⚡NJ energy costs have surged 45% in two years
⚡Congressman pushes ‘all of the above’ strategy to boost supply
⚡AI demand, plant closures blamed for increasing energy prices
With energy costs up 45% over the past two years, a New Jersey congressman believes an “all of the above” energy strategy is a more realistic approach to cutting energy costs than the policies of the more progressive wing of his party.
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. 5th District, said that energy demand has gone up but supply has not kept up. Producing all types of energy in New Jersey, including natural gas, nuclear, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and battery storage, is a better strategy to bring down prices. He said zero-emission goals are admirable but not realistic.
He said that plans to use more alternative energy sources did not account for the increased demand from AI data centers. Plus, cutting off traditional supplies, freezing capacity and decreasing capacity with the closing of the Oyster Creek nuclear plant and the Essex Generating Plant, and retiring natural gas plants without replacements, were not wise decisions.
“I’d love to get us off of fossil fuels today or next week and speed up our transition to alternative energies like solar. But, we didn’t leave much room for reality. We thought that our energy demand would continue to stay flat as it has for decades – or that our transition to more electric devices wouldn’t suck up that much supply,” Gottheimer said Monday during a media briefing.
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Plan to boost supply
Gottheimer said that energy should not be priced like a luxury but as a necessity.
“Nobody in this state should be sweating over an electric bill at the kitchen table. We’re going to build more energy, cut red tape, hold the system accountable, and fight like hell to make sure Jersey families aren’t getting squeezed every time they flip on a light switch,” Gottheimer said
Other parts of Gottheimer’s plan include expediting approvals for energy infrastructure and new generation projects and improving coordination among federal, state, and local agencies to streamline approvals. Gottheimer would also like to see coal plants converted to cheaper and cleaner natural gas or renewable energy.
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Gallery Credit: Dan Alexander
