Bill > S649

Introduced Session

This bill would require the President of the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to establish the new position of Clean Energy Advocate, and appoint a person to serve as Clean Energy Advocate, within the BPU's existing Division of State Energy Services. The purpose and duties of the Clean Energy Advocate would be to serve as a central point of contact for, proactively reach out to, engage in interagency communications with, and act as a liaison between and among, the heads and appropriate staff of State agencies that are, in any way, involved in the development or implementation of an interagency clean energy project in the State, in order to identify and resolve interagency disputes, facilitate more effective and efficient interagency interactions and planning, and otherwise promote and facilitate improved interagency cooperation and coordination, as necessary to ensure the timely and successful interagency implementation and completion of the project. The bill would require the President of the BPU to assign additional administrative and clerical staff to the Division of State Energy Services, as may be necessary to support the Clean Energy Advocate in the performance of the advocate's duties. The Clean Energy Advocate would serve, on a full-time basis, at the pleasure of the president, would be entitled to receive a salary commensurate with the duties, responsibilities, and functions of the position, and would need to be qualified by appropriate education, training, and prior work experience, as determined by the president, to perform the duties and functions and fulfill the responsibilities of the position. At a minimum, the person appointed to the position would be required to have a sufficient combination of education, training, and prior work experience to demonstrate, to the president's satisfaction, that the person has an in-depth understanding and awareness of: (1) the foundational sciences relevant to the clean energy sector; (2) the history and evolution of the clean energy sector in this State and nation, including, but not limited to, the nature and progression of scientific and technological advancements and innovations in this area; (3) the nature, parameters, and purpose of the State's de-carbonization goals, clean energy programs and initiatives, and laws, rules, and regulations governing the clean energy sector in the State; and (4) the various means, methods, and tools, such as negotiation and mediation, that may be used to develop and maintain productive, cooperative, and coordinated relationships amongst the various State agencies involved in a multi-agency project. The bill would require the Clean Energy Advocate to annually submit, to the President of the BPU, a written report identifying: (1) the activities that have been undertaken, and the State agencies that have been contacted, by the Clean Energy Advocate in the prior year; (2) the interagency clean energy projects that were the subject of the advocate's activities and contacts in the prior year, and the current status of each such project; (3) any interagency issues that remain unresolved by the Clean Energy Advocate and that are, or may be, hindering the timely or successful completion of an interagency clean energy project; and (4) describing the means and methods that will be employed by the Clean Energy Advocate, in the upcoming year, to facilitate the effective resolution of each unresolved project-related issue, as necessary to ensure the prompt and successful completion of each relevant project. Not more than 30 days after receipt of the written report, the president would be required to post a copy of the report at a publicly accessible location on the BPU's Internet website.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Bob Smith (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document