Well, despite all the backlash on climate related policies, the Murphy administration this week doubled down on two of the most controversial pieces of its clean energy agenda, electrifying both the transportation sector and the state's buildings and homes.

In a lengthy new statewide climate action plan released this week, the Department of Environmental Protection recommitted to slashing global warming emissions and detailed a number of regulations and policy actions the department plans to use to get there.

For more on that, I'm joined by the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Shawn LaTourette.

Commissioner, thanks for joining me.

It's great to have you.

So this plan that you all put out seems as though you are unfettered by the fact that you have groups on both sides of the political aisle, both environmentalists and business leaders, really giving you all some pushback about these procedures and plans that you are going forward with.

So we should be clear this Climate Week and every week about the realities that our state is facing due to climate change, rising sea levels, increasing storm risk, wildfire seasons that have now become wildfire years.

This is the time for action, not draconian mandates, not telling folks all the things they can't do, but architecting the policy solutions that are going to protect our communities and our first responders.

Like the brave New Jersey Forest Fire Service members who put their lives on the line to fight the wildfires caused in part by climate change and for our state police who respond to the floods.

We have to honor our heroes through this climate action.

And that doesn't mean taking away people's stoves or their cars.

No one is planning that, but we are planning ramp up periods that will help to motivate the already motivated market even more strongly to deliver clean energy solutions and to build that pathway.

And it's going to take some time, but it's necessary.

But, Commissioner, to that end, if wildfires and smoke from wildfires elsewhere in North America and homes being destroyed by flooding aren't enough to get public buy in, what will do it then?

Would it not take a mandate from the government?

I think it takes three things.

And our climate action strategy is part of the first leg of the stool, and that is the direction directional thought, leadership and science that motivates policy.

The second leg of that stool is the incentive structures that help to motivate private and individual action, like the $12,000 folks can now save on an electric vehicle through state and federal incentive programs.

And then third, it does take supportive regulatory reforms like our inland flood protection rule and the coming coastal flood protection rule.

And yes, the Advanced Clean Cars standard that will, over time ramp up the number of electric vehicles in our market.

It won't prevent people from buying a gasoline powered car that will still occur, but it does better promote choice, better diversify the marketplace by putting in place the wise policy choices that will help get us there and the incentives that will help people pay for those changes.

This is how we do it.

This is how we meet the climate moment.

No one's coming to take away anything, but we are diversifying choice and putting financial supports behind it.

Yeah, clear that up for us, Commissioner.

In the little bit of time we have left, just some of the misinformation out there about whether or not you all are coming for gas stoves, coming for gas cars and what the actual plan is.

So I just bought my first all electric vehicle thanks to the support of our state and federal budgets, and I'm paying less of a car payment for that all electric vehicle than I was for my prior gas powered vehicle, by the way.

But no, no one is coming for your gas stove or your gas powered vehicle.

There are always those who fear change and institutions and organizations who peddle in misinformation and disinformation, and that is a disservice to us all.

DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, thank you so much.

A pleasure as always.