Climate Advocates and Legislative Leaders Convene Rally at Statehouse to Call for Legislation That Achieves 100% Clean Energy by 2035

Trenton, New Jersey – A coalition of environmental advocates, legislative leaders, and community organizations met on the Capitol Steps to call for Governor Murphy and the state Legislature to support legislation that would ensure New Jersey moves to 100% clean energy by 2035 to fight climate change and lower energy costs for working families and local businesses.

As Donald Trump trolls to roll back federal clean energy investments to reward his friends in the oil and gas industries, advocates called for our state’s elected officials to take a strong stance and make New Jersey a national leader in clean energy and the fight against climate change.

A 100% clean energy bill will create good-paying local union jobs while lowering energy costs for New Jersey’s working families and local businesses because renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy.

With Trump pursuing a radical fossil fuel agenda in Washington that would drive up costs for consumers, it’s more important than ever for Trenton to stand up for residents by taking control of our own energy future and doubling down on clean energy that will lower costs for the long term.

“100% clean energy by 2035 is New Jersey’s opportunity to codify the transition to more clean energy generation into law, embedding it into the fabric of our state’s long-term energy and grid planning moving forward,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This goal paves the way for scaling up much needed cheaper energy generation like solar and battery storage, in a time where our ratepayers are facing the consequences of PJM, our grid operator, relying on expensive, inefficient, and dirty fossil fuels. 100% clean energy by 2035 is our solution for our energy affordability crisis, for grid reform, for good green jobs, and for clean air. We urge the NJ legislature to get this goal across the finish line as soon as possible for the sake of energy affordability, public health, the environment, and communities across the state.”

“We are at a critical moment in our state and our nation’s history,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. “With Trump launching an all-out assault on our environment, it’s more important than ever that our elected leaders in Trenton double down on a clean energy future that delivers cheaper energy for working families, while ensuring that the air our children and seniors breathe is cleaner. New Jersey has a historic moment to become a national leader in the fight for clean energy. Let’s get it done.”

“As the prime sponsor of the Clean Energy legislation, I am proud to be working with NJ LCV to urge its passage,” said Senator Bob Smith (D-Middlesex/Somerset). “We need more cards and letters of support to the Senate President and Assembly Speaker to get the bill over the finish line.”

“This is a defining moment for our state. Climate change is not some far-off threat—we already feel its effects as it devastates our communities with more frequent storms, extreme heat, and rising sea levels,” said Senator Linda Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer). “Governor Murphy’s vision for 100% clean energy by 2035 is an ambitious, yet necessary goal for New Jersey to mitigate these negative effects and help create a more sustainable planet. I commend the New Jersey LCV and Sierra Club for leading the charge on this front.”

“New Jersey has the opportunity to lead the nation in building a clean energy future,” said Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie (D-Essex/Passaic). “As a proud sponsor of this legislation, I know that promoting 100% clean energy isn’t just about protecting our environment. It’s about protecting our communities, our economy, and the generations to come.”

“The fight for clean energy is a fight for environmental, economic, and generational justice,” said Assemblywoman Alixon Collazos-Gill (D-Essex/Passaic). “I’m proud to stand with a movement that’s pushing New Jersey to lead boldly, with policies that protect our communities, lower energy costs, and build a healthier, more equitable future. Codifying 100% clean energy by 2035 isn’t optional—it’s essential.”

“A full transition to clean energy is our best weapon in the fight against rising utility costs, worsening climate change, and harmful air pollution,” said Senator Andrew Zwicker (D-Hunterdon/Mercer/Middlesex/Somerset). “The capacity to build and operate wind, solar, and battery storage technology is already here, but what we need is the political will to get that energy out of the legislative process and into households across our state. A clean energy transition by 2035 is good for working families, good for our economy, and good for our planet.”

“Across the country, 1000’s of medical professionals have been speaking out about the unprecedented health threats that burning dirty fossil for electricity poses to all Americans. Our patients are increasingly getting slammed by health impacts that scientists have told us would happen – from accelerating severe asthma in our pediatric patients to elders who die in heat waves, and much more,” said Dan Quinlan, Co-Leader, Clinicians for Climate Action New Jersey. “The medical and public health community in New Jersey stands behind leaders like Governor Phil Murphy, Senator Smith and their fight for 100% clean, healthy energy.” 

“Make no mistake about this, we are in a climate crisis,” said David Temple, NJ Working Group Lead for Third Act. “As the co-facilitator of Third Act New Jersey, I look forward to working with NJ Sierra Club and New Jersey LCV to achieve 100% Clean Energy by 2035.”

“It’s no secret that health-impacting and environmental-polluting facilities have historically been placed in the Black, Brown and poor communities,” said Marcus Sibley, Chair of the NJ Progressive Equitable Energy Coalition (NJPEEC). “It then should be no surprise, that for many of the residents and advocates fighting for these communities, that the urgent need for clean energy, is a justice issue.” 

“We’re on the precipice of losing our right to clean air and the power to choose what energy resources serve us. As the Trump administration gears up to roll back decades of bedrock environmental protections to fuel our future with fossil fuels, New Jersey must act,” said Anna Muller, Energy Policy Manager, Climate Revolution Action Network. “We have a chance to lead–to secure a clean energy future that won’t be dictated by polluters. A transition to 100% clean energy by 2035 is not an extreme measure for future generations; it is a basic necessity, a standard we should have adopted long ago. New Jersey leaders need to stop dragging their feet and finally commit to clean energy that benefits every resident.”

“There is no denying that the health of New Jerseyans is inextricably linked to our environment,” said Molly McGroary, Class of 2026, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “Whether air pollution, food security, spread of infectious diseases or chronic stress, the climate affects our health every day. A step towards clean energy is really a step towards ensuring a healthy future for all New Jersey residents.”

“New Jersey needs to show its youth that it cares about their futures by transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2035. Young people across our state are worried about climate change, its resulting heat waves and disasters, as well as economic and social impacts. New Jersey needs to show that it cares about the future of my generation by making the clean energy transition. High school students of New Jersey want a chance to preserve a stable, livable climate with less pollution for their futures, and urge legislators to pass this bill.” – Elif Cam, age 17, junior from Princeton High School and Co-Chair of the NJSSC.

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About the New Jersey Sierra Club:

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.

Source: https://www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey/blog/2025/06/climate-advocates-and-legislative-leaders-rally-statehouse-call-100-clean