The United States and New Jersey are standing at the threshold of what can best be described as the Advanced Industrial Revolution — a convergence of advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, massive job creation, and large-scale reinvestment in American’s industrial base. At the center of it all is energy: abundant, reliable and built with purpose.
The New Jersey Energy Policy Coalition was created to address that realization — to ensure that New Jersey is not just watching as the Advanced Industrial Revolution unfold but that New Jersey is participating in this new era and shaping it. Our mission is clear: support energy and economic development by expanding generation, strengthening infrastructure, and building a workforce capable of delivering real results.
I recently had the opportunity to speak across the nation, where I emphasized a critical truth: no energy project can exist without skilled labor. By 2030, America will need 500,000 newly trained electricians. That number is staggering — but also inspiring. These aren’t theoretical jobs. They are real, hands-on, American careers. That’s why we must work hand-in-hand with energy companies, utilities, labor unions, trade associations, technical schools, and economic development leaders to build and train the workforce we’ll need—not just for today, but for the decades ahead.
Here in New Jersey, the need to build is especially urgent.
Over the last several years, our state has seen more power generation retire than come online. At the same time, our demand for electricity is growing rapidly — from data centers to electrified transit, advanced manufacturing, and heating and cooling. New Jersey needs to build new generation and grid infrastructure now, and we need to do it right here at home.
And let’s be clear, while we debate and delay, China and India are building coal-fired power plants at the pace of nearly one per week — every week — for the next decade. That is the scale of global industrial momentum. We cannot afford to fall behind — not technologically, not economically, and certainly not strategically.
This is not about ideology — it’s about capacity, reliability, national security, and economic survival.
To meet our growing needs, we must pursue a balanced, technology-neutral approach to energy development and delivery, leveraging every viable in-state resource:
- Advanced nuclear energy, for long-term, carbon-free baseload power;
- Fuel cells for efficient, distributed generation in commercial, industrial, and municipal applications;
- Energy storage systems to manage peak load, enhance local grid resilience and reliability, and support intermittent assets.
- Solar power in appropriate locations, paired with firm generation or storage;
- Combined cycle natural gas plants, which have proven to be flexible, fast-start, and reliable;
- Sustained investment in infrastructure for electric and gas will not only carry critical fuel to the power plants, but it will also distribute the fuel for heating and cooking, and wires will deliver the electrons from generators to homes and businesses;
- Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) can be sourced from in-state landfills and wastewater treatment plants, converting waste into usable, local natural gas that can fuel clean electric generation and heat homes.
But electric generation alone is only the first part of the equation. We must also build the transmission and distribution systems to deliver power where and when it’s needed. That means modern substations, upgraded lines, hardened infrastructure, modernized pipelines, and advanced control systems — a full grid that supports the next generation of industrial growth.
And when we talk about New Jersey — from Cape May to Sussex, Salem to Jersey City, Vineland to Newark, from the Taylor Ham diners to the Pork Roll diners, and from the Monmouth Battlefield to the Red Bank Battlefield — we are talking about a state uniquely equipped to answer this generation’s call.
This is our moonshot moment. Just as a prior generation put a man on the moon, we have the opportunity — and the responsibility — to build the energy backbone that will support our economy, our national competitiveness, and our way of life for generations to come.
This is the work of the NJEPC. We are building a coalition not around slogans or mandates, but around reality — around shovels in the ground, engineers in the field, and electricians, carpenters, operating engineers, and laborers on the job. We are laying the foundation for a future built on reliability, affordability, and American grit.
But this is also about something deeper.
We must leave behind more than megawatts and therms — we must leave a legacy. A legacy our children, and their children, can look back on with pride and say: They built the power. They trained the workers. They answered the call. They gave us the chance to dream bigger and better.
The Advanced Industrial Revolution is already underway—and New Jersey must decide whether to lead or be left behind.
At the NJEPC, we choose to lead. We welcome all who believe in building — not just talking — to join us.
Erick Ford is the president of the New Jersey Energy Policy Coalition.
