New Brunswick Votes to Go 100% Renewable

City Council approves bold clean energy ordinance in response to grassroots campaign

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — In a unanimous vote, last night the New Brunswick City Council passed a groundbreaking ordinance that will create a bold energy aggregation program that will provide residents and businesses 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2035.

The new program exists due to a petition campaign led by organizers and volunteers based in the New Brunswick office of Food & Water Watch, the national advocacy organization. The team spent months going door to door gathering support from residents for an ordinance that would create the New Brunswick Community Energy Aggregation program (NBCEA), which would purchase electricity from clean, renewable sources. The total share of renewable energy would begin at 30% in 2020, reaching 50% in 2024 and 100% in 2035.

This program would be the first of its kind in New Jersey, reaching the crucial 100 percent renewable threshold 15 years ahead of the goal advocated by Governor Phil Murphy.

“We built support for this ordinance the old fashioned way, by knocking on doors and letting community members know that they have the power to take action on clean energy and climate change,” said Junior Romero, Central Jersey organizer with Food & Water Watch. “This is not merely a feel-good statement about clean energy. This is a binding ordinance with clear timelines and real momentum. The City Council should be commended for taking action that could make New Brunswick a clean energy model for the rest of the country.”

The creation of the NBCEA is possible thanks to the Government Energy Aggregation Act, a state law that enables municipalities to set up their own bulk purchasing arrangements. The campaign received vital legal assistance from the New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center.

In a statement after the vote, the city announced that it would be working with the Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission (MRESC) to help craft and implement the new aggregation program.

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