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Board of Public Utilities approves updated BEAD NOFA, sets $344.7M FY26 clean energy funding and releases $125M settlement to energy storage program
Summary
At a special online meeting June 30, 2025, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved publishing an updated BEAD Notice of Funding Availability, adopted a FY26 clean energy funding level of $344,665,000, authorized release of a $125,000,000 settlement for the Garden State Energy Storage Program, and approved MOUs with NJIT and the College of New Jersey.
TRENTON — At a special online meeting June 30, 2025, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved publication of an updated Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the federal BEAD broadband program, adopted the FY26 clean energy funding level at $344,665,000, and authorized the release of a $125,000,000 settlement to the Garden State Energy Storage Program, the board said.
BPU staff told commissioners the NOFA must be revised to align New Jersey's program with changes issued by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on June 6, 2025. "It is necessary for New Jersey to align our program with the federal requirements," said a BPU staff presenter, who requested board approval to publish the updated NOFA. Staff noted that the New Jersey Office of Broadband Connectivity has been allocated $263,700,000 in federal BEAD funds.
The staff presentation on the FY26 comprehensive resource analysis recommended setting the societal benefits charge funding level for FY26 at $344,665,000. "The FY '26 funding proposal has gone through a comprehensive stakeholder process, including a draft proposal with opportunity for public comment and a public hearing on May 28," said Veronique, a BPU staff member who presented the CRA and proposed budgets. Staff said maintaining the funding level will have "no incremental impact on utility rates."
Veronique also described a settlement the State and the board entered on May 25, 2024, in which Verstapp agreed to pay $125,000,000 to be used "in the absolute sole discretion of the board for clean energy programs." Staff recommended allocating those settlement funds to the Garden State Energy Storage Program; commissioners approved that recommendation as part of the FY26 budget actions.
The board also approved two memoranda of understanding discussed in executive session: an FY26 MOU with the New Jersey Institute of Technology to continue development of the New Jersey Clean Energy Learning Center, and an MOU with the College of New Jersey to support joint initiatives with Sustainable Jersey. In both cases staff recommended that the president be authorized to execute the MOUs on the board's behalf.
All recorded roll-call votes on the staff recommendations were recorded as affirmative. On the NOFA, the FY26 funding and budget items, and the two MOUs, Commissioners Crystal De Loo, Abdul, Bange, and President Gulso Dobey voted "Yes," and each motion carried.
Deputy Attorney General Jack Ventura told the board that agenda items 8(c) and 8(d) were discussed in executive session under the attorney-client and contract negotiation exception to the state's open public meetings law, citing New Jersey statute 10:4-12(b)(7). After the executive session the board returned to the public meeting and completed the listed actions.
The board announced its next regular meeting will be a hybrid session on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, at the Boyd Hearing Room, 44 South Clinton Avenue, Trenton, with live streaming on YouTube.
