New Jersey’s Clean Energy Master Plan:
100% Clean Energy by 2050
In January, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy unveiled the state’s Energy Master Plan which outlines key strategies to reach the Administration’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050.
In May 2018, Governor Murphy’s Executive Order No. 28 directed the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, in partnership with other state agencies, to develop this statewide clean energy plan and shift away from energy production that contributes to climate change.
As Communications Director of the NJ Board of Public Utilities, I oversaw the creation, publication and distribution of the plan.
In doing so, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to pursue such a comprehensive and aggressive suite of climate change regulations.
To fulfill Governor Murphy’s commitment to achieve 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and the Global Warming Response Act (GWRA) mandate of reducing state greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent below 2006 levels, the Energy Master Plan comprehensively addresses New Jersey’s energy system, including electricity generation, transportation, and buildings, and their associated greenhouse gas emissions and related air pollutants. The Energy Master Plan defines 100 percent clean energy by 2050 as 100 percent carbon-neutral electricity generation and maximum electrification of the transportation and building sectors, which are the greatest carbon emission producing sectors in the state, to meet or exceed the GWRA mandates. The Energy Master Plan is the first of a series of monumental steps to ensure that New Jersey generates, uses, and manages its energy supply in a way that is consistent with economic, climate, and societal demands.
