RELEASE: Gottheimer Statement on PJM’s Cost-Increasing Electricity Auction Raising Rates Again for Jersey Families

NORTH JERSEY — This week, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) released the following statement after PJM, the regional grid operator for New Jersey and 12 other states, held a cost-increasing electricity auction that will once again raise utility rates for Jersey families:

“After whacking Jersey families with a staggering 40% increase in electricity bills in the last year, PJM just twisted the knife by adding another 5% increase in the coming year. Yes, that’s a 45% percent increase in utility bills thanks to their disastrous auction failure.

President Trump’s Big F’ed Up Bill is already raising electricity bills for Jersey families by $110 a year, gutting investments in clean energy that would help lower costs. Now, PJM is adding insult to injury and sticking it to Jersey.

This is not the first time PJM has failed Jersey families. PJM has repeatedly delayed critical energy projects that would add more energy supply to the grid and bring costs down, including critical investments I successfully secured in Congress. By sitting on their hands, PJM’s 2024 auction resulted in $14.7 billion in increased costs passed on to Jersey ratepayers.

That’s why, ahead of this year’s auction, I led a bipartisan letter to PJM demanding answers on how they would work to prevent another rate hike. But they failed miserably — again. I’ve also called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate PJM’s repeated mismanagement and overpayments that are driving up bills.

Jersey families shouldn’t have to pay the price of PJM’s jaw-dropping incompetence. I’ll keep fighting to hold them accountable and deliver lower energy costs for Jersey families.”

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