New Jersey S 642: Authorizes NJ Historical Commission to establish program to promote developing historic projects on website and collect donations for projects on behalf of historic site or organization.

Bill Text

S642 

SENATE, No. 642 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator BOB SMITH

District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)

Senator RAJ MUKHERJI

District 32 (Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senators McKnight, Timberlake, Zwicker, Greenstein and 
Burgess

SYNOPSIS

���� "New Jersey Clean Energy Act of 2024"; 
establishes 100 percent clean electricity standard and directs BPU to establish 
clean electricity certificate program.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative 
Counsel.

��

An Act 
concerning greenhouse gas emissions from electric power generation facilities, 
supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes, and amending P.L.2021, c.169.

���� Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� (New section) Sections 1 
through 9 of P.L. , c. 
(C. ) (pending 
before the Legislature as this bill) shall be known and may be cited as the 
"New Jersey Clean Energy Act of 2024."

���� 2.� (New section) The 
Legislature finds and declares that:

���� a.� Global atmospheric 
warming, driven largely by human activities that emit greenhouse gases and 
other climate pollutants, is leading to significant changes in climate patterns 
in New Jersey and around the world, presenting an existential threat to the 
residents of New Jersey and their health, communities, businesses, property, 
environment, and way of life.

���� b.� The traditional methods of 
energy production that rely on the burning of fossil fuels release harmful 
emissions of greenhouse gases, which contribute to global climate change.

���� c.� A substantial number of 
communities in New Jersey are overburdened by the impacts of climate change and 
by the high costs and air pollution caused by a fossil fuel-dependent electric 
grid.

���� d.� Rapidly increasing clean 
electricity generation to achieve 100 percent of retail sales of electricity in 
New Jersey by 2035 will help displace fossil-fueled electricity generation and 
thereby reduce greenhouse gas and co-pollutant emissions.

���� e.� New Jersey is currently on 
track to satisfy 75 percent of its annual energy usage by 2025, and 84 percent 
by 2030, through non-emitting sources of generation, including nuclear, 
offshore wind, solar, and other renewable sources of electricity production.

���� f.� Affordability, which is 
not only essential for an equitable clean energy transition, but also for the 
rapid electrification of the transportation and building sectors, can be 
achieved through a balanced approach that procures a mix of clean electricity 
attributes from New Jersey-based solar, nuclear, offshore wind, and other 
zero-emission technologies, as well as lower-cost regional resources, to collectively 
satisfy 100 percent of New Jersey�s retail energy usage through non-emitting 
sources of energy.

���� g.� A technology-neutral clean 
electricity standard implemented through a certificate system will help support 
the development of new zero-carbon generation technologies, which are 
critically needed for a reliable and affordable clean electricity system, by 
providing them additional revenue opportunities.

���� h.� As a key part of New 
Jersey�s efforts to curtail the serious impacts of global climate change caused 
by greenhouse gas emissions, New Jersey must pursue an equitable and smooth 
transition to clean and renewable energy sources while building a stronger and 
fairer economy.

���� 3.� (New section) As used in 
sections 1 through 9 of P.L. , 
c. 
(C. ) (pending 
before the Legislature as this bill):

���� "Air contaminant" 
means the same as the term is defined in section 2 of P.L.1954, c.212 
(C.26:2C-2).

���� "Basic generation service 
provider" means the same as the term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1999, 
c.23 (C.48:3-51).

���� "Board" means the 
Board of Public Utilities.

���� "Class I renewable energy 
certificate" or "Class I REC" means a renewable energy 
certificate capable of satisfying the requirement for the procurement of Class 
I renewable energy established in paragraph (1) of subsection d. of section 38 
of P.L.1999, c.23 (C.48:3-87).

���� "Class II renewable 
energy certificate" or "Class II REC" means a renewable energy 
certificate capable of satisfying the requirement for the procurement of Class 
II renewable energy established in paragraph (2) of subsection d. of section 38 
of P.L.1999, c.23 (C.48:3-87).

���� "Clean electricity 
production facility" means: (1) a nuclear, wind, solar, or hydroelectric 
electricity production facility; or (2) any other electricity production 
facility that generates electric energy in a manner that produces no more than 
a de minimis level, as determined by the department, of net greenhouse gas 
emissions and co-pollutant emissions at the point of generation and at any 
point in the fuel supply chain of the facility.� "Clean electricity 
production facility" shall not include