One climate issue that Republican and Democrats should agree on

By Dunellen Mayor Jason Cilento

No matter what your politics are, no one likes being lied to.

But nearly all of us have been deceived for decades about something that’s now costing New Jersey a fortune: climate change. The liars are multibillion dollar oil and gas companies, who — like the tobacco and opioid industries before them — waged massive PR campaigns to mislead the public about the known dangers of their products, and the costs they would force on us all.

Fossil fuels drive climate change, but the corporations that produce and sell them have long tried to obscure that fact to keep us hooked. For New Jersey, and the borough of Dunellen, where I’m privileged to serve as mayor, we’re paying the price for more damaging floods, storms, and heatwaves. These disasters put a tremendous burden on our infrastructure, and the bill keeps falling on taxpayers. It’s time that the companies that knowingly fuel this crisis, and profit from it, contribute to upgrading our infrastructure.

If you haven’t heard this story, I urge everyone to watch the recent PBS Frontline special, “The Power of Big Oil,” which tells it in depth: As early as the 1970s, scientists for Exxon told executives that unrestricted use of fossil fuels could cause, in their own words, “catastrophic events” that “might not be reversible.” But in following decades, oil executives chose to fund climate denial rather than support bipartisan solutions.

After watching “The Power of Big Oil,” it’s hard not to conclude that if you or someone you know ever doubted the reality of climate change, it’s likely you were unwittingly misled by pundits, politicians, or false advertising that can be linked back to the oil industry.

I say this as a proud Republican. I support American businesses, free enterprise, and free markets. But for free markets to work, companies need to play by the rules. Not lie about the products they sell. If a company doesn’t play fair, they should face appropriate consequences. I am not arguing to rid the market of fossil fuels, it’s a source of energy we rely on, but there must be more transparency and accountability.

As the documentary shows, leading Republicans were also victims of Big Oil’s deception. Former U.S. Senator and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who helped the industry oppose an international climate agreement, says that if he knew what Exxon knew at the time, “it would have changed everything.”

“I was misled. Others were misled,” Hagel said. “When they had evidence in their own institutions that countered what they were saying publicly… they lied.”

As a fiscal conservative, and a mayor responsible for a municipal budget, I’m alarmed by the growing price tag that climate change is creating for communities like Dunellen, which have long prided ourselves on affordability and responsible spending.

About one out of every four homes in Dunellen are in FEMA-designated flood zones. When our waterways overflow, like they did during Ida, municipalities and property owners may be eligible for federal assistance, but that relief takes time, and is still ultimately coming from taxpayers. Hurricane Ida cost our small borough almost  $1 million. Long-term protection for New Jersey will be expensive: $16 billion to counter backbay flooding; $25 billion to fight sea-level rise.

Meanwhile, the oil companies responsible for these costs are making record profits —  more than $170 billion last year — while charging working families record prices at the pump.

New Jerseyans can disagree on the best approach to climate change, and that’s healthy for our society. But I believe there could be common ground on the issue of infrastructure costs — and who should pay them. Rather than rely solely on the taxpayer, we should make the polluters pay.

Several communities — including Hoboken — have taken oil companies to court to make them pay for the damage they caused. If New Jersey takes similar action, I would support it, and call on fellow Republicans to also. As 2021 Gubernatorial Republican Candidate Jack Ciattarelli said after Hurricane Ida, “We are experiencing something in regard to our climate.” It’s time we see this as a bipartisan issue about simple fairness. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents can all agree that polluters, not taxpayers, should help pay to help clean up their mess.