Bucco renews call for New Jersey to withdraw from regional climate program amid rising energy costs
NEW JERSEY — Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco is renewing calls for New Jersey to withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, arguing the program is contributing to rising energy costs for residents.
Bucco, R-Morris and Passaic, said New Jersey residents continue to face increasing utility bills despite efforts to freeze electricity rates.
“Ending New Jersey’s decades-old moratorium on nuclear power plants was a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to actually bring energy costs down,” said Senator Bucco. “I’ve heard from concerned constituents in my district, and the dollar amount that people are paying on their monthly bills is not decreasing. That is a clear sign that the current policy of freezing electricity rates is not working.”
According to Bucco’s office, a report from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee found New Jersey experienced a 16.9% increase in energy bills in 2025, compared with 12.1% in Pennsylvania and 6.1% in Delaware.
Bucco pointed to Republican-sponsored legislation aimed at lowering utility costs, including Senate bill S-2463, which would withdraw New Jersey from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, known as RGGI.
RGGI is a multistate program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through carbon pricing and emissions allowances for power plants.
“For months, I’ve warned that New Jersey’s participation in RGGI only serves as a hidden tax on energy that gets passed directly onto residents who are already struggling to afford their bills,” said Senator Bucco. “If other Democrat governors are pulling out of RGGI, why can’t we? Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize an ideological agenda that is making our state less affordable and less competitive.”
Bucco also referenced Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s decision to withdraw Pennsylvania from RGGI in 2025.
Additional Republican-backed proposals include legislation that would reduce New Jersey’s sales tax from 6.625% to 6% and another proposal that would suspend sales tax and the Societal Benefits Charge on electric and gas bills.
