March 10 guidance (provided March 9):

As we decided at the Building Electrification meeting on March 3, we have boiled the priorities down to 2 general activities for teams to begin working immediately. Our goal is to have Gov Murphy and state agencies plus the legislature have policies and legislation in place before year end 2022.

These 2 activities are:
1.      A letter to the governor stressing the importance of beginning a full-fledged Building Electrification campaign immediately, including actions such as

• Announcing a target of 1 million fully electrified homes heated with highly efficient heat pumps by 2030 and 90% of all building stock by 2050
• Authorizing and empowering a “Climate Czar” to coordinate among all state agencies
• Producing a Building Electrification Roadmap
• Providing significant increases in incentives and programs, including electrification and efficiency of buildings

2.      Legislation passed by the Legislature and signed into law to enable immediate Building Electrification. The team will

• Support Assemblyman Kennedy’s bill A1440 “Zero Energy Construction Act,” which would require new development to be zero-energy by 2025 or 2027, require adoption of a State Uniform Construction Code that could exceed the IECC standards and allow earlier adoption of more stringent energy standards
• Examine NY’s 2019 “Climate … Act” and its RenewableEnergyNow campaign to copy appropriate legislation for NJ
• Work with other willing legislators to get the legislation passed.

On Thursday, March 10 at 7 pm, all willing participants will meet on Zoom to finalize the work activities and organize the teams. It is absolutely essential that we have EVERYONE who is willing and able to advance this cause to attend and participate. The NJ budget summary is out and will be final by June. The existing building programs that we have (efficiency) have been gutted by the utilities. NJ MUST have money for incentives to push this forward. Please put this on your calendar and plan to attend. We will see you tomorrow evening.

REFERENCES

the link to the large document which we have been refining

Expanded version of the above two priorities