Statement: Governor Murphy issues climate pollutant mandate to reduce emissions 50% by 2030

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TRENTON, N.J. – Standing in a former landfill turned solar field in Flanders, N.J., Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Wednesday establishing a goal to reduce carbon emissions in New Jersey 50% by 2030. This commitment is in line with President Joe Biden’s national goal to reduce U.S. emissions by 50 to 52% compared to 2005 levels by 2030. 

In addition, the governor announced another $33 million for transportation electrification projects from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). New Jersey is allocating $23 million per quarter, on average, to transportation electrification from RGGI. The majority of these funds will be used to electrify the dirtiest vehicles on the roads — in particular, diesel buses and trucks, which impact both the climate and public health. This funding comes on the heels of the bipartisan infrastructure bill’s passage in Congress last week, which provides $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Environment New Jersey is an affiliate of Environment America.

Doug O’Malley, Director of Environment New Jersey issued the following statement:

“With the COP26 climate conference in full swing and on the heels of Hurricane Ida’s devastating impact on New Jersey, it’s imperative that New Jersey follows the climate science to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. Governor Murphy’s executive order today sets the aggressive benchmark of the 50% reduction in climate pollutants by 2030. The governor said that, post-Ida, New Jersey needed a new playbook to deal with climate. This is the first play in stepping up to address the reality of extreme weather. 

“This decade is paramount if we want to reduce climate pollutants in line with science. We have the solutions within our grasp to do this, and that begins with investing in clean renewable energy. But we also need more electric vehicles on the road and must electrify our buildings and move away from expanding new fossil fuel projects. Today’s announcement of $33 million in RGGI funding is a down payment when it comes to replacing dirty diesel trucks with clean electric options. We thank the governor for setting this bold climate action mandate as he looks to his second term, and we look forward to working with the administration to fulfill this mandate through climate regulations.”

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