Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) issued the following statement regarding a POLITICO report that Governor Murphy and Trenton Democrats are planning a lame-duck legislative push for a 100% renewable energy mandate in New Jersey, doubling down on an already failed energy agenda that has resulted in skyrocketing energy bills and power grid destabilization.

“Trenton Democrats’ top-down mandate for 100% renewable energy is the absolute wrong direction if we want to lower energy costs for New Jersey families and businesses,” said Sen. Bucco. “This will only widen the gap between New Jersey’s demand and supply, pushing prices even higher and further threatening our grid’s reliability.

We’re seeing the consequences of how these hyper-partisan energy policies play out in real time and Democrats STILL want to force their fantasy agenda—it is absolutely outrageous. Businesses can’t compete or sustain jobs, seniors are being forced to choose between buying medicines or paying electric bills, and low-income families are struggling to make ends meet. If you’re looking for an answer to why your energy bills are so high, look no further. Trenton Democrats have learned nothing from their failed energy policies.”

During the legislative hearings earlier this year, non-partisan experts warned that the path the Murphy administration is on has and will continue to result in higher costs and greater risk to reliability.

“Having seen the impact of this Administration’s policies and then proposing to wait until after the election to jam through a radical plan that will jack up energy rates even higher is appalling. Trenton Democrats need to stop making decisions based on ideology and start listening to the voices of our regulated utilities, bipartisan energy experts, and the engineers who run our power grid.”

To make matters worse, Democrats are proposing we leave our 13-state power grid, and instead create a New Jersey-run power grid that would likely be stacked with partisan hacks and special interests.

“The solution is simple: we need a responsible, balanced energy strategy that embraces a diversified portfolio of nuclear, natural gas, and renewables to ensure affordability, reliability, and environmental stewardship,” Bucco concluded.