In Budget Crunch, NJ Strips Clean Energy Fund in near-Record ‘Raid’

njspotlightnews.org

For the 17th year in a row, the New Jersey Legislature diverted tens of millions of dollars meant for clean energy investments to plug shortfalls in their general state budget.

Started in 1999, the Clean Energy Fund is a dedicated pool of money collected from utility ratepayers through a societal benefits charge on their energy bills. It is used to support statewide programs that promote energy efficiency, renewable energy and emissions reductions. But money has frequently been pulled out of it to plug unrelated budget gaps, like state building utility costs or park maintenance.