NJ governor election: Sherrill, Ciattarelli share their visions on South Jersey issues
Voters in the June 10 primary have decided that the major party nominees for governor of New Jersey will be former Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, D-NJ.
The two nominees were asked this week about offshore wind power development, light-rail expansion and the agriculture industry.
These are topics that may come up between now and the general election in November and are of special interest to South Jersey residents.
More: Has South Jersey made this blue state more of a purple? Governor race may test the notion.
The development of offshore wind turbine farms to produce 'renewable' electricity is in a state of suspension as of January, and its future is uncertain in the face of regulatory and court appeals from opponents and supporters.
According to Ciattarelli's campaign, he opposes offshore wind projects and supports efforts to cancel them.
Offshore wind: NJ's next governor will have offshore wind farms — and their opponents — to consider
Sherrill has taken an opposing stance.
She said that she wants the state to invest clean energy to lower prices for consumers. She added that U.S. President Donald Trump has made it difficult to pursue wind projects.
'As we move forward with our energy planning, we need to combat these federal attacks with improved state-level planning for projects to ensure that state permitting processes work quickly and efficiently," Sherrill said.
'We need to expand into other clean energy sources, and as governor, I am going to boost our state's solar capacity by using state properties to host solar projects, expanding access to community solar, and pressuring PJM, our regional grid operator, to plug clean energy into the grid. Solar is clean, cheap, and the key to lowering New Jerseyans' rising utility costs while protecting our environment.'
Gov. Phil Murphy and members of his administration want to see some action this year on the Glassboro-Camden Line.
The proposal for this line, which would be approximately 18 miles of passenger light rail service between the Glassboro and Camden communities, has been defeated repeatedly by voters in the communities along the route.
'South Jersey deserves more infrastructure investment. Period," Ciattarelli said. "The fact that South Jersey businesses today are forced to pay a tax that funds NJ Transit, yet have limited to zero access to NJ Transit, is just plain wrong.
'That said, many communities that the proposed line would run through have strongly opposed the line. As governor, I would not force these communities to accept a rail line they do not support.'
NJ Transit: How GCL rail, other South Jersey public transit initiatives may hinge on governor's race
Sherrill, meanwhile, said she's in full support of completing the Glassboro-Camden Line.
"As I have traveled across South Jersey, I've heard from far too many residents that NJ TRANSIT means 'North Jersey Transit.' That must change," Sherrill said.
"As governor, I will make sure that South Jersey always has a seat at the table as we work to build the Glassboro-Camden light rail and expand bus routes.'
More: Winners declared in NJ primary for governor
Agriculture in New Jersey is a $1-billion-plus per year industry.
Funding for research and promotion programs is a regular concern for its proponents. Industry leaders have also said they're leery of new environmental regulations, such as the proposed NJ REAL regulation regarding flood mitigation.
'This (NJ REAL) proposal is regulatory overkill and is DOA if I am governor," Ciattarelli said.
"The idea that residents along the shore should be forced into 'managed retreat' is a non-starter for me. I will pause enforcement of these rules and reopen discussions with affected communities, business leaders, and other stakeholders.'
Ag issues: New Jersey farmers want to see these concerns tackled by a new governor
Sherrill noted that New Jersey is known as the Garden State for a reason, pointing to its production of corn, tomatoes and blueberries and its nearly 10,000 farms.
'As governor, I will support farmers and farmland preservation to strengthen our agricultural industry. I'll do so by creating a new focus at the NJ Economic Development Authority on incentives and economic assistance to support farming," Sherrill said.
Her response didn't touch on NJ REAL regulations, but focused on the need to increasing investments in agriculture.
'New Jersey needs to innovate to ensure that when farms are sold, the state has programs to incentivize new owners to maintain operations. I will also create new loan programs for new farmers, including those at urban farms," Sherrill said.
'With the federal rollbacks in research, development, and education funding, it's more important than ever that we support agriculture extension and research operations at Rutgers University. Each year in Congress, I have fought for federal funding to support Rutgers' programming in a range of different areas, and I will continue to strongly support the world-class programs run by Rutgers that are going to bolster our agricultural industry and our overall economy.'
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Sherrill, Ciattarelli differ on offshore wind, light rail projects
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