Tom Johnson

The New Jersey Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the state must demonstrate a cause-and-effect connection before it holds a suspected polluter responsible for contaminating groundwater or other natural resources, even if a hazardous discharge has occurred.

The developer of the state’s first offshore wind farm is telling regulatory officials that the project's impact on ratepayers will be significantly lower than a similarly scaled initiative in Rhode Island, which is likely to be the first operating wind farm off the East Coast.

New Jersey has one of the most ambitious clean energy programs in the nation, but some have criticized the state for not doing enough to promote the development of electric vehicles and other alternative-fueled cars.

Warning that extreme weather is here to stay, state regulatory officials yesterday began weighing steps that New Jersey electric utilities should take to improve response times when restoring power to customers.

The Christie administration’s draft strategic investment plan is touted by officials as a blueprint for spurring economic development in New Jersey, a goal seemingly embraced by many.

The state’s four electric utilities would face stiffer penalties if they fail to quickly implement restoration plans in the event of severe storms, according to a recommendation introduced by the Christie administration. The governor wants the Legislature to move rapidly on the proposal, enacting it into law this fall.

A much-contested natural gas pipeline expansion project in northern New Jersey cleared an important hurdle yesterday when the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission found it would have no significant impact on the environment if constructed.

Despite all the gloom and doom talk about the solar sector, New Jersey installed more solar systems in the first three months of the year than any other state in the nation.

A Spectra Energy pipeline project is one of several natural gas pipeline proposed — spurred by the discovery of large fossil fuel deposits in Pennsylvania and New York.  The plan to h...

Tom Johnson is the co-founder of NJ Spotlight, where he covers energy and the environment. As the Christie administration holds hearings on the draft of the Energy Master Plan, he looks at the plan and New Jersey's energy future.