TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Alex Sauickie has introduced a resolution expressing ‘no confidence’ in the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, citing what he described as “gross mismanagement, political interference, and direct harm to New Jersey ratepayers” through rising utility costs and declining energy independence.

The resolution (AR190), introduced Thursday, criticizes the board’s handling of energy policy and its continued pursuit of electrification and renewable energy mandates amid back-to-back rate hikes. BPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy is scheduled to testify before the Assembly Budget Committee later today.

“The BPU hasn’t just failed, they’ve actively driven this state backward,” Sauickie (R-Ocean) said. “Now we’re buying electricity from other states instead of selling it. They’re misusing ratepayer dollars for Band-Aid giveaways instead of investing in lasting solutions.”

The resolution states, “The BPU has been aware that expected increases in demand for electricity would likely increase utility prices, but the BPU instead continued to promote electrification and renewable energy goals.”

Other provisions in the measure point to what Sauickie called a “delayed and insufficient” response from the board to rising bills, including short-term subsidies and rate deferral programs that, in his words, are designed to “delay the pain just long enough to make it past the next election.”

The resolution highlights recent comments made by BPU commissioners, including a statement from November in which a commissioner said, “to the extent possible, we would encourage everyone for so many reasons – economic, environmental – to really cut back on their energy use whenever and wherever possible.”

It also references an April legislative hearing, where the BPU president acknowledged that clean energy goals remained a board priority, and an April board meeting where another commissioner criticized BPU leadership for marginalizing dissenting views and shaping staff analysis around “expected results.”

Sauickie is a member of the newly formed Assembly Republican Energy Task Force, which launched earlier this month to examine energy affordability and develop policy proposals focused on restoring grid reliability and lowering utility costs.