In her first actions as Governor of New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill paused during her inauguration speech to announce two executive orders that deliver on her promise to declare a State of Emergency on Utility Costs.
● Executive Order No.1 delivers immediate ratepayer relief and freezes rate hikes for New Jersey families, according to a statement from Sherrill’s office.
● Executive Order No. 2 takes action to massively expand in-state power generation — including solar and battery storage in the short-term, and nuclear power in the long-term — to lower electric bills.
“I promised the people of New Jersey bold action to lower utility costs and, today, I’m delivering. Trenton will no longer accept the status quo and kick the can down the road while New Jersey families pay higher bills — not on my watch,” said Sherrill.
Executive Orders to Help Lower Costs
These executive orders will deliver relief to consumers and stop rate hikes, so New Jerseyans aren’t facing ever-increasing electric bills, Sherrill said. This will also create the conditions to massively expand New Jersey’s power generation, with more in-state power being another way to help lower costs.
“I heard the people of New Jersey loud and clear — these rate hikes are unacceptable — and as your governor, I will not stop fighting to lower costs and make New Jersey a more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family,” said Sherrill.
Sworn in as the 57th governor of New Jersey on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, she is the 2nd woman and the 1st female Democrat to serve in the state’s highest role. A former federal prosecutor and Navy helicopter pilot, Sherrill previously represented New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District in the U.S. House.
Lt. Governor-elect Dale Caldwell was also sworn in on Tuesday. Caldwell has held leadership roles in the public and private sectors and in higher education and is the president of Centenary University. He’s served as the Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), founding executive director of the Newark Alliance, and senior manager at Deloitte Consulting, among other roles.
Sherrill said her executive orders will likely bring new solar and battery storage generation and identify permit reforms to speed projects along. Electric utilities will now be required to report on requests from data centers, and a task force is being formed to explore the construction of new nuclear power plants.
“This is your government, and it should work for you,” she said in a statement on the governor’s website.
NJ: Crossroad of the Revolution
The new governor said that New Jersey embraces 2026 as the nation kicks off a year-long celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. NJ is at the heart of so many stories and great moments in history, and the American Revolution is no exception.
The Garden State is the Crossroad of the Revolution and the site of our first major victory at the Battle of Trenton. NJ was the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights, and we possess one of only 13 known original parchment copies of New Jersey’s Constitution. (A document the state unanimously ratified.)
More than 90 military engagements were fought in New Jersey, including the Ten Crucial Days of the war. The Garden State saw more Revolutionary military action than any of the other original colonies, and has more historic sites directly related to the American Revolution than any other state, according to RevolutionNJ.
New Jersey witnessed more than 600 battles; it offers over 150 Revolutionary War sites, many of which can be explored.
Shaking Up the Status Quo
“This is just the beginning. We are going to take on the affordability crisis, and we are going to shake up the status quo. … Under this administration, agencies will be judged by results, not rhetoric,” Sherrill said in her speech.
She said the state is facing an affordability crisis, and she hears people say that they “want costs to come down.”
