On Tuesday, February 16, Governor Phil Murphy announced an investment of more than $100 million in clean transportation projects utilizing revenue from both New Jersey’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), as well as the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Funds. The investment will provide grants to fund electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, electrification programs and other mobility projects including:
- $5 million for mobility projects to bring EV ride hailing and charging stations to four New Jersey towns and cities
- $5 million for the deployment of fast-charging EV infrastructure at 27 locations statewide
- $9 million for electrification projects to improve air quality in environmental justice communities through the deployment of electric garbage and delivery trucks
- $13 million for low- and moderate-income communities to reduce emissions that affect air quality through the deployment of electric school buses and shuttle buses
- $36 million to reduce emissions in environmental justice communities by electrifying port, cargo handling, and other equipment in port and industrial areas
Gov. Murphy also signed Executive Order No. 221, which establishes the Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy. The new Office will focus on the complicated task of addressing climate change, ensuring New Jersey’s clean energy future, and transitioning to a green economy, while also prioritizing equity and environmental justice. The Office will oversee the creation of the New Jersey Council on the Green Economy, co-chaired by the Commissioner of Labor, Commissioner of Environmental Protection, and President of the Board of Public Utilities. The Council will also include representatives from other State departments, chambers of commerce, organized labor, industry, utilities, green business, environmental justice communities, academia, small business, workforce development, and environmental advocacy.
Within a year of the its creation, the Council is expected to deliver initial recommendations for a comprehensive and coordinated green economy strategy that:
- drives sustainable economic growth and development;
- accelerates the growth of green jobs and facilitates green workforce development;
- prioritizes equity, diversity, inclusion, and environmental and economic justice; and,
- avoids, adjusts for, and provides appropriate support for workers potentially displaced as the state transitions to a green economy.