Translator Disclaimers
For Immediate Release: Contact: Peter Peretzman
Date: 02/6/2020 609-984-9707

 

 New Program Supports Local Clean Energy Planning Across New Jersey’s Local Governments
Trenton, N.J. – The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has approved a $25,000 Community Energy Planning grant for Bergen County to develop a community energy plan by using New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan as a blueprint to create goals and strategies to increase clean energy production and reduce energy use locally. This marks the first such grant awarded under a new program that the Board approved in 2019.

 

“This program helps communities develop their own localized energy plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use and to do their part in combatting the impacts of the climate crisis we all face,” said NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso. “I look forward to seeing how Bergen County implements the state’s clean energy goals, and I hope many more towns and counties will take advantage of these grants to help develop such plans in the near future.”

 

“Bergen County is excited to receive and take part in the Community Energy Plan grant program,” said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco. “Protecting our environment and investing in clean energy are important to our state and our county’s future. Our planet is the most precious resource we have, and it is vital that we do everything in our power to preserve our environment for future generations.”

 

Community Energy Planning grants are tools for individual communities that want to create a cleaner environment together with their residents. The program provides seed money to help communities develop a Community Energy Plan, which can be particularly helpful for low- to moderate-income (LMI) and environmental justice communities that face a disproportionate number of barriers to access the benefits of clean energy. The grants can support such activities as working with municipal staff to bring local government, businesses, and community organizations together, or hiring an energy services planner to help assess clean energy opportunities, benchmark energy demand, and determine mechanisms to reduce aggregate energy use.

 

The grant approved today followed Governor Murphy unveiling his comprehensive Energy Master Plan last month.

 

In creating a community energy plan, communities assemble a task force of local stakeholders that could include government officials, school officials, business leaders, environmental groups, residents and transportation partners. The task force establishes benchmarks for energy consumption, energy generation, emissions, vehicle miles traveled, and other important metrics. The benchmarks then help the community identify priorities and establish goals, strategies, and milestones within it.

 

NJBPU is accepting Community Energy Planning grant applications on a rolling basis. For more information, please visit the Community Energy Planning webpage.

 

About the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU)
NJBPU is a state agency and regulatory authority mandated to ensure safe, adequate and proper utility services at reasonable rates for New Jersey customers. Critical services regulated by NJBPU include natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, telecommunications and cable television. The Board has general oversight and responsibility for monitoring utility service, responding to consumer complaints, and investigating utility accidents.
To find out more about NJBPU, visit our web site at
www.nj.gov/bpu.

 

About New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP)
NJCEP, established on January 22, 2003, in accordance with the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act (EDECA), provides financial and other incentives to the State's residential customers, businesses and schools that install high-efficiency or renewable energy technologies, thereby reducing energy usage, lowering customers' energy bills and reducing environmental impacts. The program is authorized and overseen by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), and its website is
www.NJCleanEnergy.com.

 

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