Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation on Wednesday to help New Jersey move ahead with nuclear energy.

She signed the legislation outside the Salem nuclear power plant. The law will modify the permit review process to determine if a facility’s waste material is safe.

Sherrill says safe, new nuclear can produce clean, stable power at a predictable cost – protected by global price swings.

The governor blamed outdated laws as the reason New Jersey couldn’t consider new nuclear facilities. She says she is cutting the red tape.

"This bill requires projects to use safe, cutting-edge storage methods instead. Methods that have been used thousands of times in over 35 states for the last 40 years with a 100% safety record. And they'll be accompanied by the strictest oversight,” she said.

The Salem plant is one of the largest nuclear-generating sites in the United States. It provides almost half of the electricity produced in New Jersey, powering 4 million homes.