The energy debate: day two

The New Jersey gubernatorial race isn’t expected to turn on the issue of clean energy, but it’s fast becoming the theme of the week. 

Republican nominee Chris Christie yesterday laid out his clean energy plan, offering tax incentives to encourage manufacturers of renewable energy equipment to locate in New Jersey and outlining plans for increasing solar farms.  He’s spending today and tomorrow promoting it around the state, starting in Robbinsville at a company that manufactures solar power technology.

But Governor Jon Corzine is also promoting clean energy today, holding his own press conference just half an hour later at a headquarters opening for Princeton Power Systems in West Windsor, which manufactures power conversion technologies.  

Both candidates put themselves in line with President Obama on the issue.  In a web video released yesterday outlining his renewable energy plan, Christie said “it’s a change that President Obama stands firmly behind.  I couldn’t agree more.”  

Corzine, however, has hit back with Christie’s own words, issuing a web video advertisement contrasting Christie’s words from yesterday with a statement he made during the primary in which he predicted that “in January 2010, a lot of battles between the Christie Administration DEP and the Obama Administration EPA."

“Republican primary: Christie attacks Obama.  General election: Christie loves Obama… He’ll say anything to get elected, and you can’t believe any of it,” reads the video’s text.  

In a statement issued after Corzine's press conference, Christie Campaign Manager Bill Stepien said that the Governor had limited his renewable energy efforts to photo ops, citing the latest available statistics -- from 2007 -- to bolster the case.

"Making New Jersey a leader in renewable energy requires more than just a 'me too' attitude and a lot of talk.  Instead of today's last minute photo-op, Governor Corzine should have visited EPV Solar to see for himself why this renewable manufacturing company has been forced to stop production and take their jobs overseas," he said.  Jon Corzine has done nothing but talk a good game, when the reality is that just under two percent of our energy comes from renewables, New Jersey ranks 43rd in production and wind and solar companies want to set up shop anywhere but here."

Christie’s embrace of Obama on energy makes political sense, though he runs the risk of upsetting members of his party’s conservative base.  The President has an overall approval rating of 61% in New Jersey, according to the latest independent poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University.  More importantly, among independents voters, 52% approve of Obama’s job performance while 30% disapprove.  

Obama will be visiting the state next week on behalf of Gov. Corzine, whose reelection prospects – rightly or wrongly – will likely be read by Beltway pundits as a barometer for the national political climate.