’ practices would lose $5.1 billion. There would be a drop in prescription drug spending of $5.8 billion, and spending on other services would decline by $6.9 billion.
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that 40% of those who buy their health insurance through the ACA identify as Republican, including one-third of those who support the MAGA movement. The Kaiser report argues that the largest impact of the loss of the subsidies would be in red states that failed to expand Medicaid under the ACA. On the other hand, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that permanently extending the subsidies would cost $358 billion over the next 10 years.
Week in Review
*A nor’easter battered Cape May County Oct. 12 and 13. Although inland towns were relatively unscathed, residents in the county’s island communities dealt with the worst flooding since Hurricane Erin in August.
*The Trump administration’s controversial “one big beautiful bill” has taken hits for cuts to Medicaid and other related benefits, but it includes funding for projects that will improve the health of the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center-Cape May.
*Two slates of three candidates each are vying for the three open seats on the Ocean City Board of Education, with the issues of parental rights and local control once again prominent in the race.
*Stone Harbor council member Frank Dallahan said at the Oct. 7 council meeting that the borough wanted to leave the State Health benefits Plan but was unable to find affordable private insurance to do so.
*Members of Ocean City’s business community turned out to urge the council to reconsider its 6-1 vote in August that led to developer Eustace Mita’s saying he would drop his plans for a resort hotel on the Wonderland Pier site.
*Fox TV news traveling co-host Steve Doocy, star of “Fox and Friends,” was at the Vegas Diner in North Wildwood on Oct. 10, airing a live episode of “Breakfast With Friends.”
*The Lower Cape May Regional football team is trending upward, led by one of the program’s favorite sons, who has the squad on the verge of a division title.
*Enrollment in Ocean City’s schools has dropped by close to 450 students during the last 10 years, and over the next five years is projected to decline still further, by more than 200 students and possibly close to 250, a study found.
*Avalon this year expects to have the results of a survey of back back navigation channels, a step toward having them dredged, borough Business Administrator Scott Wahl says.
*The Department of Environmental Protection’s preliminary assessment of the nor’easter that hit the state Oct. 12 and 13 found notable erosion occurred along several reaches of the coast, especially south of Manasquan Inlet.
*A candidate for Ocean City Board of Education in the Nov. 4 election was issued a letter of warning at the Maryland school where he served as vice principal following an incident involving physical and verbal interactions with a disruptive student in 2011.
*Van Cathcart took over as superintendent of the Lower Township Elementary School District after being in the district for 10 years, and he sees a lot of positives there – except for standardized test scores.
*Carfentanil, a synthetic opioid seized in a drug raid in Cape May County in August, has only been linked to one death in the county so far, but its dangers far outweigh its brief history here, authorities say.
*Seventeen Cape May County school boards have open seats on the Nov. 4 ballot; seats are being contested in four of those 17 districts.
*The federal government shutdown that began on Oct. 1 is creating more pain and anxiety as the days pass.
*Two “No Kings” rallies Saturday, along the Ninth Street Bridge in Ocean City and in front of the county courthouse stretching down Route 9, were among the best-attended in Cape May County’s history.
Spout Off of the Week
Wish the Herald would direct similar questions to Lower Township council like Barbara Leary sent to the county. The only one we hear from is the mayor, the others remain silent. It appears they all are just being led around by one voice and not any of their own. Council meetings are 15 minutes long and we only hear from the Mayor. My understanding is that there are five votes as you said in your article .They may vote collectively, but they need to have their own opinion and voice. This is not a part-time job for a paycheck, represent your respective constituents. How about doing your job!
Lower Township
