Garden State Times

Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco and Senate Republican Whip Michael Testa are taking action to address the rising utility bills in New Jersey. They are demanding clarity and responsibility from Governor Murphy’s administration, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), and Trenton Democrats during a joint legislative hearing set for tomorrow.

Senator Bucco has criticized progressive Democrat policies that have restricted energy expansion, leading to high energy costs. He stated, “Because of progressive Democrat policies that have been blocking commonsense energy expansion for the past 8 years, New Jersey families are already grappling with some of the highest energy costs in the nation. Rather than unfairly burdening more residents with higher energy bills, we should be working hard to reduce costs by creating more electric power generation as fast as possible with reliable and conventional energy sources like natural gas.”

Bucco advocates for a balanced energy strategy, writing in an op-ed, “New Jersey needs a balanced energy strategy fueled by a diverse energy portfolio of natural gas, nuclear, and renewables. Through long-term planning, we can effectively address climate change and achieve the cleanest environment, without sacrificing reliability and affordability. It’s time for a commonsense solution.”

Senator Testa supports ratepayer justice and has expressed concerns over the state’s Energy Master Plan. He mentioned during a meeting, “The Energy ‘Disaster’ Plan is a blueprint for higher costs, inefficiency, and a lower quality of life in the Garden State. Rather than update the Energy Master Plan, it should be scrapped in its entirety. While I support the mission of championing a cleaner environment, we cannot and should not sacrifice affordability in the process—we have a duty to the ratepayers in the State of New Jersey.”

Testa highlighted policy failures in a recent interview: “Let’s face it, Governor Murphy has proclaimed many times that he wants to make New Jersey the California of the East Coast. We’re potentially facing another increase in electric bills and this is the result of failed policies from Biden’s green new deal to Governor Murphy’s failed Energy Disaster Plan. What we need is affordable, reliable energy.”

In response, Senate Republicans introduced the "Energy Security and Affordability Act" (S-2839) to help manage energy costs and shield consumers from future NJBPU-sanctioned rate increases. The bill requires the board to prioritize in-state energy over costly out-of-state subsidies and demands economic and ratepayer impact assessments for all energy projects.

Senators Bucco and Testa have been appointed to a bicameral legislative committee to investigate the rising utility bills following NJBPU's announcement that rates could increase by over 20% starting in June 2025.

The committee is scheduled to gather testimony regarding energy affordability on March 28 at 10:00 AM in Committee Room 4, 1st Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, New Jersey.