Governor-elect Phil Murphy

Now that Phil Murphy is Governor-Elect, New Jersey can once again become an environmental leader, tackling the critical issues of clean air, transitioning to renewable energy and eliminating fossil fuel reliance. At a time when 1 in 4 children in Newark suffer from asthma and the American Lung Association has recently called New Jersey among the worst states for air pollution, the $65 million earmarked for New Jersey from the Volkswagen diesel settlement is sorely needed. Now is the time to create a plan to put those dollars to work for the residents of New Jersey.

There is already a bill in the NJ Senate (S-3029) and sponsored by the House for use of these funds. It’s a start, but now the real discussions with the incoming administration must begin. The Sierra Club advocates using these funds to build out New Jersey’s electric vehicle charging station infrastructure and converting diesel to electric in our transportation system. The settlement already specifies that 15% of the monies can be used to build and maintain EV charging stations. The remainder should go toward switching our state’s truck and bus fleets from diesel to zero-emission electric and electrifying our ports, which are among the biggest polluters of harmful nitrous oxide (NOx) in our state.

We have a tremendous opportunity to clean our dirty air, with $65 million already guaranteed for New Jersey. Let your state senators and legislators know you want the VW funds to be used for clean air, more EV charging stations and the reduction of diesel vehicles for the sake of everyone’s health.

— Gary Frederick, NJ Sierra Club,

Chair, Raritan Valley Group