TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Paul Kanitra is accusing Gov. Mikie Sherrill of offering New Jersey families too little, too late after widespread power outages left hundreds of thousands of residents without electricity during the Independence Day holiday.
The Ocean County Republican criticized Sherrill’s recent announcement of a one-time $25 electric bill credit, arguing the benefit is inadequate as ratepayers continue to face some of the nation’s highest energy costs and recurring concerns about grid reliability.
More than 200,000 customers lost power after severe storms swept across New Jersey over the Fourth of July weekend, with tens of thousands remaining in the dark for days as high temperatures and humidity created dangerous conditions.
Following the outages, Sherrill unveiled what her administration described as an affordability initiative that includes a $25 credit on August electric bills for all customers. Additional assistance will be provided to qualifying low-income households through the state’s Residential Energy Assistance Payment program.
Kanitra argued the announcement omitted a key detail: the credit program existed under former Gov. Phil Murphy at significantly higher levels. According to the assemblyman, the universal credit was previously $100, while additional assistance for eligible low-income residents reached $175 before being reduced under the new plan.
“When your electric bill is $500 or $600 a month and you don’t have power in the sweltering heat, $25 means nothing,” Kanitra said, dismissing the credit as symbolic rather than meaningful relief.
The Republican lawmaker also criticized the administration’s broader energy agenda, contending that New Jersey’s continued emphasis on offshore wind and other renewable energy initiatives has failed to address affordability or improve electric grid reliability.
Kanitra contrasted the governor’s affordability messaging with the experience of residents in Ocean and Monmouth counties who endured prolonged outages during extreme summer heat.
He called for a major shift in the state’s energy policies, arguing that reducing electricity costs and strengthening grid reliability will require abandoning current Democratic priorities in favor of a different approach.
The criticism comes as lawmakers from both parties have increasingly questioned the resilience of New Jersey’s electric infrastructure following repeated weather-related outages and steadily rising utility bills, making energy affordability and reliability likely to remain major issues in Trenton.
