New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday the state would be investing more than $100 million into clean transportation projects as part of a goal to move the state towards 100 percent clean energy by 2050.
Using proceeds from the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Funds, New Jersey will invest in electrification programs, equitable mobility projects, and electric charging infrastructure to communities statewide, Murphy’s office said.
Projects included in the investment range from $9 million in grants for local government electrification projects to improve air quality through the deployment of electric garbage and delivery trucks to $13 million in grants for low- and moderate-income communities to reduce emission through the deployment of electric school buses and shuttle buses and $36 million to reduce diesel and black carbon emission by electrifying equipment in port and industrial areas, including $15 million for NJ Transit bus electrification.
Additionally, Murphy signed an executive order that establishes an Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy, as well as creating a New Jersey Council on the Green Economy. The Office of Climate Action will focus on addressing climate change, ensuring a clean energy future, and transitioning to a green economy while prioritizing equity and environmental justice. Jane Cohen, a senior policy advisor to the Governor on Environment and Energy, was named the Office’s executive director.
The office will oversee the creation of the Council on the Green Economy, Murphy said, and will be co-chaired by the First Lady Tammy Murphy, the Commissioner of Labor, Commissioner of Environmental Protection, and the President of the Board of Public Utilities, and be comprised of members representing stakeholders statewide.
“Climate change is the single greatest long-term threat currently facing humanity, and our state and economy are uniquely vulnerable to its devastating effects,” said Governor Murphy. “The investments we are announcing today signify our commitment to environmental justice and equity while building a cleaner economy that works for all. The newly created Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy, coupled with the New Jersey Council on the Green Economy, will use our trademark innovation and talented workforce to make New Jersey a national leader of the green economy. Together, these initiatives we will make New Jersey stronger, fairer—and greener—for generations to come.”