In my career as a public servant, I’ve seen how the toughest policy decisions often involve finding balance — and few issues demand that balance more than New Jersey’s energy future. But lately, even the basics like heating a home or keeping the lights on have become a strain for families. Power prices have increased 31% over the last five years, leaving a large majority of households concerned about their economic situation.
Expanding access to affordable, reliable energy sources like natural gas must be a part of the solution if we want to ease the economic burden while keeping New Jersey on a path toward cleaner power. Natural gas emits 50% less CO₂ than coal and has driven 61% of U.S. carbon reductions in the last two decades — the same period since I began my tenure as a state senator.
As Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill takes office in January, it will be crucial for her administration to prioritize an energy policy that balances reliability and affordability, while driving down emissions. Clean energy goals are important, and renewable sources should play a major role in our future, but they can’t come at the expense of affordability. New Jersey’s path forward must ensure hardworking families can live and work here without being priced out by policies that are making energy costs unaffordable.
And New Jersey voters agree — they want more balanced energy policies that include renewables and natural gas. A recent poll shows that New Jersey voters are more likely to support a political candidate who advocates for including more natural gas in the state’s energy mix, rather than a candidate who continues the zero-carbon policies of Governor Murphy. Simply put, it will be incredibly important for the next administration to adopt an all-of-the-above energy approach.
Sherrill, as well as the state legislature, will face many conflicting pressures, and I know it’s not easy to make decisions that make a majority happy. During my tenure as New Jersey’s Senate President, I worked to modernize New Jersey’s energy policies — from promoting renewable development to investing in grid resilience — all while striving to keep rates affordable for working families.
That balance is about more than good policy. It’s about recognizing that New Jersey’s energy future cannot hinge on one approach or technology. We’ve learned over the past several years, as projects stall and investors back out, that we can’t rely solely on renewable sources as the answer to New Jersey’s energy crisis. Renewable resources provide 8% of New Jersey’s total in-state electricity generation, and earlier this year, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities ended plans to seek new proposals for offshore wind development. It’s clear there’s been a shift in the energy strategy at both the state and federal levels — but lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are missing the big picture.
We’re at a critical crossroads. New Jersey is consuming more energy than it produces, and we need to take immediate action to close the gap. The answer to our state’s energy crisis isn’t in wind or solar or nuclear or natural gas alone — it’s in an all-of-the-above approach that draws on every resource to build a more resilient energy economy.
Governor-Elect Sherrill has said she has plans to curb increases in utility costs, but what matters now is that her administration recognizes both the complexity and urgency of New Jersey’s energy challenges. She’ll need to move beyond campaign rhetoric to embrace practical solutions to protect consumers and businesses.
We’ll be no closer to reaching our collective climate goals if families can’t afford to keep the heat on this winter. Affordability and sustainability must go hand-in-hand. As the most densely populated state in the country, New Jersey can be a national model for how to build a cleaner, more reliable, and above all, diverse energy system.
Steve Sweeney is the chair of the New Jersey chapter of Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future and former President of the New Jersey State Senate
