A couple paddles a kayak past an abandoned car on a local street in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene in Denville in August 2011. (Jerry McCrea |The Star-Ledger)

Let's not forget that long before President Trump banned government agencies from using the term "climate change," that kind of official talk was gagged by our own governor.

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The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012

Chris Christie was the original troglodyte.

He mocked a regional treaty to reduce dangerous emissions as a "gimmick." He robbed $1.5 billion from our clean-energy fund to balance his budgets.

He refused to acknowledge any role global warming might play in a storm like Hurricane Sandy – even as the governors of other hard-hit states all stressed the need to build higher and prepare for sea level rise.

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This is, after all, the man whose response to coastal flooding back home during the Republican primary was: Should I pick up a mop?

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What could happen after Christie leaves office?

Now that he's on his way out, we finally have the chance to form a rational energy policy. Time for a sharp break, especially given Trump's insanity – gutting federal flooding protections before Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and dismissing climate change again in their wake.



The good news is, both gubernatorial candidates want to rejoin a regional climate treaty that forces power companies to buy a credit to emit carbon, giving them a new incentive to cut back and yielding money to do green stuff. Since Christie pulled us out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in 2011, we've given up more than $114 million in potential revenue; by 2020, it will be more than $387 million.

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Kim Guadagno and Phil Murphy are also interested in knocking down barriers to off-shore wind energy, with Murphy setting the most aggressive goal. New Jersey is fortunate to be sitting on an enormous wind resource, simply because of our weather pattern; a blessing we haven't capitalized on.

Other promising ideas were raised at a forum last week featuring climate experts, and by former governors Jim Florio and Tom Kean. The Legislature needs to hold hearings to punch out more. A few highlights:

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(Photo by Homeselfe.com)

Energy conservation.

Multiple studies, including by McKinsey & Company, agree this is the biggest bang for our buck. New Jersey now ranks 24th in the nation on energy efficiency, when we used to be in the top 10; shame on us. We need to expand state programs that give utilities incentives to retrofit public buildings, hospitals and low-income housing.

The Legislature should look at tightening energy efficiency requirements for appliances and buildings. And the next governor should place strong, professional, nonpolitical experts on the state Board of Public Utilities to oversee this.

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(Photo courtesty TechNavio)

Make way for electric cars.

They're now cheaper, fueling a growth in consumer interest, and are likely to become a bigger deal. Close to half of our harmful emissions come from cars and trucks on the road, so we should invest in charging infrastructure, get utilities to manage the stations, offer tax rebates to encourage electric car buying and find ways to electrify dirty school buses, trucks and ships entering our ports.

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Look at best practices in other states.

California and Massachusetts are among the leaders. Like many other states, New Jersey could experiment with rate structures that incentivize utility companies to conserve electricity, or smart metering that allows homes and businesses to use energy more efficiently. The Legislature should do its research.

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Christie's inaction has left a disturbing vacuum, but now's the moment to step in. An alarming new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists predicts that in just 18 years, 21 New Jersey towns are going to face chronic flooding as often as every two weeks. So these aren't just green desires.

If we sit back and do nothing, the price will be our shoreline.

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RELATED LINKS:

While bolstering Nazis, Trump demolishes flooding protections at the Shore | Editorial

Govs. Kean and Florio: Next gov can make a difference with climate change | Opinion

Harvey climate deniers take a page from Big Tobacco | Editorial

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