Tammy Murphy comes out against governor husband's Newark power plant

Tammy Murphy, who is primarying New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez (D), said on Tuesday that she opposes her husband, Gov. Phil Murphy's plan to build a gas-fired power plant in Newark for the purpose of providing backup power to the sewer system there.

Her objections appear to be for environmental reasons.

Murphy said the city already has three such power plants, an incinerator, and a lot of diesel traffic, so the new plant isn't needed.

Whether or not she discussed her views with her husband was not known, and he did not return requests for comment.

When asked if she discussed the project with the governor, she said, “I’ve been talking to other people about this. I’m not here to stand up and speak for the administration. That’s not my role here today.”

She noted that child asthma rates in the area were far above the national average.