New Jersey knows what it means to produce; from the Industrial Revolution to the Jersey tomato, the Garden State’s grit never quits. Affordable and reliable energy is at the core of this spirit, so it’s no wonder that 50 percent of power generation in the state comes from natural gas.
Natural gas works for New Jersey. Two percent of total state jobs are in the industry, employing almost 80,000 people. As a whole, the natural gas industry contributed $11.6 billion to the local economy, $7 billion of which came from 2.7 million residential consumers who rely on natural gas to power their daily lives.
Natural gas is the affordable choice for New Jersey.
Natural gas has played a major role in making energy rates more affordable, and access continues to grow. With 34,000 miles of gas distribution mains and 33,000 miles of service lines in-state, natural gas is the choice of almost a quarter million commercial and industrial customers to fuel and heat their businesses.
From farm to table and the supply chain in-between, these industries depend on natural gas; it’s a reliable value that helps keep New Jersey strong.
New Jersey benefits from natural gas infrastructure.
The presence of distribution, manufacturing, and other sectors supporting the natural gas industry in New Jersey already funnels over $11.6 billion in value to the state economy.
But the industry isn’t done growing. As the power generation fleet in New Jersey evolves in the market, natural gas has the opportunity to incorporate more development in sectors yet to be unlocked: natural gas storage sites and CO2 pipelines could all be sources of growth in the future.
New Jersey’s location on the eastern seaboard also makes it a key energy player in the region. Its vast pipeline infrastructure helps facilitate the distribution of natural gas to neighboring states. In turn, New Jersey’s natural gas distribution sector, and end-use employment, supports nearly 80 thousand jobs – and counting – in the state.
Natural gas is New Jersey’s environmentally smart energy source.
Natural gas can dramatically reduce the emissions of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere; when used to generate electricity, natural gas produces half the CO2 emissions of coal. As the use of natural gas by electricity-generating plants has increased, power sector CO2 emission levels are at their lowest in nearly 30 years.
Natural gas can have such a profound impact on emissions that the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that switching to natural gas accounted for almost two-thirds of the CO2 emission reductions from 2006 to 2014. And the environmental benefits associated with natural gas go well beyond CO2 reductions. Greater use of natural gas in power generation will also reduce NOx, SO2, PM, acid gasses, Hg and non-Hg heavy metal emissions. For the Garden State, this means the air is better for agriculture, better for businesses and better for families.