Despite the New Jersey legislature’s recent passage of SB 2276, outgoing governor Chris Christie declined to sign it, resulting in what’s known as a pocket veto. A pocket veto occurs when an official with veto power takes no action on a bill passed within the last 10 days of a two-year legislative session. It’s the only type of veto in which the governor does not return the bill to the legislature for a possible vote to override.
“This legislation enabled the state’s solar industry to keep growing and adding jobs,” Dave Gahl, director of state affairs, Northeast, for SEIA, said in a statement. “We are deeply disappointed that New Jersey’s solar progress is now being stalled. Our plan is to work with the new administration to ensure this effort, which both residents and the New Jersey Legislature want, is implemented again in short order.”
The bill would have raised the state’s RPS goal from 4.1% to 5.3% by 2022. Now, legislature would have to start all over again to bring this bill to the desk of new Democratic Governor Phil Murphy. Murphy pledged during his campaign to “set New Jersey on a path to 100% clean energy by 2050” within his first 100 days in office.
Updated with SEIA statement at 4 p.m. ET
Hoping that in a way, what Christie pulled is a good th9ing because it doesn’t lock the new Governor & Government into a program with limits… More hope that Governor Phil Murphy will go even bigger & better as a further snub at the Republican Regressive’s. Not holding breath though as Poor Mr. Murphy is inheriting a mess of “rebuilt as was” post Sandy and other things which will now surface from the swamp.