a recent decision by the state's Board of Public Utilities has become the latest hot button issue in Trenton it's a controversial program that will incentivize homeowners to switch from using fossil fuels for heating and cooling to Electric a step environmental Advocates say will move New Jersey toward a clean energy economy but critics are calling it another example of government overreach as Ted Goldberg reports it's just the latest fracture in the climate debate the Board of Public Utilities is plowing forward with a plan to encourage people to heat their homes using electricity instead of fossil fuels to establish the benchmarks up front and then you use the competitive market to achieve those standards but I don't want to lose sight of the fact that there will have to be a probably a very difficult contentious discussion after putting out a new framework last week the BPU hosted a two-day conference to take advice and hear concerns about New Jersey's plans which have gotten praise from environmental groups climate pollutants from our buildings are the second largest source of climate pollution in the state so if we're going to reduce our climate pollution to to avoid the worst impacts of global warming we cannot avoid our buildings BPU President Joseph fiordeliso has heard people complain that the government will straight up ban gas stoves and take away existing stoves and homes he says the BPU is working on incentivizing homeowners and landlords to to go electric rather than punish those who don't there is Distortion of of information out there and it's unfortunate and it's creating Hysteria that somebody's going to come in and say we're going to take your gas stove away from you well that's not going to happen state senators from both parties have criticized the new framework some say the incentive program could eventually lead to an outright ban even if Fior to liso denies that's the end game I know Guilford Lisa to be an honorable man if he says it I know he believes it but Joe Florida Lisa will not be here 10 years from now at the BPU everybody is supportive of incentive type of programs however the incentive type of programs 90 to 95 of the time turn into mandates as opposed to incentives Senators have introduced bills protecting the right to own a gas stove in New Jersey they say Governor Murphy's Administration should have consulted with the legislature rather than unilaterally changing energy standards on its own there isn't the appetite there to pass kind of controversial initiatives the administration does an end run around the legislature and saxon's commissions to be able to implement viable changes whatever controversial policies are coming down the pike quite frankly we think it should be a legislative issue not not a regulatory issue that the BPU should be handling and just the codify the fact that people should have a right to their guests those and their guests here the state needs to give it costs analysis of what they're thinking cost is the biggest question question mark with this program how much could these tax incentives be what would it cost to Electrify heating throughout the state of New Jersey I'm all for 100 clean renewable resources I just think we need to do it responsibly and I just don't want to see any uh working class family in an urban area especially in our state all of a sudden uh because of these things that keep happening have to pay out of pocket we make this a seamless customer experience at the end and we don't have the kind of scenario if somebody goes and you know wants to put in a heat pump and is you know handed a hundred thousand dollar bill from the local electric utility a nasty surprise that no homeowner or landlord wants to deal with as the BPU continues to work out how to convince people to heat their homes with electricity in Trenton I'm Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight News