TRENTON – Gov. Phil Murphy and a group of bipartisan governors from across the country issued a letter calling on President Joe Biden to further advance transportation infrastructure improvements and work quickly toward a zero-emission transportation future by leveraging the American Jobs Plan investments with additional regulatory action, as well as increased funding and financing.
According to a release, the letter requests that the Biden administration set stricter emission and sales standards on light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles, provide states with funding for charging infrastructure and fleet turnover, enhance new and existing tax credits for zero-emission vehicle sales, and restore emission standards that were lost during the past four years of the Trump administration.
“The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey,” stated Murphy. “In January, I announced an investment of more than $100 million in clean, equitable transportation projects to improve air quality and reduce the effects of climate change. A commitment from the federal government in both funding and regulatory action will complement this investment and further drive innovation, create good-paying jobs, and accelerate progress towards our goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2050.”
The letter was signed by Murphy and California Gov. Gavin Newsom Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Hawaii Gov. David Ige, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
The group of governors requested the following:
- Setting standards to ensure that all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold are zero-emission no later than 2035, with significant milestones along the way to monitor progress.
- Setting standards for medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles and supporting complementary policies, such as purchase incentives and infrastructure investments, that set a path towards 100% zero-emission sales by no later than 2045, with significant milestones along the way to monitor progress.
- Expeditiously restoring strong scientifically based greenhouse gas emission standards for all vehicle model years possible to replace the unsupported standards from the previous administration. This will recover all of the emission reductions and other important benefits that were lost during the past four years.
- Reaffirming that states have authority to follow vehicle emissions standards set by California, if they choose to do so.
- Providing states with substantial funding for investment in charging and fueling infrastructure, providing grants or other financial support for fleet turnover to ZEVs, providing underserved communities equitable access to ZEVs and charging and fueling infrastructure, and supporting ZEV marketing.
- Enhancing the existing electric vehicle tax credits by raising or removing the limits per manufacturer and extending tax credits to sales of medium-and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles.
- Ensuring that purchase incentives for ZEVs incorporate strategies targeting low-income buyers as well as expand incentives to used ZEVs focusing rebates at the point of sale.
- Enacting new tax credits for the manufacturing of zero-emission trucks and buses as well as ZEV charging and fueling stations.
- Working to repeal the statutory provision (23 USC § 111) that appears to prohibit the installation of zero-emission recharging/refueling stations along interstate rights of way, including rest areas.
For a copy of the full letter click here.
