New Jersey § 26:2c-51

§ 26:2c-51.

a. The agencies administering programs established pursuant to this section shall

maximize coordination in the administration of the programs to avoid overlap between

the uses of the fund prescribed in this section. b. Moneys in the fund, after appropriation annually for payment of administrative

costs authorized pursuant to subsection c. of this section, shall be annually appropriated

and used for the following purposes: (1) Sixty percent shall be allocated to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority

to provide grants and other forms of financial assistance to commercial, institutional,

and industrial entities to support end-use energy efficiency projects and new, efficient

electric generation facilities that are state of the art, as determined by the department,

including but not limited to energy efficiency and renewable energy applications,

to develop combined heat and power production and other high efficiency electric generation

facilities, to stimulate or reward investment in the development of innovative carbon

emissions abatement technologies with significant carbon emissions reduction or avoidance

potential, to develop qualified offshore wind projects pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2010, c. 57 ( C.48:3-87.1 ), and to provide financial assistance to manufacturers of equipment associated with

qualified offshore wind projects. The authority, in consultation with the board and the department, shall determine:

(a) the appropriate level of grants or other forms of financial assistance to be awarded

to individual commercial, institutional, and industrial sectors and to individual

projects within each of these sectors; (b) the evaluation criteria for selecting

projects to be awarded grants or other forms of financial assistance, which criteria

shall include the ability of the project to result in a measurable reduction of the

emission of greenhouse gases or a measurable reduction in energy demand, provided,

however, that neither the development of a new combined heat and power production

facility, nor an increase in the electrical and thermal output of an existing combined

heat and power production facility, shall be subject to the requirement to demonstrate

such a measurable reduction; and (c) the process by which grants or other forms of

financial assistance can be applied for and awarded including, if applicable, the

payment terms and conditions for authority investments in certain projects with commercial

viability; (2) Twenty percent shall be allocated to the board to support programs that are designed

to reduce electricity demand or costs to electricity customers in the low-income and

moderate-income residential sector with a focus on urban areas, including efforts

to address heat island effect and reduce impacts on ratepayers attributable to the

implementation of P.L.2007, c. 340 ( C.26:2C-45 et al.) or to support the light duty plug-in electric vehicle incentive program and the incentive

program for in-home electric vehicle service equipment established pursuant to sections

4 and 6 of P.L.2019, c. 362 ( C.48:25-4 and C.48:25-6 ) . For the purposes of this paragraph, the board, in consultation with the authority

and the department, shall determine the types of programs to be supported and the

mechanism by which to quantify benefits to ensure that the supported programs result

in a measurable reduction in energy demand or accomplishment of the plug-in electric vehicle goals established pursuant to section

3 of P.L.2019, c. 362 ( C.48:25-3 ) ; (3) Ten percent shall be allocated to the department to support programs designed

to promote local government efforts to plan, develop and implement measures to reduce

greenhouse gas emissions, including but not limited to technical assistance to local

governments, and the awarding of grants and other forms of assistance to local governments

to conduct and implement energy efficiency, renewable energy, and distributed energy

programs and land use planning where the grant or assistance results in a measurable

reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases or a measurable reduction in energy

demand. For the purpose of conducting any program pursuant to this paragraph, the department,

in consultation with the authority and the board, shall determine: (a) the appropriate

level of grants or other forms of financial assistance to be awarded to local governments;

(b) the evaluation criteria for selecting projects to be awarded grants or other forms

of financial assistance; (c) the process by which grants or other forms of financial

assistance can be applied for and awarded; and (d) a mechanism by which to quantify

benefits; and (4) Ten percent shall be allocated to the department to support programs that enhance

the stewardship and restoration of the State's forests and tidal marshes that provide

important opportunities to sequester or reduce greenhouse gases. c. (1) The department may use up to four percent of the total amount in the fund each

year to pay for administrative costs justifiable and approved in the annual budget

process, incurred by the department in administering the provisions of P.L.2007, c. 340 ( C.26:2C-45 et al.) and in administering programs to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases

including any obligations that may arise under subsection a. of section 11 of P.L.2007, c. 340 ( C.26:2C-55 ). (2) The board may use up to two percent of the total amount in the fund each year

to pay for administrative costs justifiable and approved in the annual budget process,

incurred by the board in administering the provisions of P.L.2007, c. 340 ( C.26:2C-45 et al.) and in administering programs to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases

including any obligations that may arise under subsection a. of section 11 of P.L.2007, c. 340 ( C.26:2C-55 ). (3) The New Jersey Economic Development Authority may use up to two percent of the

total amount in the fund each year to pay for administrative costs justifiable and

approved in the annual budget process, incurred by the authority in administering

the provisions of P.L.2007, c. 340 ( C.26:2C-45 et al.) and in administering programs to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. d. The State Comptroller shall conduct or supervise independent audit and fiscal oversight

functions of the fund and its uses.