As we watch Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill take the oath of office, there is a palpable sense of renewal across New Jersey. For months, voters have sent a clear and consistent message: the status quo is no longer affordable. Families are being squeezed by skyrocketing utility bills, a housing market out of reach for the middle class, and the growing costs of climate-driven flooding.
Sherrill won by promising to make New Jersey work for working families.
As an organization dedicated to protecting our air, water and open spaces, New Jersey LCV knows that the governor’s goal of lowering costs is not just compatible with environmental protection — it depends on it.
To truly lower the cost of living, we must lean into a green agenda that puts money back into the pockets of the people and builds a resilient future that can’t be dismantled by the whims of a hostile administration in Washington.
The most urgent priority for this new administration is addressing our energy crisis.
For too long, New Jersey has been at the mercy of volatile international oil and gas markets and a regional grid operator, PJM, that has allowed costs to soar while dragging its feet on the transition to modern, cheaper power.
Sherrill’s campaign was defined by a commitment to aggressive energy relief, and the clearest path to permanent savings is bringing clean, local power online as quickly as possible.
We can no longer allow the costs of inaction and dysfunction of our aging grid to be balanced on the backs of New Jersey’s working families. This means taking a lead role in demanding the reform of our electrical grid to ensure our state isn’t paying a premium for dirty power we don’t want.
It also means ensuring that the massive data centers being built across our state — the backbone of Big Tech’s wealth — are properly regulated. We cannot allow billionaire tech companies to strain our grid and drive up prices for everyone else while they reap the profits. Big Tech must bring its own clean energy table to ensure working families aren’t forced to foot the bill.
By accelerating the deployment of clean energy — the cheapest form of power available — we can stop sending our hard-earned dollars to out-of-state oil and gas CEOs and instead invest them in local projects built with union labor. This isn’t just about saving the planet.
It’s about saving New Jersey families money on their electric bills at a time when Donald Trump’s economic policies are enriching oil companies at our expense.
Hand-in-hand with energy is our housing crisis. New Jersey is the densest state in the nation, and the scarcity of affordable homes is driving our young people and seniors out. To address this, we must champion smart housing policies.
As our ways of living and working have changed, we should prioritize redeveloping the empty office parks and strip malls that dot our communities, creating new affordable homes while saving our precious green spaces and creating walkable, transit-connected communities.
By harnessing the tools of redevelopment to build new energy-efficient homes near jobs and NJ Transit hubs, we reduce the hidden tax of long, expensive commutes and high heating costs — all while improving our air quality, both indoors and outdoors.
This approach protects our environmentally sensitive lands while ensuring that a starter home isn’t a pipe dream for young families.
Finally, we must secure the most basic of human rights: clean water.
In Washington, we’re seeing the prioritization of billionaire corporate donors over the health of our children, with rollbacks of federal protections for our waterways. Trenton must hold the line.
Under Sherrill’s leadership, we can lead the nation in eradicating “forever chemicals” like PFAS and fulfilling the promise to eliminate every single lead service line in the state. No child’s potential should be limited by the water coming out of their kitchen tap or their school water fountain.
The era of choosing between a healthy environment and a thriving economy is over. Sherrill understands that a greener New Jersey is a more affordable New Jersey.
By prioritizing clean power, building sustainable housing, and safeguarding clean water, we aren’t just protecting our natural heritage — we are building a state that is finally working for the people who call it home.
Let’s get to work.
Calling your elected representative in the state Assembly or Senate is the most effective way to influence policy. To find your state Assembly member and Senator to voice your position, go to the New Jersey Legislature website’s Legislative Roster.
Allison McLeod is the deputy director of New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. The organization advocates for policies and passes laws to protect clean air, safeguard clean water, and ensure equitable access to preserved open spaces and parks.