Gov. Sherrill signs executive orders addressing New Jersey energy affordability
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill began work on her campaign promise of addressing the looming energy cost crisis in the Garden State on Jan. 20, signing two executive orders and declaring a state of emergency on energy.
Sherrill signed the first of the orders during her post-inauguration remarks on Tuesday, giving the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) the power to pause additional rate increase requests from utility companies. Sherill added that she will be freezing rate hikes to “provide families with real relief on their energy bills.”
“Given the extent of the affordability crisis, BPU shall consider pursuing a pause, abeyance, or modification of the schedule governing any proceedings in which electric distribution utilities seek approvals for rate increases or cost recoveries to the extent permitted by law,” the order says.
The first order also gives the BPU a 180-day deadline to complete and issue a study on modernizing the traditional electrical utility distribution business model.
The second of the new governor’s energy-themed executive orders directs the state’s BPU to open solicitations for new solar and energy storage generation and modernize nuclear and gas generation, in a bid to lower ratepayer costs in the long term. The order requires the BPU to take steps toward new policies, proposals, or requests for information in the next 45 days.
“I’ve heard you, New Jersey,” Sherrill said in her post-inauguration speech. “We are facing an affordability crisis, and you want costs to come down.
“This is just the beginning. We are going to take on the affordability crisis, and we are going to shake up the status quo.”
Association reactions
Solar and renewable energy associations rejoiced Tuesday following Sherrill’s speech. Leah Meredith, the mid-Atlantic state affairs director for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), says the actions of New Jersey’s new top executive “will help unlock solar and storage’s grid reliability” as Sherrill hopes to cut rising utility bill prices.
“Governor Sherrill wasted no time taking action to fulfill the mandate New Jersey voters gave her to lower electricity prices through solar and storage,” says Meredith. “New Jersey needs more power quickly to scale up energy supply and meet surging demand — and the solar and storage industry is ready to deliver. Executive Order 2 will help the state develop more solar energy and battery storage — the cheapest and fastest energy sources to build — by cutting costly red tape and addressing permitting and interconnection reform, as well as speeding up the Board of Public Utilities’ solicitation process for procuring solar and storage.”
The orders address energy costs, reliability, and renewables for the state which SEIA says ranks 13th in the national solar power rankings as of Q3 2025.
Jackson Morris, the director of state power sector policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, says that the governor’s recent orders detail “a bold vision to accelerate the deployment of clean energy and make New Jersey a more affordable and healthier place to live.”
“Her actions fall in line with her campaign promises to protect our communities, reduce our carbon emissions, and address skyrocketing energy bills,” says Morris. “We look forward to collaborating with Governor Sherrill and engaging in the critical regulatory processes to get the details of these proposals right for New Jersey. We’re confident those important deliberations will result in a robust energy portfolio that maximizes renewables and energy efficiency for the benefit of all ratepayers.”
