Mikie Sherrill, the newly sworn in governor of New Jersey, campaigned on lowering energy costs for families and small businesses as part of her overall theme of making New Jersey more affordable.
She vowed to freeze utility rate hikes on Day 1 of her administration, and the former Navy helicopter pilot kept her promise. Sherrill signed two executive orders on inauguration day freezing utility rate hikes and accelerating solar and battery storage to boost supply and pushed utilities to fix interconnection delays that have stalled projects for years.
Sherrill’s Day 1 actions met with approval among those advocating for renewable energy sources, even as her vision for renewables faces much skepticism and harsh criticism.
“Governor Sherrill’s executive order is a decisive step toward addressing high energy costs and expanding clean energy in New Jersey,” said Solar Landscape CEO Shaun Keegan. “Community solar is an immediate, scalable solution, and the state has ample underutilized rooftops to support these projects.”
Katie Mettle, New Jersey State Lead at Advanced Energy United, said, “Making clean energy and affordability a day-one priority — literally before the inaugural address was even over — sends a clear signal that she’s focused on delivering real relief for families while building the energy system our future demands.
These executive orders are tackling peak demand, unlocking customer-sited resources, and speeding deployment of solar and storage.” Advanced Energy United is a national industry association representing businesses that provide advanced energy and transportation solutions.
Sherrill plans to keep New Jersey on schedule to be fossil-free by 2035. Former Gov. Phil Murphy set that goal through an executive order in early 2023.
Sherrill’s position on boosting solar power aligns with her predecessor, Phil Murphy. While serving as congresswoman, Sherrill introduced the “RAISE the Roof Act” in Congress to expand the solar investment tax credit (ITC) to include integrated solar roofs, aiming to make solar adoption easier and more accessible for American families.
However, her stance on wind’s potential diverges from that of the ex-governor. Murphy had been a proponent of wind but distanced himself from that renewable option under the withering opposition of wind power by President Donald Trump.
There are no offshore wind projects that are operational or under construction along New Jersey’s 130 miles of coastline, unlike other East Coast states that, like New Jersey, have incentivized offshore wind development via tax breaks. The Trump administration has frozen permitting for New Jersey’s earlier-stage offshore projects.
Atlantic Shores, the state’s lone approved wind farm and projected to install 357 of the world’s tallest wind turbines nine miles from the Jersey Coast, had one of its federal permits revoked in March by the Environmental Protection Agency. Shell, the project’s co-developer, officially withdrew from the project in November.
Wind power’s reputation was also damaged this past summer by a report from advocacy group Save Long Beach Island Inc. that claimed offshore wind activities such as turbine operation were linked to the deaths of whales that washed up on shore. That claim is not supported by scientific evidence, according to a story in the magazine Scientific American.
In the wake of Sherrill’s victory, Paulina O’Connor, executive director of the New Jersey Offshore Wind Alliance, whose work is funded partly by wind developers, told left-leaning Mother Jones that “in-state produced power through offshore wind and other renewable technologies is the only path forward to ensure carbon reduction while prioritizing price stability, economic growth, and resource adequacy.”
Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said shortly after the election that “New Jersey voters sent a clear message this election: a strong vision for an affordable and clean energy future is not just good policy, it’s winning politics. Despite swirling disinformation from campaign ads and the fossil fuel industry, New Jerseyans voted to elect Mikie Sherrill, who pledged to lower electricity bills for working families by investing in clean energy.”
During the campaign, Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli and other critics called Sherrill’s proposal to declare an energy emergency to freeze or lower electric bills “unworkable,” “illegitimate” and legally dubious.
One of the more contentious episodes of an often-acrimonious gubernatorial campaign was an ad supporting Ciattarelli showing Sherrill discussing clean energy and how it may cost you “an arm and a leg but if you’re a good person, you’ll do it.” The Sherrill campaign said the ad was deceptively edited and omitted context in which she criticizes what she says has been the Democratic Party’s message on clean energy–that it will be more expensive but that’s the price you have to pay.
Opponents of Sherrill’s energy plan argue that it doubles down on policies they believe caused New Jersey’s energy problems—higher costs, reduced reliability and overdependence on renewables that have not delivered. Critics claim her energy plan is ideologically driven and not practical. They argue that innovation should include natural gas, nuclear and not just wind and solar. Solar only accounts for 7% of New Jersey’s net electricity generation, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Critics claim the state is already operating at a net loss in power generation compared with eight years ago, because of the premature retirement of plants without replacements brought online. During Murphy’s eight years in office, five coal plants and the Oyster Creek nuclear reactor were shut down-resulting in a loss of 2,500 megawatts (MW) of net capacity.
Gabriella Hoffman, director of the Independent Women’s Center for Energy and Conservation, writing for Real Clear Energy, said “A policy of energy abundance – not net-zero – that encourages a competitive marketplace for all energy sources is the best way to deliver reliable and affordable energy. Climate policies that force a 100% transition to renewables have made states like New Jersey worse off with higher prices.”
She contends that Murphy’s Energy Master Plan, if not reformed or repealed, will ultimately cost the state $5 billion annually and lead to a 35% increase in electricity rates.
New Jersey’s energy crisis has also prompted finger-pointing by Sherrill. In July, then-Rep. Sherrill publicly criticized regional grid operator PJM Interconnection for New Jersey’s rising utility bills and vowed to fix what she calls a “broken system.”
Sherrill said about 90% of the stalled projects awaiting approval are clean energy initiatives and alleges the delays are driving up costs for consumers by limiting supply and forcing continued reliance on fossil fuel plants. Sherrill also has blamed the utility companies and the Trump administration for New Jersey’s energy crunch.
Alex Ambrose, policy analyst for the think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective, who researches policies with a focus on climate justice and transportation, believes Sherrill’s actions “tackle the right problems, right now. Requiring utilities to report on data center energy requests within 14 days, launching new solar and battery programs within 45 days, and completing a utility business model study sends a clear message: no more delays while families struggle with bills,” she said writing for the Power Play NJ Campaign.
“Now the details will determine whether they deliver. We’ll be watching to ensure clean energy funds prioritize low-income relief, permitting reforms don’t bypass community input, and data centers pay their fair share instead of pushing costs onto families.”
