Three state agencies and more than 20 representatives from consumer and industry groups launched New Jersey's Consumer Protection Task Force today, one month after the Board of Public Utilities issued its final plan to restructure the electric industry and create such a group. The group's executive committee, which includes the Board, the Division of the Ratepayer Advocate and the Division of Consumer Affairs, held the first task force meeting today. The group will submit recommendations for a consumer protection and education plan and for any necessary legislation or policy initiatives by November.
Consumers are about to undergo a sea change in the way they buy electricity.
We want to make sure that New Jersey consumers understand this change and that they are not taken advantage of in the new electricity marketplace. We want the more than three million electric consumers in this state to use their power to choose an electricity supplier in an educated way. We also want to protect people from the potential pitfalls of a competitive market. The task force is believed to be the first such group in the country to include such a broad representation of stakeholders that will be involved in proposing legislation. The members range from the Salvation Army to the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, and from legal services agencies to industrial energy users.