How Is NJ's Energy Master Plan Hurting Your Town?

This Patch article is sponsored by the Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative. The views expressed here are the author's own.

As winter approaches, New Jersey's residents and businesses need a stable supply of energy to live their lives, stimulate the economy and remain a commerce hub in one of the world's most dynamic and prosperous regions.

Unfortunately, the state's Energy Master Plan aims to phase out natural gas without having a concrete, actionable plan to move past this crucial and affordable source.

Should this happen, our residents and businesses will be forced to continue paying more for less, and our economy will suffer amid moratoriums, outages and failures in our inadequate distribution systems.

Learning From New York's Mistakes

New Jersey policymakers should take note of what is developing right next door. Our neighbors in New York are already feeling the pain of having rejected pipelines in the past few years.

New York legislators who advocated for a shutdown of natural gas development got what they wanted, but now their representatives are frantically backtracking. Six Long Island Democratic state senators recently urged the state's top environmental official to approve a natural gas pipeline "on an emergency basis."

While New York lawmakers are flip-flopping on energy policy, the state is hemorrhaging thousands of jobs and billions in economic gains, directly impacting families and small businesses.

The situation in New York continues to worsen. Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently threatened to revoke National Grid's license as the utility struggles to provide gas to new buildings, and businesses and homeowners alike fight to restore suspended service.

As existing pipelines reach capacity, experts worry that supply will be unable to meet demand in the colder months of the year, possibly leaving thousands of residents in the cold.

The Benefits Of Natural Gas

Simply put, New Jersey needs natural gas. Natural gas is a key component of an energy system that is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

If we want our small businesses — already struggling with high taxes and a worsening business climate — to thrive, we need a diverse blend of energy sources that include natural gas. If we want to be a hub for advanced manufacturing and ignite the innovation economy, we need natural gas.

Learn more about the benefits of Natural Gas here.

The Impact Of A Natural Gas Ban

New Jersey residents already spend more money on energy bills than New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, and that's with 75 percent of our residents' homes being heated by natural gas. Without this gas, families and small businesses will have to choose between paying outrageous prices to keep warm or staying cold to save money.

As a result of the pipeline constraints and stalled projects, New Jersey residents pay a residential electricity rate that is 28 percent higher than the national average, according to a Consumer Energy Alliance analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics and Energy Information Administration data.

A main reason for this supply shortage is the long, unnecessary delays of projects such as the PennEast pipeline. Had PennEast been in place last winter, our residents would have saved over $400 million in heating costs alone.

Working Toward A Cleaner Future

Local 825 Operating Engineers and their families live in nearly every community in New Jersey, and we all want a cleaner environment for future generations.

Our skilled men and women build the infrastructure necessary to generate and distribute energy throughout this state, including for renewable and carbon-free energy sources such as offshore wind, nuclear and solar.

But we need to be realistic: These technologies just aren't ready yet to bear the load. New Jersey needs more than 18,000 MW at peak, and there simply is no plan to replace natural gas with the currently planned wind and solar sources, even if they are brought online on time.

What Can Residents Do?

New Jersey needs an Energy Master Plan that reflects reality and prioritizes a diverse blend of energy sources (including clean, natural gas), affordable prices and economic growth.

Arming yourself with information is one of the best ways you can help prevent further natural gas cuts as a New Jersey resident. Click here to learn more about the benefits of natural gas and why limiting this energy resource could harm our economy.

Mark Longo is director of the Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative.