NJBPU finds all four New Jersey electric utilities submitted incomplete voting reports
TRENTON, N.J. — The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has found that all four of the state’s electric utilities submitted incomplete reports detailing their voting records at PJM Interconnection, the regional power grid operator responsible for decisions that can affect electricity costs and reliability.
According to the NJBPU, Atlantic City Electric (ACE), Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) and Rockland Electric Company (RECO) failed to fully comply with reporting requirements under a 2025 state transparency law, even after receiving guidance and opportunities to revise their submissions.
The findings were outlined in a new summary report reviewing the utilities’ first annual disclosures under P.L. 2025, c. 129, which requires electric utilities to report their voting activity at PJM and explain whether their positions support New Jersey’s energy goals.
“Customers deserve a complete record of the positions their utilities take at PJM, where decisions shape electricity costs and reliability,” said NJBPU President Ben Hertz-Shargel. “After months of guidance and revisions, all four utilities’ reports still fell short. Utilities and other industry stakeholders help shape PJM’s market pricing and transmission development with limited public transparency. These incomplete vote records underscore why states need a stronger voice to advocate for affordability. Because states are accountable to the public, they should have real influence over the decisions PJM makes.”
All four utilities submitted their reports by the Feb. 1 deadline, but the NJBPU identified several deficiencies in the filings.
According to the report, the utilities only disclosed votes cast after Aug. 15, 2025, when the law took effect, rather than providing voting records for the entire 2025 calendar year as required. As a result, more than half the year’s voting activity was omitted from each utility’s report.
The NJBPU also found that the utilities reported votes only from PJM’s senior and standing committees, leaving out votes cast in subcommittees, task forces and other groups where electricity policy proposals are developed.
Additionally, the reports contained limited or no explanations of whether the utilities’ votes supported New Jersey’s goals of maintaining affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity service.
The law, which took effect Aug. 15, 2025, requires electric utilities to disclose every recorded vote they or their affiliates cast at PJM committees, task forces and similar bodies.
Utilities must also explain whether each vote advances the state’s energy goals.
Hundreds of votes are cast at PJM each year, but the regional grid operator publicly releases individual voting records only for its two senior committees. The state law is intended to provide additional transparency into how individual utilities participate in decisions affecting electricity rates, transmission development and grid reliability.
The NJBPU’s findings come as governors throughout the PJM region seek a greater role in the organization’s governance and decision-making.
During the Oct. 8 Governors’ Summit on the State of PJM in Chicago, participating governors formalized the PJM Governors’ Collaborative, an initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation among states and securing greater state representation in PJM’s decision-making process.
New Jersey is among the participating states.
According to the NJBPU, the incomplete voting records highlight concerns about limited public transparency surrounding decisions that can have significant financial implications for electricity customers.
Under the state law, utility voting reports are filed as public documents with the NJBPU. The board is required to compile the information into an annual summary report and submit it to the governor and state Legislature.
The NJBPU determined that none of the four utilities fully complied with the reporting requirements during the first year.
