“As I have said throughout the week, JCP&L’s preparation for and response to the past week’s weather events is completely unacceptable,” said Governor Murphy. “I will not accept any of the company’s excuses for why thousands of New Jerseyans continue to be without power. I am prepared to use all the authority at my disposal to get power restored.”

On Saturday, JCP&L informed many customers that power may not be restored until Monday, March 12. Governor Murphy called JCP&L’s proposed timeline “embarrassing and unacceptable.”

Governor Murphy communicated his frustration directly to JCP&L officials, and is prepared to use all aspects of his executive authority under the declared State of Emergency to take any steps necessary to restore power. In response, JCP&L has agreed to repair poles in their service areas that belong to other companies and has committed to restoring power by this evening for all customers who were affected by the first storm on Friday, March 2.

“These efforts, which should have been taken days ago, are small steps in the right direction,” Governor Murphy said. “But we have a long way to go. People are mad as heck and so am I.”

Governor Murphy reiterated his call for a BPU investigation into JCP&L’s storm preparedness and response to commence once all power outages have been addressed.