WALL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR), parent company of New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG), today marked Earth Day 2022 by announcing its membership in the Corporate Stewardship Council of the New Jersey Audubon. One of the state’s leading environmental advocacy organizations dedicated to conservation, biodiversity and the protection of wildlife and habitats, New Jersey Audubon created the Corporate Stewardship Council to provide member companies the opportunity to participate in habitat conservation.
The goals directly align with NJR’s efforts to promote environmental and natural resource stewardship and bolster its long-standing record of sustainability and climate leadership.
“Today, we reinforce our commitment and efforts to preserve and enhance the environmental future of New Jersey,” said Steve Westhoven, president and CEO of New Jersey Resources. “Our company will continue to be a sustainability leader by working toward our goal of net-zero operational emissions in New Jersey, leveraging our world-class infrastructure to decarbonize the energy we deliver to customers and continuing to invest in, and support, local climate solutions in the communities we serve.”
NJR also announced today it will provide $35,000 in new funding through the company’s Coastal Climate Initiative™ (CCI) to support local natural resource preservation and restoration projects that have a positive climate impact.
Launched on Earth Day 2021, the CCI was created to support local efforts to fight climate change beginning with the restoration of saltwater tidal wetlands along the coast of our service territory.
Over the past year, the program has already successfully raised nearly $30,000 from NJNG customer donations and a dollar-for-dollar company match, supporting the work of the Nature Conservancy in New Jersey and its partners in their efforts to restore saltwater tidal wetlands in the Barnegat Bay watershed, an iconic part of NJNG’s service territory at the Jersey Shore.
“It gives me hope carbon-storing habitats, like forests and marshes, can be our biggest ally in tackling climate change and helping natural and human communities adapt,” said Dr. Barbara Brummer, New Jersey State director for The Nature Conservancy. “We are grateful to New Jersey Natural Gas customers who are supporting our work to restore coastal salt marshes in our state’s back bays, and we thank New Jersey Resources for generously continuing its Coastal Climate Initiative.”
NJR and The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey recently renewed their partnership to continue supporting this important work – a key component of the CCI. This collaborative effort helps support the restoration and preservation of vital coastal ecosystems that sequester carbon emissions, protect coastal communities from extreme weather and serve as habitats for critical biodiversity along the Jersey Shore.
Today’s announcement builds on NJR’s strong record as a leader on environmental and climate issues across its businesses, including its goal to voluntarily achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its New Jersey operations by 2050. NJR achieved the following sustainability milestones over the past year:
- Announced net-zero goal for New Jersey operational emissions and defined key components to achievement by 2050. NJR has already reduced its operational emission in New Jersey by 55% from 2006 levels, well ahead of the state’s goal of an 80% reduction by 2050.
- Advanced innovation and decarbonization efforts with the completion of the first green hydrogen facility on the East Coast, blending zero-carbon energy into existing infrastructure to serve customers.
- Continued to lead in environmentally sound infrastructure investments, with 99% of unprotected steel and 100% of all cast iron replaced in NJNG’s pipeline distribution system.
- Launched a $259 million customer-focused, energy-efficiency program, the largest in company history.
- Increased transparency and disclosure in its sustainability reporting, in line with the recommendations of the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures framework.
- Named a Most Responsible Company by Newsweek for 2022, for three consecutive years.
To learn more about NJR’s commitment to sustainability, visit NJRSustainability.com.
About New Jersey Resources
New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR) is a Fortune 1000 company that, through its subsidiaries, provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. NJR is composed of five primary businesses:
- New Jersey Natural Gas, NJR’s principal subsidiary, operates and maintains over 7,600 miles of natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve over half a million customers in New Jersey’s Monmouth, Ocean and parts of Morris, Middlesex and Burlington counties.
- Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar projects with a total capacity of nearly 370 megawatts, providing residential and commercial customers with low-carbon solutions.
- Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services and customized energy solutions to its customers across North America.
- Storage and Transportation serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers through its ownership of Leaf River and the Adelphia Gateway Pipeline Project, as well as our 50% equity ownership in the Steckman Ridge natural gas storage facility.
- Home Services provides service contracts as well as heating, central air conditioning, water heaters, standby generators, solar and other indoor and outdoor comfort products to residential homes throughout New Jersey.
NJR and its over 1,200 employees are committed to helping customers save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging efficiency through Conserve to Preserve® and initiatives such as The SAVEGREEN Project® and The Sunlight Advantage®.
For more information about NJR:
Visit www.njresources.com.
Follow us on Twitter @NJNaturalGas.
“Like” us on facebook.com/NewJerseyNaturalGas.
