In New Jersey, the energy conversation is often framed as a set of competing choices — affordability or environmental progress, reliability or renewable energy, today’s needs or tomorrow’s future. But from where I sit, representing more than 43,000 skilled tradespeople across our region as the Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, the answer isn’t choosing one over the other.
The answer is making sure everybody wins.
Ratepayers need affordable utility bills. Workers need good jobs and career opportunities. Businesses need reliable energy. Environmental advocates want meaningful progress toward a cleaner future. Elected leaders need solutions that actually work.
Those goals are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they depend on one another.
Our members build across every corner of New Jersey’s energy economy. They work on solar installations, wind projects, nuclear facilities, transmission infrastructure and natural gas generation. They don’t view energy through the lens of ideology. They view it through the lens of experience.
And experience tells us that energy diversity matters.
No single energy source can do everything. That’s why New Jersey needs an all-of-the-above strategy that embraces renewable energy, supports nuclear power and recognizes the continuing role natural gas plays in keeping our electric grid reliable and affordable.
N.J. needs more generation: As energy demand rises, New Jersey remains dependent on electricity imported from outside the state. That leaves ratepayers exposed to higher costs and price volatility. A recent Cornell University Climate Jobs Institute report found that strategic investments in new energy infrastructure could improve reliability while creating tens of thousands of jobs across New Jersey.
That’s why the conversation cannot simply be about what energy sources we support. It must also be about how quickly we can increase generation.
N.J. needs more power generation: That means accelerating renewable energy projects. It means supporting nuclear energy. It means modernizing the electric grid. And it means recognizing that expanding and upgrading natural gas generation remains an important part of maintaining reliability while new resources come online.
Expanding and modernizing natural gas generation in New Jersey doesn’t just support grid reliability — it creates thousands of hours of construction work today and long-term maintenance opportunities for skilled trades workers tomorrow. Natural gas provides roughly half of New Jersey’s in-state electricity generation, making it a critical part of the state’s energy mix today and for the foreseeable future.
For our members, investments in natural gas facilities translate directly into jobs — building facilities, upgrading infrastructure and maintaining critical energy assets for decades to come. For ratepayers, additional generation can help relieve pressure on energy costs. For businesses, it means greater reliability and certainty. For policymakers and taxpayers, it means a stronger economy and increased competitiveness.
N.J. needs to find common ground: While they may not agree on every issue, organizations across New Jersey are increasingly arriving at the same conclusion: we can’t meet our economic, workforce, affordability, reliability, or environmental goals without building more energy infrastructure.
This is not about choosing between affordability and environmental progress, or between reliability and innovation. New Jersey can pursue all of these goals at the same time.
N.J. needs a future where everybody wins: If we want lower utility bills, we need more generation. If we want more family-sustaining careers, we need more projects. If we want cleaner energy, we need to build the infrastructure to support it. If we want a stronger economy, we need reliable power.
That’s why an all-of-the-above energy strategy makes sense. Renewable energy should be part of the solution. Nuclear power should be part of the solution. Natural gas should be part of the solution.
Everybody has a stake in getting this right — workers, ratepayers, businesses, environmental advocates, and elected leaders alike.
Because the best energy policy isn’t one that creates winners and losers, it’s one that lowers costs, creates jobs, strengthens reliability, advances environmental progress and ensures everybody wins.
William C. Sproule is the Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.
