New Jersey is an innovative state, boldly moving forward with progress and prosperity in mind. By utilizing proven, research-backed approaches to governance, Garden State is better equipped to tackle the challenges and opportunities presented by the future. In this latest win for New Jerseyans, Governor Murphy has announced his accelerated plan to transition New Jersey to 100% clean energy by 2035. Governor Murphy hopes to bring green vitality to the Garden State by prioritizing sustainability and mitigation efforts.

In his address at Rutgers University, Governor Murphy noted, “These bold targets and carefully crafted initiatives signal our unequivocal commitment to swift and concrete climate action today. We’ve turned our vision for a greener tomorrow into a responsible and actionable roadmap to guide us, and it’s through that pragmatic, evidence-based approach that we will ultimately arrive at our destination. Combined with our federal partnerships reinforced through the Inflation Reduction Act, these comprehensive initiatives will better protect and prepare every New Jersey community, including those on the front lines of climate change who have previously been left out and left behind.”

Murphy’s plan lays out an ambitious plan on transitioning to clean energy, with the following tenants serving as the foundation for a cleaner, greener New Jersey:

  1. Adoption through Executive Order No. 315 of an accelerated target of 100% clean energy by 2035, defined as 100% of the electricity sold in the State to come from clean sources of electricity by January 1, 2035 through clean energy market mechanisms, paired with support for a Clean Energy Standard in New Jersey
  2. Adoption through Executive Order No. 316 of a target to install zero-carbon-emission space heating and cooling systems in 400,000 homes and 20,000 commercial properties and make 10% of all low-to-moderate income (LMI) properties electrification-ready by 2030
  3. Initiation through Executive Order No. 317 of a process in partnership with the state’s hometown utilities, key stakeholders including organized labor, and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to plan for the Future of the Natural Gas Utility in New Jersey
  4. Allocation of $70 million in unobligated Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auction proceeds toward lowering consumer upfront costs for medium- and heavy-duty EV adoption
  5. Initiation of the stakeholdering process to adopt Advanced Clean Cars II in New Jersey, which would require all new cars and light-duty truck sales to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2035
  6. Anticipated proposal of the NJ PACT REAL rules in Summer 2023, which will provide enhanced flood protection for homeowners, businesses, and infrastructure against increased flooding in riverine and coastal areas

Climate advocates and green energy experts from all across the state reveled in these fantastic new initiatives. Per Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, “With today’s bold executive actions, Governor Murphy is again putting New Jersey at the forefront of the fight against climate change. Governor Murphy has set the nation’s most ambitious clean energy goal – 100% clean electricity by 2035, which meets not only the moment but the goal New Jersey LCV set in 2021. We are thrilled to see a roadmap to 100% clean electricity, meaningful commitments to electrify buildings, vans, trucks, and buses, and updated coastal rules to protect families and businesses – all as we step up efforts to protect our communities from the impacts of climate change.”

Potosnak continued, “These important environmental policies will also position our state to be a leader in creating new union jobs in growing green industries even as we slash carbon pollution. Other states looking to combat climate change, protect our environment, and create good local jobs that can’t be outsourced must now take their cues from New Jersey.”

100% clean energy is a giant task, but it’s nothing that the great minds of New Jersey cannot take on. Through these efforts, the Murphy administration hopes to bring about the electrification of the state’s building sector, invest in and normalize the use of electric cars, and create a robust infrastructure to support a green new economy. 2035 is just a few short years ahead, but with the right plans and resources in place, we’re all better prepared to power the next New Jersey!

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