TRENTON, N.J. – The blame for New Jersey’s energy crisis lies squarely at the feet of Democrats, Assemblyman Alex Sauickie says.    

Ratepayers, already forced to subsidize Murphy’s wind- and solar-driven “green” energy agenda, will see electric bills increase another 20% this summer. The NJ Board of Public Utilities, all Gov. Phil Murphy appointees, announced that increase in February after PJM Interconnection—which operates the electric grid for 13 states and Washington, D.C. for 65 million customers—completed its electricity auction for basic generation service.

“There’s just not enough energy to meet demand, which is driving up costs, but Democrats are deflecting on how to solve that problem. They just announced public hearings to find legislative ways to address it,” Sauickie (R-Ocean) said. “Let me save them the trouble by giving them the answer: their policies are the problem.”

Sauickie pointed to the testimony of the state’s “ratepayer advocate” in October, when he told an Assembly committee that to protect electricity customers, “First, we can stop passing legislation that increases utility bills.”

Sauickie noted that a Democrat-sponsored law, passed in 2018 and signed by Gov. Murphy, actually requires electric and gas utilities to reduce usage every year, putting the squeeze on customers.

“Their hearings should start and end with a giant mirror facing the committee,” Sauickie said. “And if they don’t call in the ‘ratepayer advocate’ to discuss their own cost-hiking policies, the hearings will be a total sham.”

Democrats’ commitment to “green” energy has led to the abandonment of nuclear and natural gas, with no reliable alternatives emerging on their artificial deadlines, the Assemblyman said. Murphy’s energy master plan calls for an electrified future by 2035, the credibility of which is quickly dimming. A grid upgrade would cost billions over decades, requiring the replacement of overhead and underground lines, new substations and accommodations to integrate renewables. The governor’s offshore wind projects collapsed despite huge subsidies to try to make it happen, and before President Donald Trump signed his executive order halting offshore leases and permits for wind projects.

New Jersey’s peak demand hit 24,000 megawatts in the summer of 2023, while in-state generation capacity is below 17,000 megawatts. Closures of in-state and regional power plants have widened this gap, forcing more imports from gas-heavy states like Pennsylvania and Ohio.

“Democrats want to pin this on Republicans who just want to include proven, reliable energy sources,” Sauickie said. “I would argue they are beholden to “green” energy companies. Their mandates are standing in the way of lower energy costs and innovation in the energy sector. I’m not going to stop working to ensure our lights stay on, our heat and AC work, and our vehicles have fuel to get us to work and get our children to school. Democrats are putting us all in this precarious position by clinging to unreliable and expensive energy sources.”