Gov. Murphy Calls Upon NJ Legislature to Codify Nation-Leading 100% Clean Electricity by 2035 Target

Trenton: This afternoon, Governor Murphy delivered his final State of the State address at the NJ State House, calling on the legislature to move his Executive Order 315 to achieve 100% clean electricity by the year 2035, the most ambitious clean energy target in the country.

In response, Anjuli Ramos-Busot, New Jersey Director of the Sierra Club, released the following statement:

“The NJ Sierra Club commends Governor Murphy for his recommitment to achieving 100% clean electricity by 2035, and echoes his call for the state legislature to codify the target now for the sake of New Jerseyans and our environment. This piece of legislation single-handedly will change the trajectory of our state’s future, with the potential to secure NJ’s position as a climate leader and take direct and urgent action to significantly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and carbon footprint. This is our state’s climate bill of the decade.

2024 was officially named the hottest year on record, with NJ being one of the fastest warming states in the nation. We need a just transition away from dirty fossil-fuels to clean, renewable energy sources, now.

Achieving 100 percent clean energy will also allow New Jersey to further our energy independence and create thousands of good, green, high-paying union jobs. By generating more clean and renewable power in-state, New Jersey will become an energy exporter rather than an energy importer so we are not subjected to fossil-fuel price volatility and geopolitical conflicts.

NJ continues to struggle with affordability and utility bills continue to go up given our dependence on more costly fossil energy generation in other states like Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Our grids are interconnected under PJM. Energy prices must be affordable, and increasing our in-state generation of renewable and clean electricity will ensure this.

We urge Senate and Assembly leadership, Senator Smith, and Assemblymen DeAngelo and Karabinchak to codify the Governor’s 100% clean electricity by 2035 standard as soon as possible. We thank Governor Murphy for his continued leadership on this critical issue.”

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About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information about our work in New Jersey, visit www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey.