Clean Energy

Decarbonization is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through the use of low-carbon power sources in order to achieve a lower output of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Keeping clean energy affordable is critically important, as low electricity prices will help ensure that consumers choose electric heating and cooling technologies over natural gas for manufacturing and heating, and electric vehicles over those powered by fossil fuels.

Primary Concerns:

New Jersey has been faced with numerous new fossil fuel infrastructure project proposals in recent years, including gas and oil pipelines, compressor stations, gas-fired power plants, and liquefied natural gas terminals.
Gas utilities and regulators continue to operate in a business-as-usual framework assuming static or increased natural gas usage without reconciliation with New Jersey’s climate and clean energy objectives.
New Jersey needs a suite of policies that will continue to ensure growth in New Jersey solar, along with continued reductions in its cost, while also ensuring that ratepayer expenditures on clean energy resources result in maximum reduction in CO2 from all state and regional power plants.
A renewed interest in offshore wind development has jump-started regulatory activities, and meaningful stakeholder engagement and protection of species of concern, and New Jersey’s commercial and recreational fishing industries need to meet that pace.
The current electrical grid is not prepared to handle new clean energy projects.
Additional support is needed to implement new school-based climate education programs.
Environmental stewardship, environmental justice, and climate change standards are not embedded in Career Technical Education.
Standards and vocational-technical high school curriculums lack such critical concepts that are considered best practices.

Not Started

In Progress

Completed

First 100 Days

Set standards for Advanced Metering Infrastructure that capture the full benefits of the technology including, real-time communication with the distribution network, bi-directional usage data for utilities and customers, and information crucial for the low-cost deployment of distributed energy resources.

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First 100 Days

Support passage of and effectively implement legislation to establish a Clean Energy Standard, ideally requiring 100% of all electricity to be sold from clean sources by 2035 and net negative emissions for the State by 2050. The initiative should consider: Directing BPU to develop a CES program using robust and equitable stakeholder processes and a widely resourced technical implementation process.

1. Ensuring BPU utilizes internal and external expertise and resources to address technical challenges during the development of the CES implementation process.
2. Ensuring BPU conducts a robust internal and external stakeholder engagement process before the implementation of any program to consider the social and economic ramifications of CES while also achieving CES benchmarks.
3. In CES implementation, bear in mind equity goals, specifically considering environmental justice communities, and ensure affordable electricity for consumers throughout the process.
4. Policies that support further reductions of greenhouse gas emissions through electrification of vehicles, improved building energy efficiency and rapid building electrification, while also exploring ways to reduce emissions from power plants located in New Jersey.

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First 100 Days

Through Executive Order, BPU and DEP should revise reviews of proposed fossil fuel projects to consider consistency with the Global Warming Response Act, Environmental Justice law, Energy Master Plan and gas capacity planning to prevent costly, unneeded projects that are inconsistent with New Jersey’s climate, environmental justice, and clean energy goals.

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First 100 Days

Take steps to reduce leakage of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, throughout the natural gas transmission and distribution system, including directing gas utilities to incorporate advanced leak detection technology and data analytics for the prioritization of pipe leak repair, replacement, or retirement, including particular attention to identified “super-emitters” and consideration of non-pipes alternatives.

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First 100 Days

Make the decision-making processes for gas utility activities more transparent and accessible to all stakeholders. These processes should include detailed evaluation of the impact of potential actions on environmental justice communities, as well as the environmental and energy justice implications of any approvals.

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First 100 Days

Support local initiatives to conduct community air quality monitoring, including through a “citizen science” approach and to monitor mobile and industry emissions.

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First Year

As the pilot Community Solar Program transitions into a permanent program, continue to maintain at least half of community solar generation serving low-income households.

1. Increase education resources for community outreach, especially in LMI communities.
2. Improve program design to overcome barriers to enrollment, including adopting easier methods for verifying one’s status as an LMI customer, such as geographic qualifications by census tract or self-attestation or opt-out options.
3. Ensure the BPU and Electric Distribution Companies work together to create Utility Consolidated Billing that provides community solar customers with a single bill that contains traditional utility costs as well as the subscription and bill credit associated with community solar projects.

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First Year

As the competitive component of the SREC successor program is implemented through rule-making, BPU must work with DEP and SADC to develop more detailed siting restrictions in accordance with S2605. As BPU moves to a permanent community solar program, current siting preferences should be maintained to favor brownfields, parking lots, rooftops and landfills.

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First Year

Continue an offshore wind process that includes an adaptive process in both the release of solicitations and regulatory review, including:

1. Regularly review and update solicitations and regulatory processes to incorporate best practices to address potential wildlife impacts or other environmental concerns and new knowledge gained from previous solicitations, current projects in various stages of development, and other states.
2. Require strong environmental and natural resource protections that focus on avoidance as a precondition of any approved project. Developers should be required to demonstrate that they are avoiding preserved lands and sensitive natural resources to the maximum extent possible.
3. Use the best available data to avoid sensitive habitats to the maximum extent possible in both state and federal waters.
4. Look holistically at all aspects of offshore wind development, including port, inland and near-shore activities when reviewing potential impacts to the environment and marine life.
5. Bring together stakeholders throughout the project development stage for meaningful public engagement and comment periods that allow for a diversity of voices, outside of the offshore wind advisory group.

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First Year

Direct utilities to amend their energy efficiency filings to include a demand response component by 2022.

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First 100 Days

Continue and expand the NJ Climate Change Education Resources initiative, by creating a Climate Education Task Force directed to produce a report in a timely manner that identifies, assesses and makes policy and funding recommendations to advance a comprehensive climate climate education plan with near-term targets for 2025 and 2030. Recommendations should include a long-term coordinating entity and resources to establish a statewide climate education resource center and grant program to support teacher professional development to equip teachers to meet the increased demands of the new standards.

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First Year

Support federal administrative and legislative efforts by Chairman Pallone, Congressman Malinowski, Congresswoman Watson Coleman and others to reform the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) flawed gas project certification policies and practices to consider climate impacts, better evaluate public need, treat landowners fairly and prevent the use of eminent domain for projects that don’t have final approval.

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First Year

Initiate a gas planning proceeding to revisit the way gas utilities are regulated and managed. Gas utilities must be required to engage in holistic and transparent long-term planning that includes a consideration of consistency with state climate and clean energy goals (80% emissions reduction by 2050) and evaluates a broad range of possible actions and solutions that advance a managed, phased and just transition from reliance on fossil gas and the gas distribution system to a clean energy system.

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First Year

Decisions about fossil fuel utility operations, infrastructure and rates must be transparent and consider cumulative impacts on customer cost and alignment with long-term system planning and climate goals, including the Global Warming Response Act and Clean Energy Act. In particular, decisions about building, repairing or replacing infrastructure should consider the potential long-term need for that infrastructure given climate goals. Any investment with long-term assets should include evaluation of alternatives, including non-pipeline alternatives.

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First Year

Disallow the qualification of garbage incinerators under the Renewable Portfolio law and work with impacted communities to respond to proposals for pilots or other initiatives related to incineration or “chemical recycling.”

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First Term

Develop the amount of New Jersey solar based on actual costs discovered over time using competitive processes as part of an overall clean energy budget that is designed to maximize GHG emission reductions and achieve cost-effective local benefits through a mix of regional and in-state clean energy resources. Monitor, evaluate and modify the amount of administratively determined in-state solar based upon actual costs in order to meet RPS targets.

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First Term

Actively participate in regional approaches and comprehensive planning to promote an offshore wind industry both in New Jersey and our surrounding states that strongly limits environmental and ratepayer impacts.

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First 100 Days

Require monitoring and open source data (transparency), as much as possible, before, during, and after construction of offshore wind projects to expand scientific knowledge of ocean ecosystems and use that data for future projects.

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First Term

Design rates that maximize benefits for customers that use distributed energy resources through design time varying rates that incentivize customers to consume energy off-peak when the grid is less stressed.

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First Term

Do not voluntarily lease state preserved lands and continue to defend against the seizure of state preserved lands for and by proposed fossil fuel projects.

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First Term

Support the authority of the DEP to fully enforce New Jersey’s strong authority under the Clean Water Act, Freshwater Wetlands regulations, Flood Hazard regulations and Coastal Zone Management regulations, and deny permits for fossil fuel projects that don’t meet New Jersey’s strict environmental standards.

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