For Immediate Release
June 14, 2012 Contact Jeff Tittel, 609-558-9100
Commission Promotes Clean Cars Today the Assembly Environment Committee will consider*S3028 (Greenwald),* establishing a Zero Emissions Vehicle Commission.The Clean Car program is currently working in New Jersey, helping people save money and reduce air pollution.This law is serving the public well at a time of high gas prices.The Commission will help come up with ways to develop zero emission vehicles and implement those programs in New Jersey.Creating the infrastructure and technology for zero emissions vehicles will create jobs in New Jersey.Developing zero emission cars will help our lungs and our wallets by saving people gas miles. We thank Assemblyman Lou Greenwald for his leadership on this important bill and working to support green transportation.
"This Commission's job is to work to implement zero emission vehicles in New Jersey and programs to make electric vehicles a reality.We think this legislation as amended is important not only for the environment but to help support and grow those companies here in New Jersey creating jobs as well as a cleaner and healthier environment," *said Jeff Tittel, Director, NJ Sierra Club*. A report released in October ranked four New Jersey communities in the top 20 for worse air quality due to smog.Smog is a pollutant that comes from vehicle emissions, but by promoting zero emission vehicles we will reduce smog to improve our air quality. There have been a number of technological breakthroughs with electric vehicles (EVs) and now more than a dozen different EVs and plug insare entering the market, including the Chevy Volt, Tesla Sedan, Mitsubishi I, and Nissan Leaf. Plug ins include the Prius plug-in, the Mitsubishi Outlander and many more to come.New Jersey is completely unprepared for this change in transportation. Not only will this hurt New Jersey consumers and cost jobs from building the new stations to service these vehicles, but this will hurt our environment. Companies like NRG and other New Jersey-based companies are building charging stations in Texas, but have not built any here. There are companies like Future Fuels Now who are willing to fund and build charging stations here in New Jersey. These charging stations will not only provide jobs and help our economy, but will protect our environment and improve our air quality.
"We have New Jersey companies that are lining in other states to do electric vehicle charging stations. Here in New Jersey we are undermining the efforts of our own New Jersey businesses to build a network in our state," said Tittel.
The Commission will also work on ways to promote and implement hydrogen fuel cell technology and develop the infrastructure to service those vehicles.Currently Honda makes a hydrogen-fueled car, the FCX Clarity that sells only in Southern California based on limited fueling stations.Honda is set to begin mass producing the vehicles by 2018.Developing the necessary charging stations will create jobs while cleaning up our air. Zero emission vehicles are an important part of transitioning to a cleaner, more technological advanced transportation future along improvements to mass transit.We should also be doing more to invest in plug-in electric vehicles and hybrids. We are at the beginning of a transportation revolution and need legislation that moves us toward this future.
Establishing a Commission to move zero emission vehicles forward is important as the Christie administration and Republican legislators have stalled a package of bills that promote and provide tax credits for electric vehicles and charging stations.Money from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and the Societal Benefits Charge (SBC), both of which Governor Christie has or wants to get rid of, would have provided some funding for electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state.These programs would have provided much of the needed funding for our renewable energy economy that will create green jobs and grow our economy.
"The California program has been working in New Jersey.This bill will continue that work and make it a reality for all of us.We do this in sharp contrast to the Christie administration that has been rolling back our clean energy goals, pulling out of RGGI, and pirating Clean Energy funds.That is why we need this legislation," said Jeff Tittel.
-- Kate Millsaps Program Assistant NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club 609-656-7612