South Jersey Democrats tell BPU to reject ban on gas stoves

Seeking to defuse a potentially volatile campaign issue, Democrats running for the legislature in two swing South Jersey districts want the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to reject a plan to ban gas stoves when they meet this afternoon to consider Gov. Phil Murphy’s plan to move the state away from natural gas appliances and replace them with electrification.

Democrat John Burzichelli, a former assemblyman challenging State Sen. Edward Durr (R-Logan) in the 3rd district, said a proposal to mandate electric heating systems places an unneeded burden on residents and called it a “misguided approach to achieving our clean energy goals.”

“These extreme mandates are out of touch,” Burzichelli said. “I cannot, in good faith, support the electrification regulations.”

Durr, who is seeking his second term after ousting Senate President Steve Sweeney in 2021, has been a vocal opponent of Murphy’s energy plans, including the development of offshore wind projects.

“Governor Murphy is trying to bypass the Legislature to enact major energy policy changes through an obscure agency with little public comment,” Durr said this week.  “New Jerseyans can’t afford the estimated $1.4 trillion it will cost to fully electrify the state and replace their affordable gas stoves, furnaces, and hot water heaters.”

In the next-door 4th district, where State Sen. Fred Madden (D-Washington Township) is retiring after 20 years in office, nine-term Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Township) is distancing himself from Murphy on energy issues.

“While we fully support New Jersey’s transition to clean energy, we must take a commonsense approach to achieving our clean energy goals,” said Moriarty.  “We oppose the impractical building electrification regulations.”

Moriarty noted his sponsorship of legislation to require the state to report the costs of home electrification mandates and require public hearings prior to approving new rules and regulations.

But Moriarty’s Republican opponent, former Washington Township Councilman Chris Del Borrello, isn’t buying it.

“Career politician Paul Moriarty has been a mindless rubber stamp for Governor Murphy’s extreme, far-left policies for years.  It’s too late for him to be growing a spine now,” Del Borrello said.  “The bottom line is that if Paul Moriarty makes it to the Senate you can kiss your gas stove and automobile goodbye.”

Still, with two new members nominated by Murphy, the BPU is likely to approve the measure.

Burzichelli and Moriarty also said he would oppose Murphy’s proposal to only sell electric cars in New Jersey by 2035.

“Instead of undercutting the state automobile industry’s economic viability and restricting consumer choice, we should incentivize to achieve these sustainability goals,” said Moriarty.

In addition to Burzichelli and Moriarty, four Democratic Assembly candidates – Heather Simmons and Dave Bailey in the 3rd district and Cody Miller and Dan Hutchison in the 4th – also signed on as opponents of the electric heating systems mandate.

Updated at 1:42 PM:  State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch) and  11th district Democratic Assembly candidates Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul today asked the BPU to shift their positions on gas stoves from mandates to just incentives to swicth to electrification.

“While I’m supportive of efforts to expand the utilization of clean energy in the state and to offer incentives to move in that direction, we still don’t have a full accounting of the consequences this rule could carry for New Jersey taxpayers,” stated Gopal. “We’ve made some important strides towards addressing New Jersey’s affordability crisis in recent years and any type of mandate could hurt working-class families in New Jersey.”

Updated at 2:41 PM: Three Democratic lawmakers from the 38th district, State Sen. Joseph Lagana (D-Paramus), Assemblywoman Lisa Swain (D-Fair Lawn), and Assemblyman Christopher  Tully (D-Bergenfield), said they were “opposed to the development of any and all mandates on gas-powered consumer products like vehicles or stoves at this time.”

We have always been strong supporters of forward-thinking environmental policies, like electrification, to reduce the effects of global warming and increase our access to green energy sources. To that aim, we are supportive of any incentive programs available to make electrification more affordable and accessible for those who choose to make the switch to electric consumer products. Consumer choice and affordability are paramount concerns for us, and we are therefore strongly opposed to the implementation of any fixed timelines or mandates towards full electrification without more time, consideration, and development of our electrical infrastructure capabilities,” Lagana, Swain and Tully said.  “These types of regulations can have drastic effects on our economy, infrastructure, and residents’ lives and therefore must be highly scrutinized and carefully reviewed for viability before being implemented.”