NJBIA seeks your comments on the EMP as it prepares to testify
The Board of Public Utilities has just added two more public stakeholder meetings to take comments on the draft EMP.
These meetings will be held on Tuesday, September 3 in Hackensack and on Thursday, September 5 in Toms River. Both meetings will be held in the evening. The BPU has already held two stakeholder meetings and had previously announced that its final meeting will be on September 12 in Camden. NJBIA will be testifying in Camden and will be submitting detailed written comments by the September 16 deadline. NJBIA is also participating in the Integrated Energy Planning (IEP) process, a fact gathering and modeling exercise intended to determine the least costly path to implementing the goals of the EMP. NJBIA has asked the BPU to keep the EMP comment period open until the IEP process is complete so that we have a fuller understanding of the potential cost and direction of our energy policies.
The draft EMP proposes a total restructuring in how energy is created and consumed in New Jersey. Its stated goals are to meet the carbon reduction mandates of the Global Warming Response Act (80% carbon reduction over 2006 levels by 2050) and Governor Murphy’s stated goal of 100% clean energy by 2050. In order to attain these goals, the EMP calls for “100% carbon-neutral electricity generation and maximum electrification of the transportation and the building sectors.” NJBIA has cited reports that estimate the cost of 100% carbon-neutral electricity generation to be upward of $115 billion over the next 30 years in addition to the steep costs to electrify the transportation and building sectors.
NJBIA is calling for an energy policy that is both realistic and affordable as the State seeks a deep de-carbonization of the energy sector. NJBIA welcomes your input and expertise. If you have comments you want to share, or questions, please reach out to Ray Cantor at rcantor@njbia.org.
