UU FA Office

New Jersey Dream Act: Assembly Vote Imminent

by UU FA Office
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Dear friends,

We have about ten days more to work on the NJ tuition equality bill — the DREAM act.  Below is good information that I’d like to share.  (Wind of the Spirit, which Ilana Rossoff helps to lead, did much of this work, or at least was very much involved in this work.)  Anyway, the data below shows that a majority of Assembly members are on board to vote for the NJ DREAM act when it comes to a vote in the Assembly.  But Governor Christie has recently reneged on his support here, and last week he said he would not sign the bill in its present form.  (He’s not yet saying just what changes would make him accept the bill, so we don’t want to compromise with ourselves yet.  Maybe he’d sign a bill that did not include state financial aid, but that’s for him to say, and maybe make him say it in a conditional veto message.)  Maybe, of course, his new opposition merely represents a new focus — instead of running for Governor, he may now be running for President, and there’s no satisfying his new vision.

But the important thing here is how many of the “maybe” votes listed below we could contact and perhaps help to persuade to vote yes.  The legislative districts of the “maybes” are listed here.  Please look them over.  If you live in one of these districts, or if members of your congregation do, please do everything you can to contact the Assembly members and urge UUs to do so.  We have this week and early next week to do so.

Let’s do it as soon as you can!

Best wishes,

Ted Fetter, Chair
UULMNJ Immigration Task Force

Policy Brief: NJFree – Renewable Energy Policy

by UU FA Office

Position: In a 2006 Statement of Conscience the Unitarian Universalist Association stated: “Earth is our home. We are part of this world and its destiny is our own…. As Unitarian Universalists, how can our faith inform our actions to remedy and mitigate global warming/climate change? We declare by this Statement of Conscience that we will not acquiesce to the ongoing degradation and destruction of life that human actions are leaving to our children and grandchildren. We as Unitarian Universalists are called to join with others to halt practices that fuel global warming/climate change, to instigate sustainable alternatives, and to mitigate the impending effects of global warming/climate change with just and ethical responses. As a people of faith, we commit to a renewed reverence for life and respect for the interdependent web of all existence.”

What is NJFREE? NJFREE is a broad‐based coalition of organizations and individuals committed to the transition of New Jersey’s energy economy from a fossil fuel‐based system to one based on renewable energy. NJFREE seeks the adoption of a requirement for 80% renewable electricity by 2050, with an intermediate requirement of 30% renewable electricity by 2025. It also seeks a requirement that the total electric usage in New Jersey be reduced by 20% by 2025 relative to 2012 usage, and be reduced by 30% by 2050 relative to 2012 usage

Is 80% Renewable Electricity by 2050 feasible? This question is already being answered in the real world. Many European countries have already adopted requirements that are as ambitious or even more so. Denmark’s goal is 80% of overall energy by 2050. Germany, on the other hand, has a much lower solar resource than New Jersey, and has adopted a requirement of 80% renewable electricity by 2050 and 30% by 2025. Furthermore, it is well ahead of schedule, achieving 26% renewable electricity in the first half of 2012. Germany’s rapid transition toward renewables and equally rapid phase‐out of nuclear power has not hurt its economy. According to the country’s top economic research institutions, Germany’s “Renewable Energy Transformation” has been a net benefit to the economy, and has created 370,000 new jobs.

Why now? New Jersey has arrived at a time of decision for its energy future. Several factors put us at a crossroads. Reports show that 20 gigawatts of coal‐fired power plants at high risk of retirement. Furthermore, the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant is slated to retire in 2019. For a number of reasons, coal and nuclear plants face a difficult future. There will be a need to guide decisions regarding what sources of energy will make up new electric generation capacity.

Natural gas is not the answer. The emerging picture of the environmental cost of increased production – which must come through unconventional drilling (fracking) ‐ reveals local pollution risks as well as a greenhouse gas footprint that may be as bad or even worse than that of coal.

New Jersey’s perspectives have changed since Superstorm Sandy. There is a new perception that the cost of global warming, rather than something that will impact our lives in the future, is costing us dearly now. The storm also highlighted the fragility of our electric grid. Renewable energy offers a highly distributed, onsite, uninterruptible source of energy.

The costs of solar energy and battery storage have both been dropping very rapidly. The combination of these two developing technologies can not only deliver solar power efficiently and provide highly distributed emergency power capacity, but they can simultaneously provide “ancillary services” to help stabilize the electric grid – day and night. In fact, these novel services can now produce enough revenue so that the emergency power capability can be provided at little or no net cost. Solar power can thus play an important role in storm hardening and grid stabilization without the high cost associated with other infrastructure changes. New business models are already emerging to take advantage of these capabilities.

Wind power, energy efficiency measures, and demand‐side management, like solar power ‐ all essential parts of a renewable energy transition ‐ are intensive job creators, especially of local, high‐quality jobs. The ability of renewable energy to generate economic growth and create jobs has already been proven in New Jersey and other leading renewable energy states and countries.

Why New Jersey? Some of the conditions justifying a renewable energy transition exist in many different states, but it might surprise people to know how many of those conditions coincide in New Jersey.

  • New Jersey, as the state with the highest penetration of PV power and as the second‐largest solar power market in the country, already has a substantial solar industry infrastructure with thousands of skilled workers and professionals ready to deploy. It also has an excellent offshore wind energy resource base.
  • A recent study published by the National Academy of Science and conducted at Carnegie Mellon University (attached) calculated the value of avoided environmental costs in all U.S. states when solar power is deployed. The study concluded that environmental value delivered by solar energy in New Jersey is 15 times greater than its value in California.
  • New Jersey was also the state hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy, and is moving forward with great determination to make the infrastructure changes mentioned previously.
  • Furthermore, New Jersey is served by the only grid operator in the country to offer the ancillary services contracts that can provide added revenues to offset the costs of making distributed renewable power with emergency power capabilities.

Perhaps it is fitting that the place that gave birth to photovoltaic technology should also be the place to lead our country to a renewable energy transformation.

What would a renewable energy transition do to our economy?

A recent study considered the value of providing solar energy as the sum of the internal savings to the current electric power industry and the external values measured in economic growth and the avoidance of the cost of environmental damage. The total attribute value of solar is $170 to $224 per megawatt‐hour compared only $125 per megawatt-hour which is the current cost paid by ratepayers for the renewable energy attributes through the tradable commodity called SRECs. Eventually, the marketplace will recognize this difference.

The conclusion is that the added value of solar energy is now greater than its added cost, making every kilowatt‐hour of solar power a bargain for ratepayers. We still need incentives to monetize these added values for solar generators, but they are not subsidies; they are a payment for value delivered.

Like Germany, New Jersey is poised to benefit economically from a renewable energy transition – except that we can better take advantage of our richer renewable energy resources, and of the lower technology costs and new revenue streams that have now arrived.

Download as a PDF: Policy_Brief_Environmental_Paper-Energy

Action Alert Nov. 2013: New Jersey Dream Act

by UU FA Office
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Dear Friends,

We are writing to alert you to an important issue before the state assembly. We encourage you to support instate tuition to undocumented students. Many of these students, though not born in this country, grew up here and know no other home. Instate tuition would make it possible for these students to prepare for and launch their careers.

Additionally, we are encouraging our assembly members to extend financial aid to these students. Financial aid helps place a college education within reach, especially for low- and middle- income families. The Senate version of the bill, S2479, was approved Monday, November 18th, and DID include the financial aid provision. Governor Christie has indicated he will sign the legislation if passed. An Assembly bill A4225 is similar, but does not include access to financial aid.  Our hope is that the financial aid component will be added before the Assembly acts.

We need congregations to encourage people to make phone calls, write letters, and send letters to their state legislators. As we learn more, we may also be in touch about asking you to consider arranging a constituent meetings. 

We have a few helpful tools for you. The first is an action_request for distribution to your congregations. The second is a position statement from the Immigration Task Force about this issue. Then you will find a sample email, a guide to leaving a voicemail, and letter_writing_materials

Please let us know if members of your congregation are able to get involved, and what we can do to continue to support your efforts!

Thank you so much for your help!

Craig and James

James deBoer, Organizer

Rev. Craig Hirshberg, Exec. Director

 

New Jersey Dream Act: Take Action Now

by UU FA Office
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The UULMNJ Immigration Task Force is pleased to report that on Monday, November 18th, the New Jersey State Senate voted to approve tuition equity for undocumented young people. Now this important issue is before the Assembly. With tuition equity, undocumented students would be assessed instate tuition rates when they attend New Jersey public institutions of higher learning, rather than being treated as out-of-state residents. The students for whom it makes a difference are New Jerseyans: they live here, they were educated in high school here, and overwhelmingly they intend to stay here and build careers and families. They are our neighbors and friends, though often, they do not have legal status. Instate tuition would make it possible for these students to prepare for and launch their careers.

Additionally, UULMNJ is encouraging our assembly members to extend financial aid to these students. Financial aid helps place a college education within reach, especially for low- and middle- income families. The Senate version of the bill, S2479, was approved Monday, November 18th, and DID include the financial aid provision. Governor Christie has indicated he will sign the legislation if passed. An Assembly bill A4225 is similar, but does not include access to financial aid.  Our hope is that the financial aid component will be added before the Assembly acts.

We need congregations to encourage people to make phone calls, write letters, and send letters to their state legislators. To that end, we have a few helpful tools for you. The first is an action_request for distribution to your congregations. The second is a position statement from the Immigration Task Force about this issue. Then you will find a sample email, a guide to leaving a voicemail, and letter_writing_materials

Please let us know if members of your congregation are able to get involved, and what we can do to continue to support your efforts! As we learn more, we may also be encouraging you to consider arranging constituent meetings.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

 

Anti-Poverty Network Summit

by UU FA Office

The Anti-poverty Network of New Jersey is holding a state-wide summit on December 3rd in Jamesburg. APN has identified four target issues as its focus: hunger and food, housing, health care and economic opportunity. APN is one of UULMNJ’s collaborating organizations and an essential voice for poverty issues in New Jersey. For more information on the summit click here [tt_vector icon=”fa-file-pdf-o”]. If you would like to attend and represent your congregation at this summit, visit APN’s website www.antipovertynetwork.org [tt_vector icon=”fa-external-link”] to register. Below is a letter from APN announcing the summit.

Hello All,

So many exciting changes have occurred for APN in the last year that we’d like to share them with all of you at this year’s Summit on 12-3-13 at the Crowne Plaza in Jamesburg.  And, of course we’ll be outlining the issues in our new white paper and gathering some momentum for making visits to our legislators in early 2014.

Please visit the new website at www.antipovertynetwork.org [tt_vector icon=”fa-external-link”] to get the details on the summit and register to attend.  Become a member – sign up is easy!  And, also let us know if your organization would like to have an exhibit table at the Summit…the exhibit table is free!  Registration is only $25 and covers the cost of breakfast and lunch, materials and the company of great like-minded anti-poverty advocates.

Feel free to contact me with any questions,

Joyce Campbell, APN Vice Chair

Plainfield: FIrst Sunday Explorers – Oct. 6

by UU FA Office

The First Unitarian Society of Plainfield’s “First Sunday Explorers” on October 6 will focus on detention centers and dignity for Immigrants.  IRATE & First Friends oppose detention of asylum seekers and immigrant detainees who pose no threat to society. They also work for improved conditions that respect the human dignity of all detainees. They will show a short film and speak about their work, including how to improve the conditions of detainees at local detention centers and ways to participate in a Columbus Day detention center vigil/protest.

Morristown: Earth Dinner – Sept. 28

by UU FA Office

The Morristown Unitarian Fellowship’s Green Earth Ministry is sponsoring an Earth Dinner: An Organic/Local Pot Luck, on September 28.  The potluck will celebrate the abundance of the local harvest and share food stories, ideas and questions. They request that the main ingredient of dishes should be organic and/or local to give attendees a chance to eat, drink and be sustainable.