Bipartisan EV Bill Passes Senate & Assembly
Next Stop: Governor’s Desk

Trenton, NJ – Closing out the New Jersey Legislative session, the Senate and Assembly passed the landmark electric vehicle bill (S2252/A4819) with a bipartisan vote of 27-12 and 65-9 respectively. The legislation sets aggressive goals for electric vehicle sales, provides a rebate for the purchase of an electric vehicle of up to $5,000 by allocating $30 million annually over the next decade, and a state-wide network of high-speed EV charging stations. The bill also sets goals for the electrification of NJ Transit’s bus fleet by incrementally increasing EV bus purchases to 100% through 2032.

“The passage of the EV bill solidifies New Jersey’s place as a leader in climate change mitigation and recognizes the need to take concrete action to save our communities from the looming threat,” said Norah Langweiler, Jersey Renews campaign organizer. “The electrification goals for NJ Transit included in the bill ensures that the benefits of electrification are felt throughout the state – and particularly in the most densely populated areas with some of the worst air quality.”

“Thank you to the New Jersey Legislature for taking a huge step to reduce greenhouse gases and combat climate change. Make no mistake about it, the EV bill puts New Jersey on the map to be a leader on electric vehicles on the East Coast and with it the potential to bring good manufacturing jobs to NJ,” said Debra Coyle McFadden, executive director of New Jersey Work Environment Council. “Maybe even more important, NJ Transit now has an aggressive goal to switch to electrification and a plan to remove dirty diesel buses from our neighborhoods. This bill is good for our health, economy and the environment. Kudos!”

“ATU supports this legislation which will electrify NJ Transit buses. We want to ensure the cleanest buses for our passengers and our members that will operate and maintain them, who are directly impacted by diesel emissions,” said Ray Greaves, international vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union. “We look forward to working with NJ Transit on this transformation and making sure all our members are part of this process.”

“As health professionals, we witness the devastating impacts of pollution on the health of New Jerseyans from chronic respiratory ailments to life threatening cancers. We applaud NJ lawmakers for taking steps to increase the usage of electric vehicles in our state. Reducing emissions in New Jersey can go a long way to prevent illness and reduce the need for costly and long term treatments,” said Debbie White, RN and HPAE president.

“New Jersey’s commitment to electrifying all vehicles is sending the right message to our communities,” said Lauren Bailey, director of climate policy for Tri-State Transportation Campaign. “These incentives are the strongest in the nation to push the transition to a zero-emissions transportation landscape in the Garden State. We are especially excited by the commitment by New Jersey Transit to transition towards an all-electric bus fleet which requires that all bus purchases starting in 2032 must be zero emissions. With this, NJ Transit joins over 60 other transit agencies, including the MTA, that are already transitioning over to an all-electric bus fleet. This ensures that not just car owners benefit from cleaner air through these investments.”

“The New Jersey Legislature just passed the most significant legislation in more than 15 years to reduce air pollutants and global warming pollution from our cars and trucks since the passage of the Clean Cars bill in 2004. This bill will make New Jersey a leading state in electrifying our transportation sector and move towards a future of zero tailpipe emissions from our vehicles,” said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “This bill is a huge step to put us on the road to meet our Clean Cars mandates and puts NJ Transit on par with more than 60 transit agencies across America that have committed to electrifying their bus fleets.”

“New Jersey, which was the first state in the country to pass Clean Cars standards legislatively more than 15 years ago, reaffirmed its commitment to meeting the goals of the program through the passage of the legislation,” said Reverend Tuff, organizer at GreenFaith. New Jersey has joined California and a multitude of other states to defend the program legally from regulatory attacks from the Trump Administration.”

“Electrifying our transportation system is an opportunity to uplift our communities by cleaning our air, creating jobs, and expanding mobility options for residents who don’t own personal vehicles. Passing this EV bill would be a step towards equity, and will ultimately make New Jersey a healthier and more prosperous state,” said Katharina Miguel, clean energy advocate at Isles, Inc.

“Vehicle missions are literally burning up the planet and killing people. New Jersey’s Pinelands and Highlands could be the next California and Australia. Too many New Jerseyans especially in environmental justice communities suffer from respiratory and cardiac disease. Electrifying personal vehicles and NJ Transit buses is a huge step in the right direction — kudos to the legislative sponsors, leadership and governor’s office for working together to get it done. Now, the NJDEP must establish a black carbon rule, regulate other greenhouse gases more effectively, adopt a much stronger Energy Master Plan than the draft released 6 months ago, and electrify our ports – all essential ingredients to addressing the science that calls for a 45% cut in climate pollutants by 2030,” said Amy Goldsmith, NJ state director at Clean Water Action.

“Over 45% of our greenhouse gasses in New Jersey come vehicles and our state suffers from failing air levels. This bill is the first major step in reducing pollution and GHG’s from our transportation sector. Now it is critical for Governor Murphy to sign this comprehensive electric vehicle legislation. Our state used to be a leader in innovation and transportation and can be again in clean transport. We can see the benefits of clean air and clean jobs if the BPU builds a state-wide network of charging stations, create green jobs, save people money on gas, and reduce air pollution. Half of New Jersey’s greenhouse gases come from mobile sources, but these emissions can be easily cut by implementing EV technology,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. 

Over 15 years ago, New Jersey was the first state in the country to pass Clean Cars standards. The passage of this legislation will recommit New Jersey to meet those goals.

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About Jersey Renews

Jersey Renews is a broad coalition of labor, environment, and faith organizations working to make New Jersey a leader in climate policy by increasing clean energy infrastructure, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and ensuring good, family-sustaining jobs in the transition to a clean energy economy. www.jerseyrenews.org