Senator Bucco responds after Gov. Murphy’s electric boiler mandate short circuits

NEW JERSEY – Senator Anthony M. Bucco responded to news that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has shelved a controversial and expensive mandate proposed by Governor Murphy that would have required the electrification of large commercial boilers starting in 2025.

“Governor Murphy’s plan to force the replacement of efficient, clean, and cost-effective gas boilers with electric versions short-circuited because it didn’t make any sense,” said Bucco (R-25). “His plan would have required thousands of businesses, schools, apartment complexes, and government buildings to pay millions each to convert to electric boilers that cost four times as much to operate as existing gas boilers. It would have been a massive and unnecessary cost for both businesses and taxpayers.”

The NJDEP announced that the mandate to electrify boilers was not included in new “NJ PACT” rules.

The change follows the NJDEP’s admission earlier this year that it incorrectly estimated the cost of operating electric boilers. The department initially said it would cost 4.2-4.9% more to operate electric boilers than gas boilers, but later admitted that it actually costs 4.2-4.9 times more.

Those massively increased operating costs would have been on top of an estimated $2 million cost to convert thousands of buildings across the state from gas to electric boilers.

“With the removal of the boiler mandate from NJDEP rules, we just dodged a multi-billion-dollar bullet that business owners, renters, school districts, and local governments couldn’t afford,” Bucco said. “This is a victory for now, but we need to make sure this proposal isn’t resurrected in the future. We’ll keep fighting to ensure that the other provisions of Governor Murphy’s Energy Master Plan, which would result in tens of thousands of dollars of unnecessary costs for families and homeowners are removed as well.”