For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Nicole Kirgan, nicole@taftcommunications.com, Jackie Greger, Jackie.Greger@sierraclub.org
NJ Legislature's ACT Hearing Shows Special Interests Prioritized over Public Health
Trenton, NJ – At today’s three-hour Assembly Transportation Committee hearing, legislators unanimously advanced a bill to delay Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulations until 2027, two years later than scheduled. Dozens of New Jersey environmental, health, labor, and justice organizations convened, testifying and urging lawmakers to uphold the ACT policy, saying the delay threatens public health, environmental progress, and economic opportunity.
“This bill is a cynical attempt by the trucking industry to stop electrification of our trucking sector just as it starts to pick up speed. Diesel air pollution is a public health menace that pollutes our lungs, especially in our urban communities, and the ACT program charts a path forward to clean up our air by starting to electrify large trucks on our roads,” said Doug O’Malley, Director, Environment New Jersey. “This legislative push to roll back these protections is being fueled by a bad-faith effort by the trucking industry to renege on these agreements – and push out misinformation on the flexibility of the program.”
The policy, adopted in 2021 by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), accelerates the transition to zero-emission Medium and Heavy-Duty (MHD) vehicles to address the state’s largest source of air pollution: transportation. Testimonials by statewide leaders and residents at the State House highlighted the urgent need to protect public health, advance economic opportunities, and ensure the gradual transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) from manufacturers after years of compliance flexibilities and preparation, through timely ACT implementation.
“Transportation remains New Jersey’s largest source of harmful pollution. A delay of the ACT rule would keep low-income and communities of color choking on dirty diesel-fueled air and suffering the health impacts,” said Allison McLeod, Deputy Executive Director, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. “In addition to helping mitigate the harmful effects of climate change, electrification of MHD diesel trucks creates green jobs and reduces our toxic dependency on fossil fuels. The legislature should dismiss any attempts to slow implementation and keep overburdened communities breathing toxic air."
The ACT policy offers a critical framework to reduce emissions from the transportation sector, through a structured, phased approach striking a balance between advancing environmental goals and accommodating the practical needs of manufacturers, ensuring a smoother transition to a cleaner, healthier future for all New Jerseyans. It doesn’t ban new diesel vehicles, or regulate trucks that are already on the road or on the secondary market.
“We do not support any delay in the implementation of this critical legislation. As our members see in clinics every day, New Jersey's children and adults with chronic respiratory conditions have already waited too long for action,” said Felicia Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, NJ Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics. “We must accelerate, not slow down, our efforts to ensure a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable future for our children and communities. Studies by the American Lung Association and other health organizations unambiguously demonstrate that replacing gas-powered vehicles with electric vehicles will reduce air pollution-related death and illness in New Jersey.”
The hearing comes on the heels of hundreds of statewide groups and residents sending letters to legislators urging timely ACT implementation, as industry players operating in bad faith have manufactured a false crisis in hopes of pressuring New Jersey leaders to delay implementation or pull out of the program altogether. Bill opponents urged lawmakers to reject misinformation from opposition groups and honor the state’s environmental and economic priorities.
"This is another example, yet again, of the profits of industry being prioritized over people. It’s an example of industrial powers being prioritized over the environment,” said Tolani Taylor, NJ Zero Emissions & Warehouse Organizer, Clean Water Action. “A two-year ACT delay means two years of more life-threatening pollution for front-line communities. It means two more years of environmental injustices within our freight and goods movement system. I am extremely disappointed in all the individuals and entities involved for pushing this bill to delay ACT. It’s easy to call for the delay of a policy like this when you are not living in those same communities where the pollution from diesel-powered trucks is impacting you on a daily basis, which is exactly what supporters of this bill have done.”
“It is deeply disappointing to see industry rollback tactics and disinformation successfully move against New Jersey’s life-saving electrification efforts in order to simply benefit the trucking and engine manufacturers preferred business model,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, Director, NJ Sierra Club. “The New Jersey Sierra Club is additionally deeply disappointed in our Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee for falling victim to these industry rollback tactics when we know that New Jersey is ready for implementation. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have already met in advance the majority of 2025 ACT requirements. The ACT program is critical to improving air quality for New Jersey communities who experience the very real impacts of toxic diesel fumes and pollution. We do not have two years to wait for cleaner trucks and roadways. People’s lives are on the line. We will continue to fight everyday for clean transportation for all and advocate for swift ACT implementation.”
"While aimed at providing much needed market certainty, the ACT policy also includes pragmatic flexibilities designed to make implementation feasible," said Richard Lawton, Executive Director, New Jersey Sustainable Business Council. "ACT is a key element of the transition to a more modern, decarbonized transportation sector and will result in significant economic, public health, and environmental benefits for all New Jerseyans."
“No one wants their child to be stuck on a school bus in bumper-to-bumper traffic breathing in fumes and diesel soot from trucks clogging our roadways. Politicians and their warehouse industry allies are willfully ignoring the facts,” said Uyen “Winn” Khuong, Executive Director, Action Together New Jersey. “This bill isn’t just insensitive to the concerns of communities, but it also flies in the face of years of work by the Murphy administration and statewide businesses already preparing for truck and bus electrification.”
New Jersey has more highways per square mile than any other state, yet this issue persists beyond the confines of major transit routes. Warehouses already comprise 527 million square feet in our small, densely developed state — up 35% from 20 years ago – which generate at least 380,000 truck trips daily, each either beginning or ending at one of these facilities.
"Communities near highways, ports, warehouses, and industrial areas are already suffering from poor air quality. A delay would condemn them to years of continued exposure to harmful diesel emissions,” said Amy Goldsmith, Steering Committee Member, Coalition for Healthy Ports. "Voting against this delay was a missed opportunity for our legislators to stand with New Jersey residents, workers, and communities who have already experienced a lifetime of this pollution. It’s time to stop taking people’s breath away!"
"Delaying New Jersey's ACT program sacrifices public health and clean air for polluter profits. The science is clear: every year of delay means more preventable deaths, more children growing up with asthma, and more communities — especially low-income and communities of color — suffering from harmful diesel pollution,” said Guillermo Ortiz, Senior Clean Vehicles Advocate, Natural Resources Defense Council. “New Jersey has an opportunity to lead, not retreat, in the fight for clean air and climate action. The legislature should have rejected this delay and protected communities from harmful diesel pollution."
Supporters also pointed to ACT’s economic benefits: the policy not only sets a national example but also promotes innovation and green job creation in New Jersey. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities recently announced the adoption of minimum filing requirements directing the state’s investor-owned electric distribution companies to propose programs expanding charging access for MHD electric vehicles (EVs) and fleets. That same day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and DEP announced the arrival of nearly $250 million to deploy EV charging infrastructure for commercial zero-emission MHD vehicles along the Interstate-95 freight corridor. DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette has said the state is fully prepared for ACT implementation in January 2025.
“New Jersey’s commitment to the ACT policy is one step toward a healthier, more just state for all, especially those who have borne the brunt of toxic emissions cumulatively for generations,” said Rachel Dawn Davis, Public Policy & Justice Organizer, Waterspirit. “The reduction of pollution from heavy-duty vehicles and acceleration of the transition to zero-emission solutions protect the environment and the most vulnerable among us. The health of our residents and ecosystems depends on bold leadership to protect sacred water, clean air, and a livable future today. New Jersey’s leadership must demonstrate the moral courage necessary to maintain this rule, ensuring a healthier, more equitable tomorrow for all residents.”
"Every delay to clean truck standards costs New Jersey families in medical bills and quality of life," said Jaqi Cohen, Director, Climate and Equity Policy, Tri-State Transportation Campaign. "While truck manufacturers try to stall progress, communities near highways and ports continue to breathe toxic diesel fumes day after day. With New York already moving forward and Connecticut close behind, New Jersey can't afford to hit the brakes on clean trucks. We need to stand firm against industry delay tactics and keep our commitment to cleaner air for all New Jersey communities."
“MHD trucks, which emit dirty diesel and harmful pollutants in communities that are already socially and economically disadvantaged, are far too great a burden for our residents to bear,” said Kelli Koontz Wilson, Coordinator, Coalition for Healthy Ports. “If the ACT policy is delayed, thousands of low-income families, communities of color, as well as port and warehouse adjacent communities will continue to suffer from the effects of deadly truck emissions. The Coalition for Healthy Ports strongly opposes any delay in ACT regulations.”
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