Ratepayer
Advocate Seema M. Singh Launches
Statewide Energy Conservation and Municipal Aggregation Effort at 11/14/03
Conference To Help Ratepayers Conserve Energy and Cut Utility Bills
“Right now, conservation and aggregation
are the only realistic alternatives to rising energy costs for residential ratepayers
and small business customers,” said Ms. Singh as she opened the conference.
“The benefits of energy deregulation have not flowed to New Jersey’s residential
and small commercial ratepayers,” Ms. Singh said. “That is why I am launching
today a comprehensive, statewide energy conservation and aggregation effort
and am releasing two new publications. I will go to each county and every legislative
district where invited to meet ratepayers to advocate energy conservation and
aggregation programs to help them deal with rising energy costs.”
Consumer Conservation Handbook is an easy-to-use, room-by-room guide of conservation tips to winterize and summerize the home available on the Ratepayer Advocate website and The Manual for New Jersey Government Energy Aggregators, which describes the procedures under the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act (EDECA) and the significant changes signed into law by Governor James E. McGreevey earlier this year that enable local governments to form power buying pools to leverage their numbers to purchase lower-cost energy. This publication is available for a modest cost from the Ratepayer Advocate. See order form which follows.
The conference also included presentations on Understanding Your Gas and Electric Bills and a panel discussion on financial assistance programs available on the state and federal levels to help state residents pay their utility bills and speakers included Andrew Dembia, Esq., “Conservation is an Excellent Way to Reduce Energy Costs”, Felicia Thomas-Friel, Esq., Managing Attorney “Understanding Your Gas and Electric Utility Bills”, Robert Adams, Director Weatherization Services, National Association for State Community Service Programs, Washington, DC, Marilyn Askin, Esq., President, AARP, New Jersey, Clarice Sabree-Sylla, Supervising Program Development Specialist, Department of Community Affairs, New Jersey Mel Hall Crawford, Special Projects Manager, Consumer Federation of America, Washington, DC Fred Lynk, Manager, Demand Side Management, Public Service Electric & Gas and Aggregation,Ami Morita, Esq., Managing Attorney, "Energy Aggregation", John Burzichelli, Assemblyman, District 3, New Jersey, Revised Aggregation Provisions of EDECA, Laurence M. Downes, Chairman, CEO, New Jersey Resources, Joel Shain, Esq, Special Energy Issues Counsel, NJ State League of Municipalities. Board of Public Utilities President Jeanne Fox addressed the conference on the BPU’s renewable energy programs.
In her remarks Ms. Singh said that the steps ratepayers can take that are within their control to meet the challenge of rising energy prices are energy conservation and aggregation and concluded by saying that the conference was a direct result of the Governor’s leadership in promoting conservation. “In the two years that Governor James E. McGreevey has been in office, he has fulfilled one of his most important campaign promises – to change the way we do business in New Jersey by making government more efficient,” said Ms. Singh. She cited as examples the Governor’s leadership in the development of renewable energy, clean energy, and energy efficiencies, signing legislation to make it easier to aggregate, and ensuring that there are sufficient energy assistance programs available to those in need.
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