The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) advanced a plan to scrap gas-powered stoves and water heaters (among other appliances) on Wednesday, Save Jerseyans, at a special session hosted by the Murphy-controlled entity.
As one might expect, this radical iniative is less-than-transparent. Cloaking their goal in deceptive language and procedural mechanics, the Board included “building decarboninzation program measures” buried in an adopted order. The relevant section of this order (click here) lays the groundwork for New Jersey to bar the sale and instillation of appliances on both commercial and residential properties which fail to comply with wacky new electrification standards.
Here’s the relevant verbiage:
State Senator Holly Schepisi (R-39), a leading voice in opposition to Murphy’s electrification agenda, sharply criticized the BPU’s latest decision.
“Despite significant pushback, the BPU is forging ahead with the Murphy administration’s radical plan to phase out the natural gas used in millions of New Jersey homes and businesses,” said Schepisi. “The BPU’s approval today is the first step of Governor Murphy’s electrification effort that will result in gas stoves and appliances being banned, mirroring the recent mandate banning future sales of gas cars. New Jerseyans cannot afford the $1.4 trillion price tag of an extreme energy plan that will leave them with fewer options and significantly higher electric bills.”
Schepisi cited the “building decarbonization” plan discussed at Wednesday’s special meeting, just one piece of the administration’s larger Energy Master Plan (EMP).
In order to accomplish his designs, Governor Murphy forced out two BPU commissioners who appeared willing to challenge the administration’s agenda earlier this year.
“Governor Murphy doesn’t care how many tens of thousands of dollars it will cost New Jersey families to convert their gas stoves, water heaters, and furnaces to fully electric appliances or that New Jersey does not have the infrastructure to support such rapid and radical changes,” Schepisi added. “He’s using agencies like the DCA and BPU to bypass the Legislature to mandate his extreme energy agenda into existence.”
“It’s disturbing that Governor Murphy is trying to circumvent the Legislature by having the BPU rubber-stamp his plan to transform how millions of New Jersey homes are powered,” said Anthony Bucco (R-25), the GOP’s new Senate minority leader. “Given the $1.4 trillion cost and the certain disruption to families, businesses, and communities, these policies deserve more public input than they’re getting from the governor’s friends at the BPU.”
“Imagine the cost of electrifying huge commercial boilers at our county colleges,” Bucco continued. “The colleges don’t have the money, so students would eventually get stuck with the bill. That’s what’s going to happen with all of these electrification efforts, somebody will be stuck paying for it.”
Meanwhile, the NJGOP emphasized Senator Bucco’s complaint that the administration is circumventing the legislative process in order to adopt its agenda… in a legislative election cycle.
“It’s never enough for Phil Murphy and Trenton Democrats; first, they came for our gas-powered cars, and now they are coming for our gas stoves. Their extreme agenda simply knows no bounds at this point. Even though Murphy has used the Board of Public Utilities to accomplish what he could not do through the legislative process, New Jerseyans across all 40 districts deserve to know where their elected leadership stands.” said NJGOP Chairman Bob Hugin. “These measures have a marginal to nonexistent impact on New Jersey’s carbon footprint but will come at a great cost to New Jersey families and businesses. It is not surprising that this backwards thinking has been brought to us by the same party that is mandating foreign, offshore wind farms at the expense of our ratepayers, marine life, and tourism economy.”
