N.J. Admin. Code § Executive Order No. 28 (2018)

Current through Register Vol. 57, No. 1, January 6, 2025

Section - Executive Order No. 28 (2018)

Mandate to Convene the Energy Master Plan Committee

Issued: May 23, 2018.

Effective: May 23, 2018.

WHEREAS, the international scientific and political communities have widely accepted that human activity is the main driver of global climate change and its corresponding deleterious impacts on our natural environment; and

WHEREAS, traditional methods of energy production that rely on the burning of fossil fuels release harmful emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which in turn contribute to global climate change; and

WHEREAS, in order to curtail the serious impacts of global climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, New Jersey must shift away from its reliance on fossil fuels as a primary energy source and turn to clean energy sources; and

WHEREAS, my administration has already taken several steps to move New Jersey in this direction, including Executive Order No. 7 (2018), which directed New Jersey to begin the process of re-entering the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and Executive Order No. 8 (2018), which emphasized the vital importance of offshore wind energy to the State of New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, by law, N.J.S.A. 52:27F-14, et seq., the State of New Jersey, through the Energy Master Plan Committee, is required to prepare an Energy Master Plan and revise and update that plan at least once every three (3) years; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey's Energy Master Plan is intended to set forth a strategic vision for the production, distribution, consumption, and conservation of energy in the State of New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, the Energy Master Plan was last updated in 2015; and

WHEREAS, in order to achieve appropriate reductions in dangerous greenhouse gases, New Jersey must overhaul the 2015 Energy Master Plan and adopt an innovative Energy Master Plan that recognizes the need for significant investment and support for clean energy sources, particularly the considerable opportunity for the development of wind energy in New Jersey, and that aims to shift New Jersey's energy production profile away from reliance on outdated technologies that contribute to global climate change and towards clean energy sources;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. The President of the Board of Public Utilities shall convene the Energy Master Plan Committee within thirty (30) days of the date of this Order, and shall also designate a senior staff member of the Board of Public Utilities to serve on the Energy Master Plan Committee. That designee shall serve as the chairperson of the Committee.

2. The heads of the following principal departments of the Executive Branch of State government shall designate a senior staff member from their respective departments to serve on the Energy Master Plan Committee: 1) Department of Community Affairs; 2) Economic Development Authority; 3) Department of Environmental Protection; 4) Department of Health; 5) Department of Human Services; 6) Department of Transportation; and 7) Department of the Treasury.

3. The Energy Master Plan Committee shall prepare, complete and deliver a new Energy Master Plan, consistent with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 52:27F-14, et seq., and this Order on or before June 1, 2019.

This 2019 Energy Master Plan (the "2019 Plan") shall provide a comprehensive blueprint for the total conversion of the State's energy production profile to 100% clean energy sources on or before January 1, 2050, and shall further provide specific proposals to be implemented over the next ten (10) years in order to achieve the January 1, 2050 goal.

4. The 2019 Plan shall incorporate the offshore wind development goals set forth in Executive Order No. 8 (2018) and also shall include recommendations consistent with the provisions of the Offshore Wind Strategic Plan.

In addition to wind energy development, the 2019 Plan shall include provisions guiding the continued development of solar energy in New Jersey, including community solar projects.

5. The 2019 Plan also shall include recommendations to position New Jersey as a leader in clean energy storage, including the establishment of goals of 600 MW of energy storage by January 1, 2021 and 2000 MW of storage by January 1, 2030. The 2019 Plan shall also provide specific proposals to be implemented over the next ten (10) years in order to achieve the January 1, 2030 goal.

The 2019 Plan shall also explore methods to incentivize the use of clean, efficient energy and electric technology alternatives in New Jersey's transportation sector and at New Jersey's ports.

6. Should any part of this Order be declared to be invalid or unenforceable, or should the enforcement of or compliance with any part of this Order be suspended, restrained or barred by the final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this Order shall remain in full force and effect.

7. This Order shall take effect immediately.

N.J. Admin. Code Executive Order No. 28 (2018)

Published June 21, 2010 in the New Jersey Register at 42 N.J.R. 1111(a).

Published May 23, 2018 in the New Jersey Register at 50 N.J.R. 1394(b).