Legislators Slam Murphy’s Energy Policy

TRENTON - Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano (all R-10 th) warned that Governor Murphy’s extreme energy policies that would ban affordable natural gas will drive up energy costs for utility payers and make the state more unaffordable for low- and middle-income families.

“Governor Murphy’s extreme energy plan is a complete upheaval of our energy portfolio in favor of expensive offshore wind that will raise costs for utility payers in the Garden State. Sadly, Governor Murphy has shown no interest in working across the aisle to diversify our energy portfolio in a way that benefits not only the environment, but taxpayers too,” said Sen. Holzapfel. “In fact, Governor Murphy and Trenton Democrats wasted $1 billion to bail out Orsted for the sake of keeping their misplaced energy priorities alive instead of giving that money back to utility customers. The Garden State needs safe, reliable, and affordable energy options that reduce costs rather than raise them.”

At the expense of New Jersey taxpayers, Governor Murphy approved a $1 billion bailout for Orsted, a Danish energy company that is owned by the Danish government, for the purpose of developing costly wind turbines off the coast of the Garden State. Rhode Island had similar complications with Orsted over development costs, but opted to walk away from the deal as the proposed project was not in the best interest of their taxpayers.

“While Governor Murphy sits atop his ivory tower picking winners and losers to advance his extreme energy master plan he is ignoring the reality of low- and middle-income families. Taxpayers simply cannot afford the estimated $1.4 trillion price tag associated with electrifying their homes and businesses by replacing their natural gas stoves, furnaces, and hot water heaters,” said Asm. McGuckin. “The reality of Governor Murphy’s proposed ban on natural gas is that it would lead to higher costs and fewer options at the expense of homeowners and businesses. Governor Murphy shouldn’t dictate how New Jerseyans heat their homes or cook their food.”

A proposal was crafted that could lead to affordable natural gas being phased out in New Jersey. The building decarbonization plan could force millions of homeowners to fully electrify their homes and replace their natural gas appliances and mechanical systems.

Governor Murphy also announced the filing of a rule that would force car manufacturers to only sell electric vehicles (EVs) in the state by 2035. Although EVs will be the only cars allowed to be sold by manufacturers, Governor Murphy said that consumers are not “obligated” to purchase EVs.

“The hypocrisy of the Murphy administration has shown no limits as he tries to force electric vehicles down the throats of consumers after using taxpayer dollars to purchase an expensive fleet of gas-powered SUVs earlier in the year. Why didn’t he lead by example and purchase a fleet of EVs if the environment is truly his number one concern?” Asm. Catalano asked. “Governor Murphy has shown that the rules simply do not apply to him, his administration, or other top Democrat officials in New Jersey. It’s beyond ridiculous to tell consumers they are under no ‘obligation’ to buy EVs after he’s taken away every other choice.”

Shells:

Continued From Page 1 totally ok with it. After speaking with them, I decided to go forward and make the Facebook page.”

Carrissa has lived in the Ocean County area for most of her life, however when she recently moved to South Carolina, she knew she wanted to continue the page.

Since its creation, the Facebook page has garnered 35,650 followers and counting. Jersey Shore Shells encourages those to decorate shells and write a message on the underside with the label “Keep or Re-hide.”

Those who have found shells often share their findings to the page, or those painting shells do the same. Carrissa has listed tips and tricks on the page to help those who are interested. She emphasizes to never hide shells in the ocean. If you are going to hide shells in a store, get permission first. And remember, anyone can paint and hide shells.

“It’s really about random acts of kindness. You don’t expect anything, you don’t really want anything in return. It’s just trying to make people happy, because if you give someone a little smile maybe they’ll do something nice for somebody else and those acts of kindness will snowball bigger and bigger. I want to spread that positivity,” she explained.

Her local initiative has now transformed to a worldwide affair. The idea of painting and hiding shells has gone beyond shore towns in New Jersey; it’s expanded throughout the entire state, country, and even internationally.

Pam Gregory, a New Jersey local, said she started painting shells after her and her daughter Sarah found one in Smithville.

“We collect our shells at the Barnegat inlet. We have painted and hidden 11 shells, four have been found. My first was an ‘adopt don’t shop’ paw print and has changed hands three times now in New Jersey,” Pam said.

One of their shells, which was decorated to represent the Pine Barrens, made its way to White Water State Park in Minnesota. The shell was then shared to the Facebook group and gained over 7,000 likes.

“I left it at Arney’s Mount in Pemberton, NJ. It was found by a lovely woman named Laurie and taken to Minnesota where she re-hid it. Another lovely girl named Hannah found it and her post took off! It is being shared by many sites as well as people,” Pam said. “This group is great to communicate with other people. It’s a great hobby, and makes people smile.”

Wildlife Rescue 911 – A Frantic Mother Mallard In Garwood

Renee A. Thomaier

Retired New Jersey State Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator

It was an afternoon in August and the weather was hot and humid. I had just arrived home from work, changed my clothes and was ready to relax after my long day. No sooner did I sit down when the phone rang. It was a concerned resident calling about a mother mallard (duck) who realized her eight babies had disappeared down a storm drain. Once the young hatch they can feed themselves but need to find water sources, such as a pond, lake, or river. Getting there can be challenging due to their small size and varying landscape of roadways, curbs, cars, grass and whatever else they encounter.

I quickly got dressed and headed over to the site. Did I mention that this was during rush hour?! Upon arrival, I noticed a police officer had arrived to help maintain traffic flow. The mother mallard was actively letting us know her concern by quacking and pacing along the curb. Babies were peeping, huddled together at the bottom of the drainage space. Using my fishing net on a pole, I began scooping up as many babies at a time, bringing them up to the surface. Each time the net went down, the ducklings would move in unison, away from it.

The babies were reunited with their mother and the family quickly proceeded on their journey to water. I found out afterwards that the mother had laid her eggs underneath a shrub across the street from where the babies became trapped down the storm drain. They barely began their travel when fate took them down to the bottom of the storm drain. This is a common occurrence when waterfowl (in this case, ducklings) are navigating their way to water. I recall an earlier rescue I made when finding a single duckling on a residential lawn. Obviously, it was separated from its family while attempting to get to water. I retrieved the baby and took it to a local rehabilitation facility so it could be raised with others and properly released.

To reach me please call 732-244-2768. It’s illegal to possess, relocate, or cause harm to wildlife for any reason. Managing wildlife without the proper state/ federal permits is illegal. Violating laws protecting wildlife is punishable by law.