Fighting for Sanity in the Energy Debate: New Jersey Asm. Paul Kanitra
Assemblyman warns of rising costs, unreliable energy, and misplaced priorities while urging for common-sense reforms that protect ratepayers.
For New Jersey Assemblyman Paul Kanitra, the past year has been nothing short of “crazy.” Not only because the state budget has expanded considerably since Governor Christie left office in 2018, but because the current spending spree is aimed at ideological projects rather than practical needs, the people of the Garden State are paying more for less.
“It’s the Office of New Americans, it’s wave power generation, it’s offshore wind turbines,” Kanitra said. “Cool ideas for 20 years down the road, maybe. But families are paying for it right now.”
Importing Power, Exporting Common Sense
Energy has become one of the sharpest points of conflict. Once envied as a net exporter, New Jersey has turned the tables by shutting down coal, demonizing natural gas, and chasing out a nuclear plant under what they call “unviable” mandates. The result? The state morphed from a net exporter to a net importer dependent on the nuclear, natural gas, and coal-generated power from Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
“The irony is it’s all under the guise of green energy,” Kanitra said. “But we’re importing power made by coal. Nothing in the atmosphere knows state boundaries. It’s all a shell game.”
Costs are already up 20–30 percent, with another spike looming. Utilities have even been asked to delay billing until after the November election.
“Only in New Jersey do you get something like that,” Kanitra said.
Politics Over People
Kanitra pressed the point during hearings with the state’s Board of Public Utilities.
“I asked the commissioner if they were making decisions for ratepayers or for green energy goals. They said outright, they’re doing it for green energy goals. It’s like they don’t care that Joe Schmo is working his tail off to put food on the table. They just want the lights to come on.”
The stakes are real. Brownouts are possible this summer. Within a few years, he warned, blackouts are almost certain unless the course changes.
“Once you start paying businesses not to use power, you’re in a death spiral,” he said.
Holding the Line in Blue States
Fortunately – or perhaps unfortunately – Kanitra is not alone.
Earlier this summer, he joined fellow minority legislators at an ALEC Academy in Illinois, where leaders from California, New York, and Washington shared familiar stories. Each was navigating uphill battles of their own, pushing back against entrenched majorities while fighting to give voice to their constituents.
“Everybody talked about how they push back, how they made a difference. Holding the line in places like New Jersey has real value.”
That’s because winning isn’t always passing a new law. Sometimes it’s making bad policy “a little less crazy.” In a state where ideology often trumps practicality, even that can count as progress.