Trenton- In response to the Trump Administration’s decision to initiate a rulemaking process to weaken federal vehicle fuel emissions standards, Governor Phil Murphy today reaffirmed New Jersey’s strong support for the current standards. Governor Murphy also announced that New Jersey will join other leading states in signing the State Zero-Emission Vehicles Programs Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Through the MOU, New Jersey will work collaboratively with other states to support the deployment of zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) as part of the Multi-State ZEV Task Force. 

“New Jersey will use every tool at our disposal to fight misguided efforts by the Trump Administration to roll back federal fuel emissions standards that save New Jersey consumers money, protect the environment, and drive innovation in the transportation sector,” Governor Murphy said. “We know we can’t win this fight alone, so we are joining with our sister states in efforts to deploy clean vehicles to advance the health of our communities and tackle the largest source of air pollution in our state.”

Acting Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine McCabe added, “the Trump Administration is deliberately weakening our efforts to battle climate change when we, in New Jersey, are strengthening our resources to fight it.”

By signing the MOU, New Jersey will join other states including New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Oregon, Massachusetts, Maryland, and California in committing to coordinated action to ensure the successful implementation of ZEV programs. Collectively, the states identify joint cooperative and individual actions to build a robust market for ZEVs. In addition to joining the MOU, New Jersey is already one of the 13 states along with the District of Columbia that elects to follow stronger fuel emissions standards set by the State of California. 

Text of the Multi-State Memorandum of Understanding.