PSE&G, Green Groups at Odds Over Intervention in $3.9 Billion Rate Case

Public Service Electric & Gas is seeking to block two of the state’s most prominent environmental groups from intervening in its $3.9 billion rate case, a proposal that aims to make its electric and gas systems more resilient in the event of future extreme weather.

In a filing with the state earlier this month, the Newark-based utility argued that the organizations’ intervention should not be granted, primarily because the issues they have raised -- the need to increase investments in energy efficiency, the impact of global change, and renewable energy generation – have nothing to do with what the rate case is about.

The filing underscores the controversy underlying the rate request, which has been supported by many business interests and municipalities but has drawn opposition and prompted questions from consumer advocates and the two environmental groups—the New Jersey Sierra Club and New Jersey Environmental Federation.

The case is amounting to a test case on how the state should respond to the likelihood of extreme storm events, such as Hurricane Sandy, a prospect most officials concede is part of the new “normal.’’

Besides the two environmental groups, the AARP chapter in New Jersey and the New Jersey Large Energy Users Coalition both have sought to intervene in the case.

Read more at NJSpotlight.com

NJ Spotlight is an issue-driven news website that provides critical insight to New Jersey’s communities and businesses. It is non-partisan, independent, policy-centered and community-minded.