Stop the war on fossil fuels and lower energy costs now (Opinion)

For many decades, New Jerseyans and Americans across the nation have felt the adverse impact of the government's delusional assault on fossil fuels.

Based on a few politically motivated reports painting a narrative of doom and gloom.

Debating climate cycles and New Jersey’s energy reality

The reality is, and I've been talking about this for years, warming and cooling are a part of the natural cycle of the earth and according to many top scientists.

This a 1500 year cycle, you can do your own research and see that the earth was in fact much warmer 1500 years ago, long before the elite traversed the globe in private jets and 50 million dollar yachts.

New Jersey is already built on clean energy, our air and water are cleaner as a direct result of the increase in natural gas use and a decrease in other fuels.

How environmental policies changed New Jersey’s energy costs

Our energy costs were way down before the radical environmentalist limited fuel production in New Jersey. The amount of energy is abundant thanks to incredible innovation regarding extraction and delivery, America is now the world's leader in natural gas production.

For the past eight years however, New Jersey has suffered with spiking energy costs as the radical environmentalists have wrecked the energy independent on the production side we achieved during Governor Chris Christie's term.

It's up to us to make sure that we get back to energy production to provide for our rising energy needs and have the infrastructure to support the clean energy production is in place for us today, tomorrow, and for many generations to come.

Pipelines, infrastructure and the push for reliability

We owe it to our children and their children to dramatically increase our energy production, as I've talked about for years, get our 'peaker plants' up to 100% as a start.

We need to maintain the delivery system that most New Jersey residents rely on to stay warm in the winter and keep the lights on in the house. We need to build more pipelines. Pipelines are the safest and most reliable way to deliver natural gas.

Pipeline technology today is much more advanced than decades ago and that makes them safe, clean, and reliable.

Bayway Industrial Complex: Linden’s economic engine

The good news is we have a site in Linden, New Jersey called the "Bayway Industrial Complex." At Bayway, they refine, manufacture and generate power, all combining for an economic output for New Jersey topping $21 billion.

Several companies in New Jersey have combined to create this powerhouse: Phillips 66, Infineum, Nexpera, Linden Cogeneration, and Sunoco.

Together, these companies span refining, chemical manufacturing, power generation, environmental services, and fuel logistics.

Our friends at New Jersey Business and Industry Association are holding a press conference this morning to highlight the economic benefits of embracing the incredible production happening at the site.

A recent study, that will be the topic of the presser, highlighted some of the incredible economic output coming from the work being done in Linden.

Among the top-line findings of the report (also in the attached 1-pager):

• The Bayway Industrial Complex in Linden generates $21.3 billion in total statewide output
• It adds nearly $7 billion to the state’s Gross State Product.
• They have 12,091 jobs supported statewide
• They have $1.2 billion in labor income
• They have $1.2 billion in tax revenues
• They have $124 million in capital investment

I'll leave you with this quote from Michele Siekerka, who is the president of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, with thousands of small business members across New Jersey:

“While non-renewable energy sources and chemical manufacturing often unfairly come under ideological attack in the state, what the Bayway Industrial Complex provides is absolutely essential to the state’s economic output, and an unmitigated driver of the regional and local economies,”

“As policy choices will directly influence the future trajectory of the Complex, it is imperative that our policymakers appreciate and are aware of both the investment these companies make, their value and partnership within their immediate community, and the output they wholly provide to the state in terms of revenue and jobs and beyond the state in terms of energy and supply chain.”

Listen to my on-air conversation with this industry leader:

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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