After a surge in home energy bills that left many New Jersey residents with costs that have doubled, or more, there have been widespread calls for hearings to hold the state utility commission, the governor and supporters of green energy accountable.
State Sen. Mike Testa, R-Salem, echoed those calls and said on Wednesday that much of the blame goes to Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy’s "Energy Master Plan," launched in 2020.
"New Jersey is already one of the most unaffordable states in the United States of America. Now people are being hit with energy bills that are essentially doubled. And look, I get it that it was a hot July, but it wasn't that hot that your energy bills should have doubled," Testa said.
One constituent apparently told Testa they raised their thermostat four degrees on average this summer in the hopes of saving money but that the cost still somehow increased "significantly."
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Homeowners in suburban Morris County vented about the news on a local social media group, according to the Morristown Daily Record, with a Parsippany resident questioning a $782 monthly bill.
"Quite frankly, what I think happened is, via the Murphy Energy Master Plan that I've often called the energy disaster plan, it seemed that the BPU (New Jersey Board of Public Utilities) and the Murphy administration are working in tandem chasing this green energy dream.
"It’s what I call the energy disaster plan. It's a green energy nightmare," he said, adding that BPU officials went so far as to wear windmill pins at public functions amid New Jersey’s kerfuffle over offshore turbines.
In a lengthy statement, BPU acknowledged it had received correspondence from New Jerseyans and offered several potential reasons for the rate hikes.
The board cited increases in generation costs and usage, and it asked customers to contact their utility or the board right away if they find an "anomaly and cannot determine an explanation" A one-time $175 bill credit program is also available, a board spokesperson said.
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PJM, the energy transmission company that covers much of the Mid-Atlantic, offered data to Fox News Digital on the matter as well.
PJM research showed electricity demand is likely to increase in the region particularly due to "proliferation of high-demand data centers" and "thermal generators retiring at a rapid pace due to government and private sector policies as well as economics."
Meanwhile, at the federal level, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., fumed at the BPU this week in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, which cited "thousands" of constituents discovering unbearable bill increases.
"Given these alarming reports, I demand that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) hold a public hearing in South Jersey to allow residents to voice their concerns directly to the Board," he wrote, adding the board must also determine whether there is a correlation between the rate hikes and the offshore wind turbine operations in his Cape May district.
Van Drew said New Jersey officials must take the situation seriously, and he dismissed claims that the "unseasonably warm summer" was the only variable.
"We need transparency and accountability from the NJBPU to ensure that the needs and concerns of South Jersey residents are being effectively addressed," he said.
Van Drew previously noted how Danish green power company Ørsted withdrew its windmill plans for the Jersey Shore despite Murphy’s full support and taxpayer funding: "They still couldn't make it."
While Murphy’s office did not return a request for comment, the governor previously praised his Energy Master Plan’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2050 in the Garden State.
"The Energy Master Plan comprehensively addresses New Jersey’s energy system, including electricity generation, transportation and buildings, and their associated greenhouse gas emissions and related air pollutants," he said.
In a statement Tuesday, the Murphy administration highlighted a "Residential Energy Assistance Payment (REAP) Initiative" to provide financial relief to thousands of households, of the same $175 figure cited by BPU.
"Making our state more affordable for New Jersey families has been the top priority since day one," Murphy said in the statement.
State Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Perth Amboy, added it is "great to see this resource added to the growing list of support available to residents who need a little extra help in our state."
Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz, R-Summit, said price-per-kilowatt hour increases averaged 8.6% in Central Jersey.
"It’s simple economics: When supply drops and demand surges, prices go up," she told Fox News Digital.
"I'm of the belief that Americans are innovative. … The government can't be mandating deadlines at the same time that they're … shutting down natural gas production."
Munoz, who serves on the Budget Committee, said there are likely Democrats who agree the rate hikes are a problem: "That's kind of a silly concept for them to think, like, do they not care that their constituents are the ones that are having to absorb these massive increases in cost?"
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Fox News Digital reached out to state Senate President Nick Scutari, D-Clark, for such a perspective.
Citing attempts to make New Jersey vehicle sales 60% electric by 2035, Munoz said there won’t be the proper infrastructure to fulfill the need, regardless of opinions on EVs themselves.
When Testa was asked about other states’ similar green energy endeavors – such as then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo shuttering the Indian Point nuke plant on the Hudson River opposite Haverstraw in 2020 – he expressed relief that crackdowns hadn’t gotten that far at home.
A similar nuclear plant in Lower Alloways Creek Township remains operational, he noted, adding that he is proud to have it and its jobs and generation ability in his district.
Testa said the state’s energy portfolio is 50% natural gas, 40% nuclear and 10% other, which flies in the face of Murphy’s aversion to additional natural gas production.
While some energy experts fear crises arising from nuclear power, such as the 1979 Three Mile Island meltdown in Dauphin County, Pa., Testa said technology has advanced since and that there are also small modular nuclear reactors similar to those on submarines that could generate safe, clean energy inland at low cost.
"By the way, we’re positive that those don’t kill whales," he said.
