Credit: (Steve Buissinne via Pixabay)

A much-debated bill to require all of New Jersey’s electricity be generated from clean energy in little more than a decade is going to have to wait until next year, or longer.

The Senate Environment and Energy Committee pulled the bill from consideration at its last meeting of the lame-duck session on Monday, dashing plans by its sponsor to try and have it approved before the end of the current legislative session early next year.

Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex), the sponsor of the bill and chairman of the panel, gave up hope of releasing the legislation, saying it “is not ready for prime time yet.’’ It faced sustained opposition from labor groups, who fear it would lead to an exodus of jobs in what had been a once robust solar sector in the state.

The legislation, a top priority of clean-energy advocates, aimed to hasten the state’s transition away from fossil fuels by requiring all electricity generated in state be emission-free by 2035. In brief, it would codify in law an executive order issued by Gov. Phil Murphy last year.

The bill, introduced last February, is critical to the state’s efforts to fight climate pollution while at the same time fueling heated debate over the Murphy administration’s aggressive efforts to switch to cleaner ways of producing electricity, primarily relying on renewable energy, nuclear power and electrifying the building and transportation sectors.

Losing jobs to clean energy

But solar developers and labor were opposed to the bill because they believed it would shift many of the jobs in that industry to neighboring states. In recent weeks, mayors along the Jersey coast also came out against the bill fearing it would end up requiring offshore wind turbines.

Smith discounted the latter argument, predicting those mayors would likely not be satisfied if and when the bill is finally taken up by the Legislature. He vowed to take it up in the next session, along with another bill that would tap $300 million in state funds to finance projects to modernize the power grid. An upgraded electric grid is essential to achieving the state’s climate goals.

Some observers say the grid modernization and clean electricity bill may end up being tied together, a step that might win some support from labor.

‘When it comes to attempts to revamp New Jersey’s energy policy, the devil is in the details — too often those details are overlooked or not well thought out.’ — Mike Makarski, Affordable Energy for New Jersey

Environmentalists plan to press for quick consideration of the bills in the new legislative term.

“It is hard to get a big bill done right in the middle of a lame-duck term,’’ said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “Grid modernization goes hand in hand in a clean-energy future. That’s how you do new clean energy projects,’’ he said.

But Mike Makarksi, a spokesman for Affordable Energy for New Jersey, said the bill could still face a tough road ahead.

“Any legislation regardless of its sustainability and environmental intent that prioritizes the exportation of tax dollars out of state at the expense of the working class should always be a nonstarter when it comes down to legislation of policy,’’ he said.

“When it comes to attempts to revamp New Jersey’s energy policy, the devil is in the details — too often those details are overlooked or not well thought out,’’ he said.