Latest news with #DanaDiFilippo
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grid operator forecasting 11% increase in electricity consumption by 2034
The operator of the New England power grid anticipates a demand for more electricity production over the next decade. (File photo by Dana DiFilippo/New Jersey Monitor) A long expected shift in New England electricity consumption – from using less power each year to consuming more as residents embrace electric vehicles and heat pumps – is beginning to happen, but the shift isn't expected to be quite as dramatic as forecasters were predicting just a year ago. The operator of the New England power grid released a study on Thursday saying a 10-year downturn in consumption of electricity from the region's generating plants is coming to an end and giving way to the need for more electricity production over the next decade. A year ago, ISO New England forecast a 17% increase in consumption of electricity generated by the region's power plants by 2033. The latest report, citing a slowdown in electric vehicle and electric heat pump adoption rates, pares back the increase to 11% by 2034. The shift is still fairly dramatic. According to the grid operator, electricity consumption steadily increased between 1995 and 2005, as the region experienced economic growth and New Englanders installed air conditioning in their homes and businesses. That trend reversed after 2005 as many residents reduced their consumption of electricity from power plants by embracing energy efficiency measures and by meeting all or some of their own power needs by installing solar panels. Energy efficiency and home-grown solar production are continuing. Overall, solar power production in New England is forecasted to grow 88% over the next decade to 14,343 megawatts. Massachusetts is the leader, expected to generate 6,952 megawatts by 2034. Still, ISO New England predicts the growth in solar and energy savings from efficiency measures will not be enough to offset the forecasted increased demand for electricity to power vehicles and home heating systems. The regional grid operator is forecasting that the electrification of the transportation and heating sectors will boost summer peak demand by 68 megawatts in 2025 and 956 megawatts by 2034. Peak demand during the winter heating season is expected to rise by 300 megawatts in 2025 and 6,529 megawatts by 2034. Those increases are being predicted even though the Trump administration in Washington is pulling back support for electric vehicle, heat pump, and solar power subsidies. The New England grid operator is forecasting that 'net' electricity use – which is defined as electricity imported into the region or generated locally but not including solar home installations – will hit 130,665 gigawatt hours by 2034. That's up from 116,813 gigawatt hours in 2024 and below the 2005 peak of 136,425 gigawatt hours. ISO New England is not currently sounding alarms about its ability to secure enough electricity to meet future demand growth. A spokeswoman for the grid operator said it is currently counting on the construction of two offshore wind farms – Vineyard Wind off the coast of Massachusetts and Revolution Wind off the coast of Rhode Island. Both wind farms are currently under construction and haven't been blocked by the Trump administration, which opposes the development of offshore wind. This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tax hikes get lawmakers' OK in advance of full budget vote
Sen. Paul Sarlo, the state Senate's budget chair, said Thursday that when lawmakers eye certain tax hikes, it's "always a difficult ask and a difficult choice to make." (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) Budget panels in both legislative chambers approved a series of tax increases on Thursday meant to keep New Jersey's books balanced in the fiscal year that begins July 1, but legislators stopped short of a vote on the full budget. Lawmakers advanced proposals that would raise fees on the sale of certain expensive buildings, hike cigarette and nicotine taxes, and push up tax rates on online gambling and sports betting in a bid to keep the state's budget above water. Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), the Senate budget chairman, said the tax hikes would help Gov. Phil Murphy keep his pledge to pass along a $6 billion surplus to the next governor. Murphy leaves office in January. 'Any time you have to tax an industry or ask someone to put more money in, it's always a difficult ask and a difficult choice to make,' Sarlo said. The full budget did not get a vote Thursday, with lawmakers saying the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services was still drafting the bill after negotiators reached an agreement on how much New Jersey would spend in the next fiscal year. Budget committees are expected to vote on the bill at 8 p.m. Friday, with votes before both full chambers planned for Monday, the last day they have to pass a budget without shutting down the state government. Republican members, who broadly opposed the tax bills advanced Thursday, expressed some frustration over the budget process, noting the timing of the committee's vote on the budget bill made it likely that few would see the vote. 'This overall process, none of us is happy with,' said Declan O'Scanlon (R-Monmouth), the chamber's GOP budget officer. 'If you got something you want to release in the dark of night when no one's paying attention, everybody knows you put it after 4:30 on a Friday in the summer.' Among the tax hikes approved Thursday was a bill that would raise tax rates on online gambling and sports betting to 19.75%, from 15% and 13%, respectively. The proposal, earlier reported by the Press of Atlantic City, resembles a pitch the governor made in his budget address that called for the state to raise tax rates on online gambling to 25%. The governor's proposal was set to generate $402.4 million in additional revenue in the coming July-to-June fiscal year. The reduction from 25% to $19.75% would reduce those collections by about $85 million. 'Any time there's anything that could negatively impact our casinos in Atlantic City, we want to just raise our concerns because Atlantic City is kind of the powerhouse of South Jersey, and we don't want to do anything to impact their competitiveness with other states,' said Hilary Chebra, director of government affairs for the Chamber of Commerce of South Jersey. 'We do appreciate that it is less than what the governor proposed.' Some lawmakers have pushed to raise the state's tax rates on casinos' online gambling winnings, noting that New Jersey's existing rates are far out of step with its neighbors. New York levies a 51% tax on casinos' winnings from online sports betting, while Pennsylvania's online sports betting rate is 36%. Sen. John McKeon (D-Essex), the bill's prime sponsor, initially pitched raising New Jersey's rates to 30%. Legislators made broader changes to a separate Murphy proposal that would have doubled the 1% fee on property sales valued above $1 million and imposed an overall 3% fee on those worth more than $2 million. Under the Legislature's version, the fee would remain at 1% for homes worth between $1 million and $2 million but rise for more expensive homes, climbing to 2% for homes worth between $2 million and $2.5 million and rising by an additional half percentage point for every $500,000 in value, to a cap of 3.5% on property worth more than $3.5 million. 'This is one thing I wish didn't have to be included, but I also fully understand the need to balance a budget, provide necessary revenue, to continue to work down our structural deficit, to provide a healthy surplus,' Sarlo said. Lawmakers made another significant change: Their version of the tax would be paid by sellers rather than by buyers, as is the case under current law. The change would reduce owners' profits from the sale of property but reduce upfront costs for home buyers. Murphy's proposal was expected to generate $317 million in additional state revenue in the next fiscal year, though revenue relying on home sales can be highly volatile. Sarlo said legislators' version would raise about $282 million and impact between 2% and 3% of home sales. The bill calls for the state to refund the difference in fees for a property that was sold before July 10 and whose deeds were recorded no later than Nov. 15, 2025. The committee's vote on the so-called mansion tax measure was delayed by hours. When it first came up for a vote, the panel's Republican members had not seen the current version. When it was brought up a second time hours later, the measure had been amended again to allow additional time for homes to be sold and face the lower fee. Lawmakers also approved a bill that would raise the state's cigarette tax to $3 per pack, from $2.70, and triple tax rates on electronic cigarette cartridges to 30 cents per milliliter or 30% of the retail price for bottled fluid.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Budget panels approve $58.8B spending bill in late-night votes
The Legislature is scheduled to give formal approval to the $58.8 billion spending bill on Monday. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) Budget panels in both chambers of the Legislature in late-night votes Friday approved an annual spending bill that Senate Democrats have said will cost $58.8 billion. Legislators' proposal spends more than the plan Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled in late February, leaves the state with a surplus too small to meet a statutory requirement for a new tax relief program, and expands New Jersey's structural deficit to $1.5 billion (Murphy proposed $1.2 billion). If the budget stands at $58.8 billion, it would amount to the highest level in state history. The full Legislature is expected to give the plan a final vote on Monday. The next fiscal year begins Tuesday. Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) on Friday read aloud a statement from an absent Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), the Senate's budget chair. 'This is a budget that will help move New Jersey forward in the face of difficult fiscal conditions and severe economic uncertainty. We are making the best use of resources to address the priority needs of the state's residents in a fiscally responsible way,' the statement read. On net, lawmakers' changes to Murphy's proposed budget add $728 million in spending beyond what the governor sought, and while the total effect of their revenue raisers was not immediately clear, the state appears poised to take in less money from recurring revenue than under the governor's proposal. Republican officials, in what has become a yearly rejoinder, criticized the late-night budget votes, which were held before bill text was available to the public. Members of the press received copies of the spending bill at 8:37 p.m. Friday, but the bills were not posted online Friday. 'It's the complete opposite of what good government looks like,' said Sen. Tony Bucco (R-Morris). 'Their rushed, opaque budget charade is exactly why New Jersey is in the fiscal mess we've found ourselves in. There's no accountability, no planning, and absolutely no transparency, just last-minute deals and political favors pushed through in the dead of night when no one is looking.' Friday's vote by the Senate's budget committee capped an unusual process that began when the panel met on Thursday but ended its meeting without a vote on the budget. Instead of adjourning, the committee took a 24-hour-long recess that allowed members who would not be present Friday, like Sarlo, to record their votes early on a budget bill that did not yet exist. Witnesses and lawmakers praised the budget's full $7.2 billion pension payment, and the more than $12 billion it sets aside for formulaic school aid. However, some expressed concern that the state would still spend more than it brings in. 'I appreciate the responsible side of this budget where it's full pension payment, it's a full school aid payment, a healthier surplus than we're used to, but there's no signs of the structural reforms we truly need to give our next governor a healthier budget,' said Chris Emigholz, chief government affairs officer for the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin (D-Essex), her chamber's budget chair, said the state's next governor, who will take office in January, would need to determine whether some programs should be jettisoned. Murphy is barred from seeking a third term in November. 'Whoever comes in, I think that there's going to be some decisions that are going to have to be made. I think whether it's a Republican or a Democrat, they're going to have to take a look at especially some of the senior proposals just to see what we can do,' she said. Much of the new spending comes from legislative add-ons — variably called district spending, Christmas tree items, or simply 'pork.' Those items are numerous and varied, and their costs total in the hundreds of millions. They include millions in capital funding to individual school districts, like the $21 million Newark schools will receive, or for local infrastructure projects, like $8 million set aside for roadway improvements in Camden. Other changes would undo cuts to college financial assistance for students and reverse a $20 million cut Murphy proposed to community colleges' operating aid. Those cuts had rankled lawmakers and spurred alarm from university leaders. The budget would pull an additional $70 million from the state's clean energy fund to pay for operational costs at NJ Transit, plus an additional $50 million to underwrite more general state spending. NJ Transit was already set to receive a separate $70.1 million from the fund as part of an annual diversion. The bill assumes the state will find $100 million in savings on state employees' health care benefits in the first six months of 2026, though it provides no suggestion for how officials realize such savings. Instead, it asks state and public employee representatives to each submit their own plans. The boosted spending would take the state's surplus to $6.7 billion, according to budget documents that had not undergone technical review by the Office of Legislative Services. Lawmakers augmented reserves by increasing a diversion from a debt defeasance fund — which is meant to reduce debt payments by immediately paying debt down or avoiding it altogether — to $555 million, from $250 million. The proposed level of surplus should trigger a statutory provision to pause payments from Stay NJ, a nascent property tax relief program that promises to cut seniors' property tax bills in half. The provision is intended to halt the program if the state doesn't have enough money to pay for it, but lawmakers have previously overwritten it. The budget includes a range of new or increased taxes, including a hike to rates paid on cigarettes, electronic cigarette fluid, high-dollar property sales, and casinos' online wagering wins. Lawmakers followed Murphy's lead on nicotine taxes, exactly matching proposals he made in his budget message, but approved lower tax rates for casinos' online wagering wins than the governor had sought. Those rates rise to 19.75% in lawmakers' budget plan, rather than the 25% Murphy pitched. Legislators made broader changes to a surcharge on realty transfers of more than $1 million. Rather than doubling that tax rate to 2% and imposing a 3% rate on property sales worth more than $2 million, legislators voted to raise rates to 2% for sales worth between $2 million and $2.5 million and increase them by an additional half percentage point for every $500,000 in additional value, to a cap of 3.5% at $3.5 million. Their proposal also calls for property sellers, rather than buyers, to pay the fee, a change that would decrease upfront costs for those buying buildings worth at least $1 million and reduce the profits from such property sales. Legislators eschewed some taxes sought by Murphy. They skipped a proposed 10% hike to the state's alcoholic beverage tax that was forecast to boost collections by $18.5 million. They also declined to enact a per-truck warehousing fee estimated to generate $20 million in revenue. A degree of uncertainty remains around the budget. GOP lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are exploring broad changes to federal programs that could pull billions in federal Medicaid funding, among other things, from New Jersey. 'In many ways, this budget may be a hypothetical document,' said Peter Chen, senior policy analyst at progressive think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective. 'When those cuts start coming, we'll have to come up with the revenue somewhere. Otherwise, we will face devastating cuts to many of the programs that we all hold dear.'
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Critics accuse New Jersey legislators of ‘stealing' opioid settlement funds
Harm reduction advocates staged a die-in at the Trenton Statehouse on Monday, June 30, 2025, after legislators — fearing federal Medicaid cuts would hurt hospitals — decided to divert $45 million in national opioid settlement funds to four of the state's largest hospitals. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) New Jersey legislators diverted $45 million from national opioid settlement funds to four hospitals in the $58.8 billion state budget they approved Monday — a last-minute surprise that drove harm-reduction advocates to protest in the Statehouse and the state attorney general to object in unusual public criticism of state lawmakers. Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), who chairs the Senate's budget committee, said the diversion is meant to make up for losses the hospitals are expected to experience from federal Medicaid cuts. 'The thought process here is … to get some of the monies to some of the larger hospital systems for their harm reduction community-based programs, because they're going to take a hit,' Sarlo said. 'These hospitals are going to be on the front line of these Medicaid cuts.' But Attorney General Matt Platkin said the hospitals will receive the money for uses not yet identified, despite a new five-year strategic plan a state advisory council released two weeks ago that requires beneficiaries to spend settlement funds on evidence-based solutions that help people recover from addiction. The new appropriation, which he said he learned of Sunday night, 'ignores' that plan, he added. 'These settlement funds are not general revenues for the State. They are the result of some of the most significant lawsuits ever filed by Attorneys General across this country to force companies to pay back the blood money that they stole in fueling the opioid epidemic,' Platkin said in a statement. 'Spending this money in this way is a slap in the face to every family who lost a loved one in this devastating crisis, which continues to claim the lives of thousands of New Jerseyans each year.' He warned lawmakers about 'repeating the mistakes made with the state's tobacco settlement funds, which should have been used exclusively to address damage caused by cigarettes.' Harm reduction advocates echoed his concerns, accusing lawmakers of a 'blatant misuse' of settlement funds in weekend deals brokered in secrecy. Dozens lined a Statehouse hallway to implore passing legislators to vote against the allocation, as they waved tombstone-shaped signs with slogans including 'Stealing sux! Fund harm redux!' and 'Here lie legislators' consciences.' They staged a die-in, partially blocking passers-by until state troopers intervened to move them along, and later, several were kicked out of the building after they unfurled a sign and began shouting during the Senate's session. Jenna Mellor, who heads the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition (pictured on ground), leads a die-in at the Trenton Statehouse on Monday, June 30, 2025. Petra Gaskins, the chief of staff (pictured in blue suit) for Sen. Joe Cryan, stops to hear her concerns. Harm reduction advocates were protesting a plan by legislators to divert $45 million in national opioid settlement funds to four of the state's largest hospitals, in response to anticipate federal Medicaid cuts. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) Harm reduction advocates protested at the Trenton Statehouse on Monday, June 30, 2025, after legislators decided to divert $45 million in national opioid settlement funds to four of the state's largest hospitals, in response to anticipated federal Medicaid cuts. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Morris) smiles as he passes harm reduction advocates protesting a controversial budget allocation on Monday, June 30, 2025, in a Statehouse corridor. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) Harm reduction advocates staged a die-in at the Trenton Statehouse on Monday, June 30, 2025, after legislators — fearing federal Medicaid cuts would hurt hospitals — decided to divert $45 million in national opioid settlement funds to four of the state's largest hospitals. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) Harm reduction advocates protested by unfurling a banner during a Senate session at the Trenton Statehouse on Monday, June 30, 2025, after legislators decided to divert $45 million in national opioid settlement funds to four of the state's largest hospitals, in response to anticipated federal Medicaid cuts. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) Jenna Mellor heads the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition and was a member of the advisory council, which spent 15 months hearing testimony from hundreds of people to devise its strategic plan. 'This was not in our recommendations,' Mellor said. 'We gave very intentional recommendations for five areas that will save lives — harm reduction expansion, medicine for opioid use disorder, housing, wraparound services, and legal services. We will not be able to fund those things, if the hospitals keep getting this money.' New Jersey will receive $1.1 billion in settlement funds through 2038, with half going to the state and the other half directly to county and local governments. The $45 million going to hospitals in the coming budget year represents 10% of the state's total share, as well as the single-biggest settlement fund expenditure in the fiscal year that begins Tuesday, advocates said. Racquel Romans-Henry, policy director of Salvation and Social Justice, joined advocates' protest at the Statehouse. 'Historically in this state, hospitals have, for better or worse, been the source of a lot of the racial disparities that exist around health care,' Romans-Henry said. 'Giving them this kind of money — when they neither need it and when so many grassroots organizations are reeling from federal cuts and are doing the work on the ground — is really a misalignment of the funds and the intent of the funds.' Platkin urged legislators to reject the appropriation, but also vowed: 'If they do not, my office will be carefully scrutinizing these hospital systems to make sure every single dollar is spent within the terms of the settlements we fought for years to obtain.' Spending this money in this way is a slap in the face to every family who lost a loved one in this devastating crisis. – Attorney General Matt Platkin Four hospitals will receive the funds, advocates said. RWJBarnabas Health and Cooper University Hospital will get $15 million each, Hackensack University Medical Center will get $10 million, and Atlantic Health System will receive $5 million. Spokespeople for Gov. Phil Murphy did not respond to a request for comment, but Sarlo said Murphy had signed off on the allocation. Murphy's former chief of staff, George Helmy, is an executive vice president at RWJ Barnabas and chief of its external affairs and policy office, while Cooper University Health Care is run by South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross, another Murphy ally. Bre Azanedo said grassroots organizations like Black Lives Matter-Paterson, where she serves as a program manager, are more trusted, effective harm reduction providers than hospitals. She also raised concerns about accountability. 'If they're going to add 'no deliverables, no strings attached,' then that should also apply to us, as organizations,' Azanedo said. 'They make us jump through hoops of fire for $20.' Tonia Ahern, community coordinator for the National Center for Advocacy and Recovery, warned that 'funding enormous health systems' won't solve the overdose crisis. 'We hear horror stories all the time about people being mistreated and discriminated against at the hospital with no accountability,' Ahern said. 'And what happens to people once they leave with no support, or access to medications and individualized care? It's going to fall on harm reduction and recovery organizations to pick up the pieces, and now with less funding.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lawmakers advance bill to allow digital driver's licenses in New Jersey
Supporters say digital driver's licenses are better than physical IDs, which can be lost, stolen, broken or damaged, outdated, and easily replicated for counterfeiting. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) Digital driver's licenses are one step closer to being filed in New Jerseyans' virtual wallets under a bill the Legislature advanced Monday with overwhelming approval. The proposal is one Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled during his final State of the State address in January. At the time, he called it 'common sense' and said it would 'make life easier for people we serve.' But the bill — which now sits on the governor's desk awaiting his signature — wouldn't take effect for more than three years. It's also likely the state would have to apply for a waiver for mobile versions under Real ID requirements, which began in May. The state Motor Vehicle Commission would be able to charge a 'reasonable' fee for issuing mobile driver's licenses or non-driver identification cards. Thirteen states already offer mobile driver's licenses, including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, and neighboring states like New York and Delaware. Some states' mobile licenses can be used at certain airports and federal agencies, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The bill also states that if someone hands off their phone to show their ID, that doesn't constitute consent to search their phone or access information that isn't on their identification card. It also requires the commission to equip the digital IDs with certain features to ensure 'security and integrity' of the documentation to protect people's personal information. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators called mobile driver's licenses the 'future of licensing and proof of identity.' They're a significant improvement over physical IDs, which can be lost, stolen, broken or damaged, outdated, and easily replicated for counterfeiting, the organization said. A spokesman for the Motor Vehicle Commission did not respond to a request for comment. The bill passed the Assembly with a vote of 75-3, with two abstentions. In the Senate, it passed 31-6. The no votes were all Republicans. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
