This Week in Policy, Infrastructure & Energy Markets
PJM’s Reopened Queue Shows Gas Dominating New Proposals
Utility Dive reports that PJM’s interconnection queue — frozen since 2022 — has reopened with more than 800 projects totaling 220 GW. The headline surprise: gas‑fired generation leads the queue with 106 GW of proposed capacity. Storage follows at 67 GW, nuclear at 18 GW, and solar at 15 GW.
PJM is using Google’s Tapestry AI tool to accelerate studies, but warns that interconnection approval does not guarantee construction. Since 2020, 103 GW of approved projects have stalled due to permitting delays, supply‑chain issues, or financing challenges.
For New Jersey, which relies heavily on PJM’s regional grid, the queue composition underscores a policy tension: state‑level clean‑energy mandates push toward renewables, but regional market signals still favor gas.
Source: Utility Dive —https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pjm-interconnection-queue-gas-solar-nuclear/818824/
Gateway Tunnel Construction Moves Into a Visible Phase
PIX11 reports that the Gateway Program is preparing to begin boring the new Hudson River rail tunnel — a milestone that shifts the project from planning into physical construction. The new tunnel will eventually allow the century‑old, Sandy‑damaged North River Tunnels to be taken offline for rehabilitation.
For New Jersey commuters, this is the most consequential infrastructure development in decades. The tunnel is the backbone of the entire Gateway Program, and its progress will directly shape NJ Transit reliability and Northeast Corridor capacity for generations.
Source: PIX11 / YouTube —https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6OIv5dwEQA
New Jersey Still Ranks Last in Tax Competitiveness
The Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Business Tax Climate Index again places New Jersey at the bottom — 50th out of 50. The Index evaluates structure, not revenue, and New Jersey performs poorly across nearly every category: income tax, corporate tax, sales tax, and especially property tax.
New Jersey’s income tax is among the most progressive and complex in the country, its property taxes are the highest in the nation, and its corporate tax structure includes surcharges and legacy provisions that create uncertainty for businesses.
Meanwhile, competitor states are moving in the opposite direction. Louisiana jumped six spots after adopting a flat 3% income tax and lowering corporate rates. North Carolina, Utah, and Indiana continue to climb by simplifying their codes. New Jersey’s incremental adjustments haven’t meaningfully changed its structural disadvantages.
For companies evaluating expansion or relocation, the Tax Foundation argues that tax structure matters as much as tax burden. New Jersey’s ranking reinforces a long‑standing challenge: the state has strategic advantages — workforce, location, infrastructure — but its tax code remains a drag on competitiveness.
Source: Tax Foundation —https://taxfoundation.org/statetaxindex/
Port Newark’s Billion‑Dollar Expansion Accelerates
NJ.com reports that a major construction project at Port Newark is underway as part of a broader billion‑dollar expansion across the Port of New York and New Jersey — now the busiest port in the United States.
The project includes modernization of berths, expanded logistics capacity, and upgrades aimed at improving throughput and reducing bottlenecks. For New Jersey, the port is a foundational economic engine, supporting more than half a million regional jobs. These upgrades position the port to compete with rapidly expanding facilities in Savannah, Charleston, and Los Angeles/Long Beach.
Source: NJ.com —https://www.nj.com/news/2026/04/huge-project-at-port-newark-is-part-of-a-billion-dollar-expansion-of-the-nations-busiest-port.html
The Energy Transition’s Contradiction: Climate vs. Biodiversity
The Lowy Institute argues that the global energy transition contains a structural contradiction: renewable energy is both a climate solution and a form of industrial expansion — and those two goals increasingly collide.
Large‑scale wind, solar, transmission lines, and critical‑minerals mining often require land in ecologically sensitive areas. The article warns against “carbon reductionism,” where emissions become the sole metric of success while biodiversity, cultural heritage, and local stewardship are treated as secondary.
The takeaway: climate and biodiversity policy can no longer be pursued in parallel — they must be integrated.
Source: Lowy Institute —https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/quiet-contradiction-heart-energy-transition
