"Gov. Murphy Signs Executive Order for NJ to Rejoin RGGI"

"Governor instructs DEP to allocate funds received from multistate initiative to environmental-justice communities as recommended by transition team"

"Gov. Phil Murphy yesterday signed an executive order to have the state rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a step signaling the state is shifting to a much more aggressive stance on fighting climate change.

In an event in Atlantic Highlands, the governor fulfilled one of his primary environmental pledges by reentering the multistate program to reduce pollution from power plants by participating in the carbon budget-trading program.

New Jersey was once a part of RGGI, but former Gov. Chris Christie pulled out in 2012, a decision he attributed to the program's ineffectiveness and cost, but critics blamed on his presidential ambitions and the conventional Republican skepticism about climate change."

Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight January 30, 2018.