From the NJ Senate Democrats
TRENTON – In an effort to reduce the negative environmental impacts on historically overburdened communities and to lower energy costs for low-income households, the Senate Environment and Energy Committee advanced legislation sponsored by Senators Troy Singleton and John McKeon.
“All New Jerseyans – regardless of their ZIP code or income – deserve to have access to clean energy, the career opportunities enabled by the transition to clean energy, as well as the health and environmental benefits that will follow,” said Senator Singleton (D-Burlington). “By establishing this Office in statute, and requiring that the most overburdened communities have access to the many benefits of clean energy, we will ensure that everyone can attain affordable clean energy.”
“Decades of systemic racism and inequity have forced many urban and vulnerable communities to bear the brunt of polluting energy infrastructure. The same communities disproportionately face the impacts of climate change and are often the least equipped to prepare for, respond to, and recover from its effects,” said Senator McKeon (D-Essex/Passaic). “As we work toward a clean energy future, we must prioritize righting these wrongs and ensure these families are not only protected, but also experience real improvements in their quality of life. The Office of Clean Energy Equity will provide a dedicated vehicle to deliver tangible change in historically overburdened neighborhoods.”
The bill, S1757, would establish the Office of Clean Energy Equity within the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), tasked with promoting and overseeing an equitable transition to clean energy. The Office would seek to ensure that clean energy programs and their benefits are targeted toward the communities most impacted by the placement of polluting facilities and thus forced to contend with the negative health impacts. The BPU would be required to direct no less than 10 percent of its annual total clean energy budget, or at least $50 million annually, whichever amount is greater, to the new Office to effectuate its goals.
The legislation would also set specific goals and requirements to direct clean energy investments to low-income households and overburdened communities. Specifically, the BPU would be required to establish onsite or community solar programs with the objective of benefitting 250,000 low-income households, or 35 percent of the state’s low-income households, whichever is larger, within 10 years of the Office of Clean Energy Equity’s establishment. This provision aims to reduce low-income households’ average energy costs to below 6% of household income. The BPU would also be required to establish at least 1,600 megawatt-hours of energy storage to benefit overburdened communities within 10 years of the Office of Clean Energy Equity’s establishment.
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