New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation Wednesday lifting the state’s longstanding ban on new nuclear power plant construction, a move she said is essential to bringing down skyrocketing electricity bills and securing a cleaner energy future for the state.

The bill, S3870/A4528, allows the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection commissioner to bypass the Coastal Area Facility Review Act and approve permits for nuclear operators who can demonstrate safe nuclear waste storage. Sherrill signed the legislation following a tour of the Salem Nuclear Power Plant in Lower Alloways Creek Township, which together with the nearby Hope Creek facility produces more than 40 percent of New Jersey’s electricity and supplies roughly 80 percent of the state’s pollution-free power.

“For costs to come down, we need more energy supply,” Sherrill said. “This will help New Jersey secure a stronger, cleaner, more affordable and reliable energy future — while keeping the state at the forefront of innovation, job creation and economic growth.”

Sherrill declared a state of energy emergency on her first day in office, citing multiple drivers of the state’s surging electricity costs, including rising transmission and distribution infrastructure expenses, natural gas price volatility, and steep increases in wholesale electricity capacity prices in the regional PJM market. PJM Interconnection coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity across all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia.