governor Murphy announced new subsidies today to help offset the 20% spike we're all about to see on our energy bills The state is allocating more than $430 million in relief funds That'll promise a min minimum of $100 in savings for every household between the months of July and December That's nearly a direct offset to what's expected to be a $25 increase per month for the average household and a $250 rebate will go to low and moderate income families But it's only temporary relief to what could be long-term pain for energy customers in New Jersey Democratic legislators blame PJM that's the grid operator for New Jersey and 12 other states that holds auctions to help set the market rates The last auction increased energy electricity rates by nearly 10 times While there are multiple factors driving up the cost of energy in our state there is one culprit that is largely responsible for placing the burden of that cost on the people of New Jersey And that culprit is the Pennsylvania Jersey Maryland interconnection otherwise known affectionately as PJM which manages the flow of power to households in New Jersey uh as one of 13 states in the District of Columbia in our region During a time in which demand for electricity is on the rise PJM has failed to plan for increased energy capacity or for bringing especially for bringing new clean energy sources online But Republicans and business groups blame the state's energy master plan Senate Minority Leader Anthony Buco called it quote just another band-aid that doesn't fix the overarching problem He says it simply delays the pain to avoid political fallout in an election year Murphy today said the state is working to get more solar online quickly and that they're actively considering new nuclear projects [Music]