Carmen Morales (NJ-34): "We can protect the environment and make energy more affordable at the same time."
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The following op-ed comes courtesy of New Jersey Assemblywoman Carmen Morales, who represents Belleville, Bloomfield, East Orange, Glen Ridge, Nutley and Orange in the 34th Legislative District. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.
New Jersey is at a turning point when it comes to energy, and the decisions we make today will shape the lives of our residents for decades to come. While I fully support our state’s commitment to cleaner energy and a healthier environment, we can’t ignore the reality that many of our working families and small business owners are struggling to keep up with rising energy costs. We can’t go back and change past decisions, but we can learn from them.
As we look ahead, we have a chance to get it right by choosing a more balanced energy strategy; one that lowers costs, strengthens reliability, and keeps us on a path toward innovation without leaving behind the communities that can least afford to bear it. That’s why I believe it’s time we take a closer look at the state’s Energy Master Plan.
Right now, New Jerseyans are paying some of the highest energy bills in the country. For families in places like Belleville, East Orange, and Bloomfield, those bills bring a monthly dose of anxiety. They take a real toll on household budgets, especially for low-income residents who already face higher rates of energy insecurity. And for minority-owned small businesses, like your neighborhood laundromat, barber, or eatery, energy costs can make or break their ability to stay open and keep people employed.
We can protect the environment and make energy more affordable at the same time. But we need policies that reflect how people actually live. That means building upon our existing energy generation infrastructure and including natural gas as part of the solution.
Gas is deeply embedded in the infrastructure that keeps our homes comfortable and our businesses running. Shifting away from that reality risks real disruption for families and small businesses alike. Rather than sidelining this foundation that supports reliable and affordable energy, we should look at how to build on it, incorporating technologies like carbon capture, hydrogen, and biofuels to make it cleaner and more efficient. These are real solutions, already in development or in use elsewhere. Yet, they’re often left out of the conversation entirely. Ignoring these options narrows our path forward and makes it harder to deliver affordable, reliable energy to the very people who need it most.
We don’t have to cling to the past, but we should be realistic and inclusive about the future. I strongly support investments in renewables, battery storage, and all the exciting technologies. However, their adoption needs to be practical and thoughtful, especially for older homes that aren’t easy or inexpensive to retrofit, and for small businesses already struggling to stay afloat. Existing gas infrastructure also supports thousands of good-paying jobs for New Jersey workers in construction, maintenance, utilities, and other related fields.
The Energy Master Plan was written with good intentions, but a lot has changed since then. Energy prices are up. Inflation is still hitting families hard. And more than ever, people are worried about grid reliability and the rising cost of living. We owe it to our constituents to revisit this plan, take stock of what’s working, and adjust where needed.
As a state legislator, I’ve heard from families and business owners across northern New Jersey who are doing everything right but still feel squeezed by the cost of keeping their homes warm during the winter or cool in the summer, as well as running their storefronts. We have to make sure that energy policy works for them, too.
Looking ahead, the next governor will have a real opportunity to reset the tone on energy policy. We need leadership that maintains energy supply and keeps costs in check. That means using all the tools at our disposal, including existing gas assets, while continuing to push for innovation and emissions reductions.
The bottom line is this: We can’t build a clean energy future by sidelining the very people who need relief the most. A fair and balanced approach that includes affordability, reliability, and environmental responsibility isn’t just smart policy. It’s the right thing to do.
Let’s make sure every New Jerseyan is part of the solution.
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