(Trenton, NJ) – Former New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney, the New Jersey state chairman for Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future, issued the following statement regarding a report released by the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), New Jersey: Ambitious Goals Meet Reality:

“New Jersey is facing a severe and imminent energy crisis, and the report released by the Progressive Policy Institute should serve as a reality check for state leaders. We need to make meaningful change and adopt a realistic plan to power our state that keeps costs manageable for hardworking families. The report highlights the need to prioritize reliable, readily available power rather than idealistic goals that sacrifice reliability and affordability. We are consuming more energy than we produce and are increasingly reliant on an overstretched regional grid to meet demand.

The report also warns about what PPI calls an “Activist Tax” – the cost New Jersey families pay when politics and rigid mandates drive up household energy bills. This tax, driven by extreme ideological interventions from both sides of the political spectrum, leaves ratepayers with the burden of higher costs, fewer options, and a less reliable grid. New Jersey has made significant progress in lowering emissions by replacing coal and oil-fired generation and heating systems with natural gas, but to sustain that progress in the long run, we’ll need to embrace an all-of-the-above approach that includes natural gas, renewables, and carbon-free nuclear.”

The full report is linked here:

https://www.progressivepolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/New-Jersey-Climate-Goals.pdf