Years of mismanaged energy priorities and hyper-ideological governance are about to culminate in the inevitable: 17-20% electricity bill hikes for New Jerseyans starting June 1st, just as air conditioning units switch on and that famous Garden State humidity begins to arrive.
“The average monthly bill for a residential ratepayer using BGS service is expected to increase for most customers,” the BPU announced back in early February. “Specifically, ratepayers supplied by PSE&G will see an average estimated bill increase of 17.24%, ratepayers supplied by JCP&L will see an average estimated bill increase of 20.20%, ratepayers supplied by ACE will see an average estimated bill increase of 17.23%, and ratepayers supplied by RECO will see an average estimated bill increase of 18.18%.”
2025 is an election year with the majority party defending in districts where Donald Trump won last fall or came very close. Assembly Democrats – who have been in power uninterrupted since 2004! – are on the ballot this November and consequently pointing fingers with renewed ferocity amid the coming electric bill meltdown. How bad is the angst? In an internal Assembly Democratic Caucus talking points obtained by Save Jersey from one of our many reliable State House sources, the embattled Majority Office advises its members to blame everyone (except themselves) including Republicans, PJM, utility companies, and even the Murphy Admistration vis-à-vis its own pet Board of Public Utilities (BPU).
“Energy suppliers have not done enough to make sure we can keep up with demand,” the memo’s authors complain. “Utility companies have been all too happy to rack up profits at the expense of New Jersey ratepayers. And the Board of Public Utilities has failed to protect the pocketbooks of middle class families.”
But the BPU, which has yet to release the Murphy Administration’s vaunted Energy Master Plan, is comprised of members appointed by Governor Phil Murphy. So this is the first time Democrats appear to be openly signaling a willingness to throw their lame duck governor overboard to save their own skins despite serving as a loyal rubber stamp for his agenda for the past seven years.
Assembly Democrats also appear ready to defend the ruined wind industry, urging members to argue that “Republicans have opposed efforts to create wind, electric, nuclear and solar energy, and the new Administration in Washington has destroyed nearly a decade of work to produce wind energy off the Jersey shore.”
Republicans against nuclear? That’s news to me! The decision to defend wind is even stranger after small army of dead whales washed ashore in New Jersey and New York, broken blades closed beaches in New England, and foreign corporation Orsted ran out of New Jersey paying only $125 million of an agreed upon $300 million penalty among other infamous failures of the rapidly-collapsing wind experiment.
The Assembly Democrat full memo (which one Democrat described to me as “the dumbest document I’ve ever seen”) is posted below for your viewing pleasure. Do us all a favor and share it with an undecided voter or two:
Dem Energy Cost Talking Points
