New Jersey

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has pursued countless cuts to essential programs, waged an ideological war on state employees and teachers, pushed tax cuts for the rich over the middle class, and advocated for costly and fiscally unsustainable privatization schemes. Even in light of overwhelming public opposition to privatization and the significant pitfalls associated with these types of schemes, the Governor established a privatization task force by executive order earlier this year.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made national headlines last week by announcing that he is canceling the nation’s largest public works project – and sacrificing nearly 50,000 jobs in the process.  The Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) tunnel project would double the existing rail-commuting capacity from New Jersey to New York City with a nine-mile tunnel under the Hudson River to midtown Manhattan.   

In a blow to states’ leadership over clean energy, the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a brief before the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that states cannot sue power plant operators that generate pollution. The Justice Department alleges that: (1) the Environmental Protection Agency has already started to regulate greenhouse emissions; and (2) states lack standing to assert a federal nuisance claim.