Governor Murphy signs electric vehicle bill, returning NJ to Clean Cars leader
Media Contacts
Environment New Jersey
Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ) signed the electric vehicle (EV) omnibus legislation (S2252/A4819) into state law today in a late afternoon Governor’s Office ceremony, joined by legislative leaders and advocates, including Environment New Jersey. The bill codifies a series of key EV mandates, including meeting obligations under the Advanced Clean Cars Program; building a statewide high-speed EV charging network on major roadways and in downtowns; providing rebates of up to $5,000 when buying an EV; and NJ Transit purchasing only electric buses by 2032. The bill, which was passed on the final day of the New Jersey Legislative session by wide bipartisan margins, goes into effect immediately.
New Jersey was the first state in the country to pass clean cars standards through legislative vote more than 15 years ago. The state now joins California and others in defending the program from the Trump Administration’s efforts to rollback the standards.
Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey, released the following statement on the Governor’s bill signing:
“Not since clean cars legislation more than 15 years ago has a bill signed into law been this significant when it comes to reducing air pollutants and global warming pollution from our cars and trucks. This essential legislation will make New Jersey the East Coast leader in electrifying its transportation sector and firmly put our state on the road to zero tailpipe emissions.
“This bill is so meaningful because it moves us toward meeting our clean cars mandates and gets NJ Transit on par with more than 60 transit agencies across America that have committed to electrifying their bus fleets. To meet our obligations in combating global warming, we need to aggressively ramp up electrification of our entire transportation system – and this bill does just that.
“We thank Governor Murphy and the leadership and bill sponsors in both houses of the Legislature and the multitude of organizations and constituencies that united to call for the electrification of our cars and trucks. Electric vehicles are our best way to tackle the climate crisis and reduce air pollution. This bill will ensure that New Jersey will once again be a clean cars leader.”
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