New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and the state Board of Public Utilities are pushing ahead with plans to reach zero emissions by 2035, create a new energy master plan and get more electric vehicles on the road even as they face the reality of President-elect Donald Trump, a fierce skeptic of clean energy, taking office Jan. 20. 

Giving his State of the State speech Jan. 14, Murphy (D) called on state legislators to enshrine his “clean energy standard into law.” Without it, the goal — at present set out in an executive order — could be changed relatively easily by any successor to Murphy, who will leave office in a year. 

“As you know, our administration has already set one of the most ambitious clean energy goals in the country: running New Jersey on 100% clean energy by 2035,” Murphy told lawmakers. He called on them to “make sure our state remains on track to reach that goal.” 

The statement was the only substantive mention of clean energy in the speech, which was characterized by his pledge that although he is a lame duck governor, “I’m not done yet.” State law requires the governor to step down after two terms. 

Murphy’s move is part of a delicate dance. Like other states that have adopted aggressive clean energy policies, New Jersey must manage the new political environment: to continue the state’s shift to clean energy while hoping to work with the federal government when necessary and reap whatever help they can. 

Opening the Board of Public Utilities’ (BPU) first meeting of the year Jan. 15, board President Christine Guhl-Sadovy cited Murphy’s comments and reaffirmed the governor’s intent. She also mentioned Trump’s looming inauguration. 

“You know, we are committed to finding common ground with the federal administration as we move forward, and we hope that we will be able to do that,” she said. “So, I am personally wishing the best for our incoming president next week at his inauguration.” 

Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the Sierra Club’s New Jersey Chapter, welcomed the governor’s statement as a critical element in maintaining the clean energy course. 

“That tells me that the administration is going full force for energy procurement in all types of clean energy and renewable energy,” she said.  

Ramos-Busot interpreted Murphy’s lack of other comments on energy as meaning the commitment to 100% clean energy by 2035 is all-encompassing. But Murphy also likely was treading carefully around Trump until it’s clear where the new administration stands on different clean energy issues, she said. 

She added that a new bill would need to be drafted to put the executive order into law because an earlier bill, S237, faced opposition from some unions and other parties concerned it allowed the state to buy clean energy from out of state, instead of sourcing in-state. 

EV Trucks and Chargers

The speech preceded the announcement by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Jan. 15 that it would spend $35 million of funds from the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) program to put more medium and heavy-duty vehicles (MHD) on the road. The money will pay for incentives for local governments to buy electric shuttles, transit buses, garbage trucks and other electric vehicles (EVs). 

In a separate announcement, the DEP on Jan. 14 issued a solicitation for applicants seeking to provide support for the Clean Corridor Coalition Program. The coalition, which consists of representatives from New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, is administering a $249 million grant from the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program to install heavy duty zero-emissions vehicle chargers along the Interstate 95 corridor. (See NJ To Install 167 Heavy Truck Chargers with $250M Federal Grant.) 

Murphy’s biggest clean energy gambit, and one that could be most disrupted by Trump, is his goal of the state installing 11 GW of wind power by 2040. The state has held three solicitations for offshore wind (OSW), approving three projects with a combined capacity of 5.252 GW. The outcome of a fourth solicitation is pending: The BPU was expected to announce approvals for the fourth solicitation by the end of 2024 but has yet to do so. And the agency plans to launch a fifth solicitation this year. (See Uncertainty Clouds NJ Clean Energy in 2025.) 

The state’s most advanced project, 1,510-MW Atlantic Shores, received its Construction and Operations Plan approvals from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in October 2024. It now has all its federal permits and can advance regardless, said Ramos-Busot, of the Sierra Club. However, Atlantic Shores is awaiting the results of the BPU’s fourth solicitation, in which the developer submitted a rebid. 

Trump has spoken out against OSW and says he does not believe in climate change. U.S. Rep. Jefferson Van Drew (R-N.J.) underlined that opposition Jan. 13, issuing a press release stating he’s “working closely with President Trump on drafting an executive order that would halt offshore wind turbine activities along the East Coast.” 

Van Drew, a former Democrat who switched parties in 2020, represents a district in South Jersey that includes Atlantic City and several shore towns that are closest to the state OSW project, and where opposition to the projects is strongest. 

He said he expects the proposed order to be finalized within the next few months and the draft would “lay the groundwork for permanent measures against the projects.”     

Master Plan Concerns

On Jan. 15, the BPU pushed ahead with other clean energy projects. The board agreed to send out a Request for Quotation for a contractor to administer the state Energy Storage Incentive Program, which the board expects to launch in 2025 in support of its goal for the state to reach 2,000 MW of installed storage by 2030. (See Developers Seek Deadline Extension in NJ Storage Plan.) 

The board also approved a modification to the contract for Energy and Environment Economics, which is helping the state develop its 2024 Master Plan. The state’s last plan, released during Murphy’s first term in 2019, formed the basis for his aggressive clean energy strategies. Clean energy supporters see the next Master Plan as key to setting out Murphy’s updated clean energy priorities and providing the foundation for future policies. 

Commissioner Zenon Christodoulou said he was unclear whether the consultant understood the importance of some parts of the project. 

“I’m very concerned that this work product needs to be delivered on time, on budget,” he said. “A lot depends on this, and I haven’t been thoroughly impressed yet with our consultant, and I’m concerned that they don’t understand our time requirements, and that pricing is something that we all pay for.” 

He urged BPU staff to “take additional charge of this to make sure that they deliver on time and not to keep moving this scale as a moving target on budgeting.” 

Guhl-Sadovy said “I know folks are eagerly awaiting” the plan’s release. But she added that “we do want to make sure that we get it right and have all the information that we can utilize and ultimately share with the public.”