Coming Home to Roost for JCP&L?

July 25, 2026 - On July 15, 2026, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) took an important step toward holding JCP&L accountable for failing to meet the state's Minimum Reliability Level standards in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

For years, CHARGE has warned that New Jersey's electric utilities - especially JCP&L - have neglected the local distribution system, the part of the electric grid responsible for more than 99% of customer power outages. Storms don't create the problem. They expose years of deferred maintenance, underinvestment, and misplaced priorities.

Read our 2020 article, "It's Time to Rethink Public Utilities": https://www.njcharge.org/single-post/2020/08/09/it-s-time-to-rethink-public-utilities

JCP&L's history speaks for itself. While ratepayers were promised reliability improvements, JCP&L and its parent company, FirstEnergy, allegedly kept hundreds of millions of dollars that should have been invested in strengthening the distribution system. Instead of replacing aging equipment and improving reliability for the local distribution system, the company has repeatedly pursued large transmission projects that generate guaranteed profits for shareholders.

The consequences are felt every time the lights go out.

Talk to out-of-state utility crews who have worked on JCP&L's system and you'll hear the same descriptions: antiquated, obsolete, deteriorating, and increasingly difficult to repair because replacement parts are scarce. That's the legacy of years of neglect.

JCP&L doesn't compete for your business. It operates as a government-granted monopoly. You can't switch to another electric company when service is poor. That's why strong regulatory oversight - and a strong public voice - are essential.

CHARGE was formed in 2018 to be that public voice. We intend to seek participant status in the BPU's latest proceeding to ensure that the interests of customers are fully represented.

Now we need your help.

If you've experienced repeated outages, extended blackouts, damaged equipment, spoiled food, lost business, or other hardships because of unreliable electric service - especially after storms - we want to hear from you.

Email your story to info@njcharge.org.

Utilities respond to data. Regulators respond to evidence. Your story can help demonstrate that these aren't isolated incidents—they're the predictable result of years of neglect, and they strengthen the case for real accountability, meaningful investment, and lasting reform.

Enough excuses. Enough deferred maintenance. Enough putting profits ahead of reliability. It's time for JCP&L to be held accountable.

Thank you.

Kin Gee, President

CHARGE - Consumers Helping Affect Regulation of Gas & Electric