New Jersey governor spends first day in office issuing executive orders on solar

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed six executive orders on her first day in office, including two affecting utility costs and energy permitting.

“In the Navy, I learned that you have to lead, follow or get out of the way — and I promised the people of New Jersey that I would be on a mission to deliver starting Day One. That’s why I’m beginning my term as governor by taking immediate action to deliver on some of the key issues impacting New Jerseyans. My first six executive orders include freezing utility rate hikes, ensuring that officers and staff in my administration are meeting the highest standards of transparency and accountability, bringing agencies together to protect our kids online, and cutting through the roadblocks and red tape that are making it too hard to do business here. Let’s get to work,” Gov. Sherrill said.

Executive Order No. 1 uses state authority to offset upcoming rate increases due to the regional grid operator PJM’s mismanagement and hold utilities accountable for keeping rates from continuing to climb at an unsustainable rate.

• Uses existing funds to offset electricity bill increases coming in June.
• Empowers the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to pause or modify utility actions that could further increase bills.
• Directs BPU to review utility business models to ensure alignment with delivering cost reductions to ratepayers.

Executive Order No. 2  declares a State of Emergency under the Disaster Control Act and creates and expands multiple, expedited state programs to develop massive amounts of new power generation in New Jersey, because more power means lower costs. It also tackles permitting challenges at the state level and interconnection delays at the utility level that hold up projects and drive up costs.

• Initiates and accelerates programs to bring on thousands of megawatts of new solar and battery storage generation.
• Directs state agencies to identify permit reforms to more rapidly deploy new energy projects.
• Directs BPU to take action on artificial intelligence “ghost loads” by requiring electric utilities to report on energy requests from data centers.
• Establishes a Nuclear Power Task Force to position the state to lead on building new nuclear power generation.

Jackson Morris, director of state power sector policy at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released comment after the executive order signings.

“Gov. Sherrill’s executive orders have outlined a bold vision to accelerate the deployment of clean energy and make New Jersey a more affordable and healthier place to live,” he said. “Her actions fall in line with her campaign promises to protect our communities, reduce our carbon emissions and address skyrocketing energy bills. We look forward to collaborating with Gov. Sherrill and engaging in the critical regulatory processes to get the details of these proposals right for New Jersey. We’re confident those important deliberations will result in a robust energy portfolio that maximizes renewables and energy efficiency for the benefit of all ratepayers.”