New Jersey electric bills are set to surge beginning June 1st, Save Jerseyans, and Democrats recognize that the increases couldn’t be coming at a worse time with a general election only six months away. They’re spinning like tops!
The Murphy-stacked agency most responsible for the increases – the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) – is groping for a way out. The BPU board met on Wednesday and invited JCP&L, Rockland, PSE&G, and Atlantic City Electric (ACE) to propose “distribution side proposals to mitigate bill impacts to customers” by May 5th. The goal: postpone 17% to 20% energy bill hikes until after the November election.
Of course, it’s the BPU’s efforts to implement Phil Murphy’s “Energy Master Plan” – notably an obsessive focus on unworkable technologies like offshore wind at the expense of tried and true sources of energy such as nuclear and natural gas – which are primarily responsible for the massive jump in energy costs.
“We have continuously warned that creating policies that set artificial deadlines for actions and discouraging new generation from sources that include natural gas, nuclear, as well as other renewables, will result in much higher energy prices for New Jersey residents and businesses. And so here we are,” opined New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) Deputy Chief Government Affairs Officer Ray Cantor in a February op-ed.
Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco (R-25), who serves on the Democrat-controlled Senate Select Committee on Energy Costs, criticized the move as political theater.
“It’s a five-alarm fire in the Democrat Party to contain the danger of their costly, failing energy policies before the election this fall,” said Bucco. “Instead of moving quickly to fast track reliable, affordable power to increase supplies, the BPU and Trenton Democrats are instead scrambling to deflect this emergency with bureaucratic gimmicks that delay price hikes. The pricing chaos will only get worse without fundamental change away from their predictably bad policies. Asking utility companies to ‘propose solutions’ that are the equivalent of ratepayer credit card debt is a blatant attempt to hide the fallout of their failing energy agenda. This isn’t relief, it’s a smokescreen.”
“New Jerseyans need accountability, transparency and real reform, not more political theater,” added Bucco. “Unfortunately, as BPU Commissioner Zenon Christodoulou said, ‘Outside opinions, including mine and others, are dismissed and marginalized,’ and that has been the case every time Republicans have suggested alternative plans to keep energy supply high and energy costs low.”
