Bateman: Energy Master Plan Requires Full Debate

Senator Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R-Somerset), a member of the Senate Environment Committee, issued the following statement on the release of the draft Energy Master Plan by the Corzine Administration.

"The proposed Energy Master Plan raises a number of significant issues that will define our energy and economic future for at least a generation. The Governor's plan to support the construction of the first new nuclear power plant in the United States since 1973 is an issue of seminal importance that requires a robust debate in the Legislature. Nuclear power plants generate electricity without releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which is the major culprit in global warming. I attended the administration's briefing on the draft plan, and I am interested in seeing the final version of their proposal.

"I look forward to soliciting the views of the rate-paying public, the state's public utilities, government regulators and environmental advocates, to ensure that this plan delivers affordable, clean and safe power. A sound Energy Master Plan should promote an end to our dependence on foreign sources of energy, bolster our statutory commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and provide a sustainable supply of reasonably priced energy to drive economic development in New Jersey well into the 21st century."