SENATE, No. 1211

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MAY 30, 1996

By Senator McGREEVEY

An Act concerning certain sales of electricity and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. The provisions of any other law, rule or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding, the Board of Public Utilities shall not approve the purchase of electricity generated at a facility outside the boundaries of this State until the electric public utility proposing the purchase has certified to the board that the out-of-State generation facility is operating at air emission standards that are consistent with the operating permits that regulate the electric utility's generation facilities within the franchise area of the electric utility.

    2. The board shall promulgate, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), such rules and regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

    3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to contracts entered into or renewed on or after the effective date of this act.

STATEMENT

    In an effort to reduce air pollution resulting from electrical power generation from sources which may degrade air quality through airborne transmissions across State boundaries, this bill would prohibit the Board of Public Utilities from approving the purchase of electricity generated at a facility outside the boundaries of this State until the electric public utility proposing the purchase has certified to the board that the out-of-State generation facility is operating at air emission standards that are consistent with the operating permits that regulate the electric utility's generation facilities within the franchise area of the electric utility.

Requires electric public utilities to certify that out-of-State power is purchased from facilities that operate at air emission standards consistent with in-State standards.