For Immediate Release:	Contact: Peter Peretzman
Date: 08/15/2018	609-984-9707

Public Meetings Will Culminate in a New Energy Master Plan in 2019

TRENTON—The New Jersey Energy Master Plan (EMP) Committee will host a series of public stakeholder meetings in September, launching the public participation process that will shape the total conversion of New Jersey’s energy production profile to 100 percent clean energy sources by 2050.

The EMP Committee, helmed by leadership and staff at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), has identified five policy areas integral to Governor Phil Murphy’s signature energy and environmental agenda. Throughout the coming year, the EMP Committee will aggregate and process public feedback through a series of public stakeholder meetings this fall and in the spring of 2019, resulting in an entirely new EMP to be adopted in June 2019.

“Being responsible stewards of the environment is not a campaign promise, it’s a moral, philosophical, and economic obligation that we have to ensure a strong economy and quality of life for all New Jersey residents today and for generations to come,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

“My administration sees these EMP stakeholder meetings as critical first steps toward meeting that obligation,” Governor Murphy added.

NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso emphasized the policy implications of a comprehensive, publicly vetted EMP.

“Climate change is real and we have to take seriously the short- and long-term effects of our policy decisions for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren. Additionally, creating a clean energy economy in New Jersey opens new markets and creates an enormous economic development opportunity in this state. The potential there cannot be understated,” said President Fiordaliso. 

Since kicking off in June, the EMP Committee collaborated to identify overarching goals and themes of the 2019 EMP. The ultimate 2019 EMP, which will provide a comprehensive guide for the use, management, and development of energy across the state, will focus on five main goals: Putting New Jersey on a path to achieve 100 percent clean energy by 2050; Growing New Jersey’s clean energy economy; Ensuring reliability and affordability for all customers; Reducing the state’s carbon footprint; and Advancing new technologies for all New Jersey residents.

To develop a plan for achieving these goals, the EMP Committee has organized into five work groups: Clean and Renewable Power; Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure; Reducing Energy Consumption; Clean and Reliable Transportation; and Building a Modern Grid.

The EMP Committee is chaired by Grace Strom Power, NJBPU Chief of Staff. In addition to being led by NJBPU staff, each work group includes senior staff designees from the following state agencies: Department of Community Affairs, Economic Development Authority, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Transportation, Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Department of the Treasury, and NJ Transit.

The stakeholder meetings will begin at 10 a.m. and are as follows:

 

Clean and Renewable Power
Date: Friday, September 7
Location: The College of New Jersey, Gitenstein Library
2000 Pennington Rd, Ewing Township, NJ

*Reducing Energy Consumption
Date: Friday, September 14
New Location: State House Annex, Committee Room 6
131-137 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08625

*Clean and Reliable Transportation
Date: Thursday, September 20
New Location: State House Annex, Committee Room 4
131-137 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08625

Building a Modern Grid
Date: Monday, September 24
Location: Mercer County Community College, the Conference Center at Mercer
1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, NJ

Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure
Date: Friday, September 28
Location: Mercer County Community College, the Conference Center at Mercer
1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, NJ

 

*PLEASE NOTE LOCATION HAS CHANGED

Attendees are strongly encouraged to register and file comments early. Priority will be given to participants who register and file comments early. Consideration will then be given to participants who sign up in advance, and finally to participants who register the day of the event.

For more information and to register, please visit www.nj.gov/emp.