JCP&L faces familiar backlash as outages linger and Sherrill confronts first major storm test

⚡PSE&G has restored nearly all outages, but about 7,000 JCP&L customers remain

⚡State leaders and lawmakers are facing questions over the pace of restoration and

⚡JCP&L says the remaining repairs are the most labor-intensive

TRENTON — It has become a predictable ritual after major storms in New Jersey: PSE&G customers get their lights back while thousands served by Jersey Central Power & Light wait days longer, renewing criticism of a utility that has spent years defending the reliability of its system.

This week's storms have also created the first major weather-management test of Gov. Mikie Sherrill's administration.

As power restoration drags on in parts of North Jersey, the governor is defending her decision not to declare a state of emergency while lawmakers from both parties demand answers about why JCP&L customers once again appear to be waiting the longest.

PSE&G has restored service to nearly all of the customers who lost power over the Fourth of July weekend.

JCP&L, however, still had about 7,000 customers without electricity as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, primarily in Morris and Sussex counties.

The company said about 3,500 linemen and forestry crews remain in the field.

"Every repair that our crews make brings in a smaller number of customers. And these repairs still require the same amount of work. They're still replacing broken poles. They're still doing the time-consuming, labor-intensive work. And instead of bringing in hundreds of customers per repair or thousands of customers, now it's bringing in five to ten customers per repair," JCP&L spokesman Chris Hoenig told New Jersey 101.5.

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Fallen trees in Paramus Sunday, July 5, 2026

JCP&L once again becomes the focus of frustration

Lawmakers raised perennial concerns about JCP&L, the utility that often faces the harshest criticism. Company officials have long argued comparisons with PSE&G are misleading because JCP&L's service territory includes more heavily wooded areas, where falling trees and branches cause greater damage during storms.

Republican Assembly members Greg McGuckin and Paul Kanitra said the latest outages show the system remains vulnerable.

"The power grid is built with duct tape and prayers," the lawmakers said, criticizing years of infrastructure priorities.

"A thunderstorm in July at the Jersey Shore is hardly unprecedented. How is it that only JCP&L's facilities can't seem to handle it?" McGuckin said. "Let's face it, this wasn't a drone attack on our power grid, it was a thunderstorm. How and why does this continue to happen?"

But Hoenig said this weather event "was not a little rain."

"This was a line of severe thunderstorms followed by multiple nights of severe thunderstorms and flooding rain," Hoenig said. "We're seeing more frequent severe storms. So we're hardening the system to be prepared for what Mother Nature sends our way."

Hoenig said that the utility will review its response and make improvements for the next storm. The company also plans to invest $6.8 billion in its grid, particularly in Central Jersey.

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Flooding during torrential rain in Ocean Township (Monmouth) July 6, 2026

Sherrill faces scrutiny over first major storm response

The prolonged outages have also become an early political challenge for Sherrill, whose decision not to declare a state of emergency has drawn questions from critics.

Major storms have often become defining early tests for new New Jersey governors, putting their emergency management decisions under immediate public scrutiny.

While touring the BJ's Wholesale Club in Ocean Township, where the roof collapsed during Monday's torrential rain, Sherrill defended her administration's response.

"We have swung into action really aggressively," Sherrill said.

She said she has spent days meeting with mayors, county officials and emergency managers while ensuring local governments have access to state resources and assistance programs.

"I've been on the ground with many of them. I mentioned I was in Salem earlier, then Camden County. The other day, I was in Morris," Sherrill said. "We are making sure every single person has the resource they need, how we're giving training and retraining on how to submit some of that, and we have been opening up the emergency portal, so people can submit claims through that."

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J. 7th District, said he has sent letters to the chief executives of both JCP&L and PSE&G demanding explanations for the lengthy restoration effort and asking what changes will be made before the next major storm.

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