The state is pushing ahead with costly new reactors without adequately examining alternatives, financial risks, or the potential burden on ratepayers.
By Jeff Tittel in The Jersey Vindicator, Oct. 19, 2026
New Jersey’s Nuclear Power Task Force is supposed to help shape the future of our energy system. But this is not an independent investigation into whether new nuclear reactors are safe, affordable, or necessary. It is a government-organized sales team for a nuclear expansion that politicians have already decided to pursue.
Instead of asking whether New Jersey should build new reactors, the task force is figuring out how to get them built, finance them, streamline permitting, and persuade the public to accept them. That’s government by public relations, not public policy.
On April 8, Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration moved to lift New Jersey’s roughly 50-year de facto moratorium on new nuclear construction. On July 13, Sherrill signed the Power NJ Act, establishing a procurement process for at least 1,100 megawatts of new nuclear generation. The law directs the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) to evaluate proposals and negotiate project terms. At its first meeting Oct. 1, the task force established five subcommittees covering permitting, financing, technology and supply chains, workforce development, and public engagement.
New Jersey is preparing to build a new nuclear industry before answering the most basic questions about whether it should. Where is the independent study demonstrating that new reactors are the best way to lower electricity bills? Where is the comprehensive comparison with solar, wind, battery storage, energy efficiency, demand management, and grid modernization? Where is the analysis showing that the benefits outweigh the financial, environmental, waste, and safety risks?
The state has announced its destination before honestly examining the alternatives. It is putting the cart before the reactor, and asking ratepayers to pick up the tab.
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