1. United States
2. N.J.
3. Letter

Please not support A4881/S4296. This bill would give the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities the authority to charge ratepayers for the cost of building new nuclear generation, with no cap on what ratepayers could pay and no protections against massive cost overruns. Nuclear plants can cost anywhere from $4 billion to $30 billion and take 8 to 15 years to build. Even worse, while the bill says ratepayers could eventually be repaid, it doesn't say when or how much. Many New Jersey residents could spend years paying higher electric bills without ever benefiting from the new generation capacity. Working families, seniors, and small businesses should not be forced to act as financiers for expensive energy projects. Instead, New Jersey should develop a comprehensive Energy Resource Plan that identifies the most affordable, cleanest, and quickest energy solutions. And large data centers and other major energy users driving demand should pay for new generation - not everyday residents. New Jersey ratepayers are not ATM machines.