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Welcome back to Power in Politics this week. Governor Mikey Sherrill signing an energy reform package which she says will save ratepayers a billion dollars annually. The bills aim to eliminate unnecessary utility incentives that increase electricity costs. They also include a $25 credit to all 3.6 million New Jersey utility customers and an additional $150 credit to lower and moderate income families. I'm bringing accountability back to New Jersey Energy and standing up to everyone who tries to make your families pay for their mistakes. We've started digging out of the hole, but there's a lot more work to do. State Republicans criticizing the Board of Public Utilities for slashing the bill credit though from $100 last summer to $25 now, but the governor's office defending the move, saying that the bill credit provided last year was designed as temporary relief to help offset unexpected increases caused by PGM mismanagement and the governor's announcement taking place right outside the home of Aileen Bailey. In Woodstown, Salem County, Bailey is mom to Assemblyman Dave Bailey, who sponsored one of the bills in the reform package. I'd like to welcome Assemblyman Bailey right now. Assemblyman, it's great to have you on the show. Eric, thanks so much. I appreciate the opportunity. Listen, uh, let's talk about your bill focuses on AI data centers which have drawn, as you know, the ire of many New Jerseyans of late. What does this bill in particular do? uh, what does this law rather do? Well, this bill is fundamentally Eric, about protecting ratepayers from subsidizing data center growth and the profits of the AI industry, bearing the risk of big tech investment in data centers. Really, we talk about it being an economy of fairness, and we know that data centers use a huge amount of power. We're seeing that across the country and they're straining the supply across the region. Wholesale costs at PGM, and I'm sure we'll talk about that a little bit and make your listeners understand what PGM is, are increasing largely because of current data center growth. How much of an impact will the data center specific rates really have on New Jerseyans because the governor even seemed to, to want to temper expectations there. Well, we've seen in the past 18 months. When we look at the supply and and ultimately there's a forecast that's determined on how much supply we'll have and how much supply we will need, and that's what the rates are based upon and so we saw 10 times the amount of the cost of that of that auction for those costs go up. So we are seeing an incredible amount of increase in the overall cost. We started to see it last summer, which originally, originally raised the red flag for all of us across the state. And we're going to continue to see that as we move, as we move forward, and that's why it's imperative for all of us to take these steps to support and protect our ratepayers. So in addition to paying a special rate here, what does this law require of data centers when it comes to producing their own energy and taking the burden off of the surrounding communities and the grid? Yeah, so I've been tongue in cheek, Eric. I've said it's somewhat of a prenup with us and them, and basically it says a few things. Number one, it requires data centers to pay 85%. Of the costs that they are going to bring onto the grid for a 10 year period. So it's basically saying if you're saying you're going to need this type of power, you're going to need the transmission line and the infrastructure buildout, then put up for 10 years. Say we've seen it in other states across the country where they said they've needed this. The buildout has started, the expense has been started to be paid and made, but then they've pulled out and left the ratepayer holding. The bag, it requires transparency in case there's duplicative requests and double counting of the demand that they're saying that they're going to need. So let's say they say they're going to build a data center in Illinois and then they're going to say they're going to build one and forecast one here in New Jersey. Well, which is it? It has to be one or the other. It can't be duplicative and that can't be in the forecast as well. There is an incentive for data centers to build their own power, as you rightfully just pointed out. And they should be investing in and paying for that generation of power that they're going to need again, not taking the power away from our grid and the power that our ratepayers, our ratepayers are paying for, but making sure that they're paying for that as well. And then finally we're we're requiring flexibility, demand flexibility. So we just saw these unbelievable spikes in the temperature. Of course that's going to continue to make additional demand and air conditioning and so forth on, on the grid. And so there should be times when they agree to turn off at these peak times to reduce the strain on the grid during those hottest and coldest days that they would have to shut back a little bit on that demand from the data centers first, making sure that we're not having blackouts and turnoffs residentially and applying to our ratepayers as well. The legislature voted to eliminate $250 million in tax credits for AI data centers as well. Support for this was nearly unanimous. What message does this send, and, and do you fear that New Jersey as a result of this could lose out on data center revenue and, and maybe fall behind our neighbors as a result of, of the shifting public opinion? Certainly been a story that's that's tried to been told from across the aisle that this is the issue that's going to happen, but I can assure you because I'm part of a collaborative of other PGM legislators from around, around the country. This new, I know specifically the bill that just got signed into law that I had put forward is going to be a blueprint that other states are going to utilize and fall in line with putting these same types of guardrails in place. So there's going to be nowhere for them to go. Are there data centers that have already been built in Virginia? You certainly in Ohio there's one currently being built across the river from Trenton, New Jersey in, in, in, in Pennsylvania, but this is really as we look forward and as all states look forward within the PGM system, these are going to be those guardrails that they are certainly going to come, and we certainly can say that in some there big argument made that we need them certainly from a from a data situation. But we need to have these, these guardrails in place, Eric, to make sure that the cost that's going to be incurred isn't on the back of our ratepayers, and that's, that's our job as legislators. Our job is to protect our citizens, and that's what we're trying to do. So me and Dave Bailey, we have to leave it right there. Thank you so much for your time. I'm sure we'll speak more about this in the future. My pleasure. Thanks for having me. Well, there's much more to come on Power and Politics. Stay with us. When we come back, the very latest on Nadine Menendez as she reports to prison.

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What is the red line when it comes to a political party condemning one of its own allegations of mistreating women. No, not in this case. A Nazi tattoo? Nope. How about spewing anti-Semitic tropes? Uh uh. For months, many in the Democratic Party circled the wagons defending Graham Plattner, hoping he'd defeat Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine and help Democrats retake the Senate. Until this week, and a widely reported rape allegation from an ex, which Plattner denied but ultimately dropped out of the race. He faced an avalanche of calls to do so, including from Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim and Governor Mikey Sherrill. Congressman Josh Gottheimer with a statement that read in part, I've been calling for Plattner to leave since the race, uh, the race since abuse allegations first surfaced at the beginning of June. Graham's Nazi tattoo alone was disqualifying enough. Let me be very clear, there's no room in the Democratic Party or Congress for Graham Plattner. The wife of disgraced former Senator Bob Menendez reporting to federal prison, Nadine Menendez beginning her 4.5 year sentence for bribery, obstruction, and acting as a foreign agent. A judge rejecting her request to further delay the start of her sentence for cancer treatment. Her husband is doing 11 years for similar crimes. Jersey City has only a few weeks left to pass the budget or face severe financial penalties. Earlier this month, the city council voted against that 15% proposed tax increase. Mayor James Solomon said it was needed to deal with a roughly $255 million budget deficit that he blames on the previous administration. During a town hall this week, Solomon told residents in order to get it down to 15% from 20%, the city had to cut. Those cuts are gonna be things that we feel as a city. We're gonna have less park maintenance. We cut that contract. We're not gonna have composting. We cut that contract. Our via services are now gonna be significantly reduced. Um, we are, you know, really pushing our automotive department not to repair certain cars and certain vehicles. These are real cuts, real costs. The full budget will be presented to the Jersey City Council July 15th. New Jersey getting abysmally low marks in a new ranking. The state fell to 31st overall in CNBC's top states for business ranking. Worse, we ranked 50th for business friendliness. The New Jersey Business and Industry Association blames a steady stream of anti-business policies and says that this should be a wake-up call before more major companies pack up and leave the state. New Jersey did rank 3rd in quality of life and 2nd for education. Well, that'll do it for this week's show. I'm Eric Lan Kronner. As always, we thank you for watching New Jersey Power and Politics. We'll see you again next time.

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Wall Township Mayor Erin Mangan, Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik and Assemblyman David Bailey join the show this week.

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