Garden State Times

The New Jersey Senate Republican Caucus has issued a letter to Christine Guhl-Sadovy, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU), urging the board to prioritize affordability and reliability following a recent increase in electric rates for residents. The caucus has expressed concerns about the impact of Governor Murphy's Energy Master Plan on consumer costs.

In their communication, the caucus emphasized their previous warnings that the energy plan would result in higher expenses for consumers. They have called on the BPU to reassess its future energy policy approach.

The letter states: “We realize part of the blame for these higher rates are due to actions undertaken by PJM, but the energy policies championed by the Murphy administration are exacerbating an already untenable situation. The Board of Public Utilities must consider affordability whenever an electric utility seeks approval for additional rate hikes.”

Furthermore, it highlights: “More importantly, as the BPU works on the latest version of the Energy Master Plan, the board must rethink its policies of forcing the electrification of the building and transportation sectors. Requiring more costly electric vehicles and electric heating and cooling systems when ratepayers are facing ever increasing electric rates is simply bad public policy, which will have a deleterious impact on the State’s residents and economy.”

The caucus reiterated their position on how recent rate increases affect New Jersey residents: “The impact of these recent rate increases on New Jersey residents cannot be overstated. We have repeatedly warned the administration its detrimental energy policies would lead to higher electric costs for consumers.”

The full text of this letter is available for public reading.