By Anthony P. Mauro Sr., Founder, New Jersey Outdoor Alliance; MBA; and former NJDEP Transition Team member
New Jersey families are getting squeezed, with higher utility bills, doubts about where our power will come from, and fresh worries about the ocean we love. We shouldn’t have to pick between environmental stewardship and affordable, reliable energy. We need balanced leadership that insists on all three.
The current Energy Master Plan (EMP) aimed high: electrify cars and home heating, lean hard on offshore wind, and import power. On paper, it promised a cleaner future. In practice, it’s delivered rising costs, reliability questions, and environmental trade-offs that too often go unspoken. Offshore wind became the flagship and then the flashpoint: major projects stalled, companies exited, rates went up, and coastal communities, along with recreational and commercial fishermen, were left with more questions than answers.
This isn’t an argument against cleaner energy. It’s an argument against getting ahead of feasibility; policy first, practicality second. When that happens, households pay twice: on the bill and in lost confidence.
And confidence matters. Outdoor recreation, especially fishing, boating, hunting, and wildlife tourism, is a pillar of our shore economy, generating more than $2 billion annually in fishery and wildlife-related activities and supporting thousands of small businesses, including marinas, captains, processors, shops, restaurants, hotels, and other related establishments. When energy costs rise and uncertainty persists, those businesses feel it first: higher overhead, fewer patrons, and thinner margins.
The environment pays too. Survey and construction activity offshore raises legitimate concerns about soundscapes, migration routes, and benthic habitats. Even supporters of wind energy should want this paced by transparent science. Climate progress needs public trust, or it doesn’t last.
If the EMP helped put us in a bind, only a new plan can get us out. We need a reset, not as an end state, but as an evolutionary strategy that protects families now while we mature truly reliable, affordable, clean options for tomorrow.
We must lead with affordability and reliability. Every big policy should come with a plainEnglish bill impact and an honest reliability check. People deserve to know what it costs and what they get.
We can use an “all-of-the-above” mix, without overbetting. Keep nuclear as a carbon-free anchor and natural gas as a flexible bridge while we scale distributed solar and other resources where they make sense. The goal isn’t to freeze the status quo; it’s to buy time for cleaner technologies and storage to become both dependable and cost-effective.
We need to right-size mandates and timelines. Ambition is good, but unfunded, unrealistic timelines that outrun supply chains, permitting, workforce, and family budgets are not. Match the calendar to reality so progress sticks.
It’s time to pace coastal development to science and public confidence. Phase any offshore build with independent monitoring, transparent data, and clear go/slow/stop checkpoints to protect marine life, fisheries, and coastal towns.
Let’s be honest about program costs. If a policy or compact raises bills without clear benefits, recalibrate. Clean energy that working families can’t afford to use is not a solution.
This is an evolutionary design. New Jerseyans want to move away from fossil fuels and, over time, even nuclear, as reliable, effective alternatives prove out and scale. But getting there requires steady, evidence-based steps that keep the lights on, protect ratepayers, and earn trust. We can’t build a durable, clean, environmentally friendly future on wishful planning and fractured confidence.
Freezing prices can sound tempting, but it kicks the can and often makes the next hike steeper. The better path is transparent planning, diversified supply, environmental stewardship, and careful pacing so households and small businesses can adapt without getting crushed.
A new Energy Master Plan, rooted in transparency, science, and respect for both ratepayers and our coast, can deliver all three now, and set a credible path to phase down fossil fuels and, ultimately, nuclear as next-generation options prove themselves.
It’s time for our next governor to reset the EMP and put New Jersey on a path that’s cleaner, affordable, and reliable, all at once, and built to last.