New Jersey lifts de-facto moratorium on new nuclear facilities in effort to tackle affordability crisis
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New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation Wednesday lifting the state’s 40-year de-facto moratorium on new nuclear power plants, citing the shrinking gap between supply and demand that has led to skyrocketing electricity bills for consumers. The legislation passed in the General Assembly by a large majority on March 23, and amended the Coastal Area Facility and Review Act. The act had prohibited the state’s Department of Environmental Protection from issuing new permits for nuclear power plants unless the federal government established a permanent nuclear radioactive waste disposal site.
“For costs to come down, we need more energy supply,” Sherrill said in a statement. “New Jersey is well-positioned to be a leader in next-generation nuclear energy to help bring that supply, and we are open for business.”
Sherrill said more power plants are needed to bring electricity prices down. She called the former permit requirements “an outdated standard that cannot be met.”
In a release, the governor’s office said permits for new nuclear reactors will be “based on safe, [Nuclear Regulatory Commission] compliant waste storage” that has a “100 percent effective safety record in the U.S.”
“I … am excited that we are moving closer to building more nuclear generation in our State because it has proven to be a stable and reliable carbon neutral energy source that will help us bridge the gap between what we generate and use,” said Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo, D-Hamilton, one of the bill’s sponsors, in a statement.
