For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jackie.Greger@sierraclub.org
NJBPU Approves Triennium 2 Energy Efficiency Programs: Investing in NJ Electrification
Trenton, NJ - Today at 2:30PM, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) held a Special Public Meeting to discuss and approve the second Triennium energy efficiency program filings (Public Notice available here).
Every three years, pursuant to the Clean Energy Act of 2018, utilities in New Jersey are required to propose programs to reduce energy use and carbon emissions. These include rebates for more efficient home appliances, and support for decarbonizing home energy use. As a result, these “Triennium” programs are a critical way to help customers save money, have healthier, more efficient homes, and progress towards New Jersey’s decarbonization goals.
The Board considered the following energy utilities’ petitions seeking authorization to implement Triennium 2 energy efficiency programs, which will begin on January 1, 2025:
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New Jersey Natural Gas Company (NJNG)
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Elizabethtown Gas Company
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South Jersey Gas Company
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Atlantic City Electric Company
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Jersey Central Power & Light Company
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Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G)
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Rockland Electric Company
The NJ Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and NJ Progressive Equitable Energy Coalition (NJPEEC), represented by Eastern Environmental Law Center, intervened in the PSE&G and NJNG proceedings to advocate for programs focused on clean energy and zero-emission appliances, end incentives for dirty gas infrastructure, and ensure that low- and middle-income customers and environmental justice communities are included in a just transition.
In reaction to the NJBPU’s decision, intervenors released the following statements;
“The New Jersey Sierra Club is eager to see most of the NJBPU’s resources be invested in true electrification efforts, and not in further incentivizing a harmful reliance on fossil fuels in people’s homes,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, Director of the NJ Sierra Club. “However, we have much more work to do to ensure that our triennium utility programs maximize electrification and not continue to incentivize fossil fuel reliance and, at the same time, protect utility bills for low- and moderate-income households in the short- and long-term. We must continue to prioritize equity in our just transition to clean energy and in our decarbonization efforts, so that no New Jerseyans are left behind. Today’s approval of the Second Triennium stipulations is a strong step in the right direction.”
"Despite the massive ongoing campaigns to mislead and misinform, New Jerseyans are increasingly making the correlations between health complications and the cumulative impacts of fossil fuel power generation," said Marcus Sibley, Chair of the New Jersey Progressive Equitable Energy Coalition. "Today NJBPU approved triennium utility programs that further efforts to achieve the state's clean energy goals, and NJPEEC and our partners will continue to push NJBPU to ensure that New Jersey prioritizes investments in ethically and equity-based electrification programs and policies."
"Imagine a New Jersey where people are living in homes that are comfortable during extreme weather, and are healthier and more efficient. Electrifying our buildings will not only result in cleaner air and create good quality jobs, but can also offer financial relief to New Jerseyans dealing with the increasing cost of fossil fuels," said Donna De Costanzo, Northeast Regional Director, Climate & Energy at NRDC. "The Board of Public Utility’s action today represents important progress to make electrification and its benefits more accessible for everyone in our state, but more needs to be done. We look forward to working with the State to continue to build upon this result to further incentivize building decarbonization and move toward an equitable, managed transition off fossil fuels.”
“The Triennium programs are one place where the rubber meets the road when it comes to climate change and clean and affordable energy for New Jersey in the long term,” said Kaitlin Morrison, Staff Attorney at the Eastern Environmental Law Center. “It is critically important that these programs help achieve the State’s goals to transition to 100% clean energy sources by 2035, electrify a substantial number of buildings 2030, and ensure that low-income households are prioritized during the energy transition. The programs approved today are a step in that direction, and we appreciate the work of all parties to delve into these important and technical issues. Given New Jersey’s goals, however, there should be no incentives to encourage the purchase of gas combustion equipment, and we will continue to push for no more gas incentives in the third Triennium.”
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