Murphy pushes zero-emission plan

Wants to halt gasoline car sales by 2035

By Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Making good on promise he made in February, [2023] Governor Phil Murphy this week, [07/17/2023] began the process of requiring all new car, SUV and light truck sales in New Jersey to be zero-emissions vehicles by 2035.
..... The move to adopt a set of regulations - the Advanced Clean Cars II - would gradually require vehicle manufacturers to increase the percentage of new zero-emission vehicles for sale over the next decade before essentially barring new gasoline-power cars from being sold by 2035.
..... The regulation are "a commitment to every New Jersey family and the air they breathe, air that will be cleaner and healthier tomorrow thanks to the steps we're taking to reduce emissions today," Murphy said in announcing the move on Monday. [07/17/2023]
..... The Advanced Clean Cars II was crafted by California leaders and calls for a series of changes that end with all new car sales being zero-emission. The biggest sector of the euro-emisison industry is electric vehicles, or EVs.
..... While Murphy said the rule doesn't "impose any obbligato on consumers or car dealers, "it appears they only gasoline vehicles that could be brought or sold by 2035 would be sued.
..... State Senator Ed Durr, R-Gloucester, called Murphy's statement "radically disingenuous" because it limits what kinds of new cars consumers can buy. "You cannot take away all choice from consumers and make it sound like it's not a forced mandate," he said.
..... Other groups oppose the measure, including the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, which has argued that it will increase costs for New Jersey drivers.
..... Transportation makes up almost half of New Jersey's production of greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere, gradually warming the planet. The overwhelming majority of scientists, peer-reviewed studies and government agencies have shown that the planet is warming due in large part to human activity. Burning fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and gasoline has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, preventing heat from escaping into space.
..... The century has included 16 of the 21 warmest years of the past 128 in New Jersey, and eight of those came within the past 10 years, according to David Robinson, the state climatologist.
..... Car emissions also help cerate smog. while the number of high smog days has deceased in recent years, some parts of New Jersey, including Bergen County, received a failing grade in the latest American Lung Association report on the state's air quality.
..... Demand for electric vehicles is very high in New Jersey and many dealers say those on waiting lists wait months.
..... Sticker shock has been a hindrance. EVs cost about $5,000 to $15,000 more than their gas-powered equivalents, but save drivers about $1,300 annually in fuel costs, according to an analysis by Com surer Reports. Prices for EVs have declined recently - a trend that is expected to continue as the market grows and more are built.

Will the goal be reached by 2035?

..... There is momentum to adopt these regulations by stats with liberal leaders. California, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington have already done so, while Rhode Island, Maryland and others are seriously considering them.
..... But a lot can happen in 12 years.
..... Murphy's governorship is 2 1/2 years away from ending. These goals rely on future governors to continue pushing his electric vehicle agenda. But that doesn't always happen.
..... For instance, Governor Jon Corzine launched an ambitious plan to build wind Turbines off New Jersey's southern coast in his first and only term. His successor, Governor Chris Christie, halted those plans. Despite efforts by Murphy to revive the idea, there still isn't a single offshore wind turbine installed in New Jersey 13 years after Corzine left office.

Is the state still offering incentives to EV buyers?

..... New Jersey's latest budget provides rebates of up to $4,000 for vehicles under $45,000 and up to $1,500 for vehicles between $45,001 and $55,000. It also offers rebates of $250 for an eligible EV charger.

How many electric vehicles are in New Jersey?

..... While EV sales have grown significantly in the past decade, they still represent less than 4% of vehicles on New Jersey's roads. But that still places New Jersey among the top states for percentage of EVs per driver.
..... There were 91,515 electric vehicles on the road in New Jersey by the end of last year, [2022] according to registration data. The number of plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles has increased over the past decade.

* 2011: 338
* 2012: 1,557
* 2013: 4,186
* 2014: 5,948
* 2015: 7,564
* 2016: 10,385
* 2017: 14,211
* 2018: 22,236
* 2019: 29,960
* 2020: 41,096
* 2021: 64,307
..... It's still a small amount compared to the 2.5 million cars registered in New Jersey.

What happens next?

..... Murphy filed the rules with the Office of Administrative Law, which is expected to publish the proposal in the August 21 [2023] edition of the New Jersey Register. A public comment period would then run through October 20. [2023]

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