Rising electric rates have been a chief focus of this year's race for governor, with Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) saying Wednesday she would freeze utility rates if elected and Jack Ciattarelli (R) accusing Sherrill of backing "failed energy policies." (Photos by Reena Rose Sibayan/Amanda Brown)
By MORGAN LEASON
Published with permission from New Jersey Monitor
The rising cost of electricity became a central focus of the governor’s race Wednesday, when Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill pledged to freeze utility rates if she’s elected and Republican Jack Ciattarelli argued Sherrill’s party is to blame for the spike in rates customers saw starting in June.
Sherrill, speaking outside a private residence in Kenilworth, said she would declare a state of emergency over utility rates on “day one” if she becomes New Jersey’s next governor. She said rising electric bills are “breaking the back of too many families when we have an overall affordability crisis.”
“So much of that pain is coming from electric bills, and the rate hikes are forcing families to make impossible choices between putting food on the table and paying for electric bills,” she said.
Sherrill said the average New Jersey family would not see an increase in utility rates for one year under her plan.
She also pledged to “massively increase” in-state power generation to bring down the cost of energy, including by supporting new solar and battery storage projects, expediting upgrades at existing nuclear plants, modernizing natural gas plants, and more.
It’s not clear whether Sherrill, if she’s elected governor, would have the power to freeze utility rates. She said it would be an action no other governor has taken.
Sherrill and Ciattarelli are competing in November to succeed Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat wrapping up two terms in office.
A spokesman for Ciattarelli, who has hammered New Jersey Democrats as responsible for soaring utility rates, did not comment directly on Sherrill’s pledge to freeze rates. But in a statement, Ciattarelli said Sherrill has been a “lockstep supporter of Phil Murphy’s failed energy policies.”
“When I’m Governor, things are going to change. I’ll ban offshore wind and diversify our energy sources in New Jersey to once again include natural gas and nuclear,” he said. “I’ll rewrite our master plan and deliver safe, clean, and sustainable energy to everyone in our state at a price you can afford.”
New Jersey Democrats — anxious over New Jersey’s November election, when the governor’s race and all 80 Assembly seats will be on the ballot — have tried to pin the blame for rising electric bills on PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for New Jersey and 12 other states.
They say PJM has been too slow to add renewable energy projects to its grid. Republicans say the fault lies with Murphy’s focus on renewable energy, including offshore wind projects that have failed to materialize.
