NJ Commits $100 Million To Environmental Justice Projects

NEWARK, NJ — As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. And it’s no different with environmental justice, some New Jersey officials and advocates say.

Speaking in Newark on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced plans to invest more than $100 million in “clean, equitable transportation projects” across the state. The funds will help spur New Jersey towards reaching “100 percent clean energy by 2050,” the underlying mission of Murphy’s Energy Master Plan.

The money will come from proceeds from New Jersey’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), as well as Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Funds, which were the result of a recent settlement against the auto giant.

• See related article: Volkswagen Settlement Powers NJ City’s EV Charging Stations

Projects will include:

• $9 million in grants for local government electrification projects that will help to improve air quality in environmental justice communities through the deployment of electric garbage and delivery trucks
• $13 million in grants for low- and moderate-income communities to reduce emissions that affect our children’s air quality through the deployment of electric school buses and shuttle buses
• $5 million in grants for equitable mobility projects that will bring electric vehicle ride hailing and charging stations to four New Jersey towns and cities
• $5 million in grants for deployment of fast charging infrastructure at 27 locations statewide
• $36 million to reduce diesel and black carbon emissions in environmental justice communities by electrifying port, cargo handling, and other medium- and heavy-duty equipment in port and industrial areas
• $15 million towards NJ Transit bus electrification
• $15 million towards flex funding to further deploy additional funding to the listed initiatives

“Climate change is the single greatest long-term threat currently facing humanity, and our state and economy are uniquely vulnerable to its devastating effects,” Murphy said.

“The investments we are announcing today signify our commitment to environmental justice and equity, while building a cleaner economy that works for all,” the governor added.

Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, an East Orange resident, said that environmental justice is social justice.

“Investing in a green economy means we are creating a healthier, cleaner and more environmentally stable place for all New Jerseyans to live,” Oliver said.

State Assemblyman John McKeon, who represents several towns in Essex County, said he was happy that Murphy has chosen to utilize funds "derived from the financial remuneration the state has received from polluters in a most appropriate manner."

"We must ensure every New Jerseyan has healthy and clean air to breathe," McKeon said.

The windfall of funding got a round of applause from other Essex County leaders, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

“The City of Newark has a deep, long-standing commitment to making our city cleaner, greener, and healthier for all Newarkers,” Baraka said.

“Transitioning our municipal fleet is one of many initiatives underway as we move Newark forward,” Baraka continued. “Each diesel truck we keep out of our residential neighborhoods serves as a reminder to the broader truck-intensive industry of Newark’s commitments to accelerated climate action and environmental justice.”

Other Newark leaders on the frontline of the battle for environmental justice, such as South Ward Environmental Alliance founder Kim Gaddy, said that the $100 million funding blast is great – but there’s much more work to do.

“The science dictates mandatory reductions, yet polluters continue to target overburdened communities like Newark,” Gaddy said. “The state’s budget sets the moral compass for our state critical programs from NJ Transit and the Clean Energy Fund to NJDEP. They cannot remain underfunded and achieve a different and more just outcome.”

“We look forward to working with the Murphy administration, putting the pedal to the metal even further,” Gaddy said.

• See related article: PSEG To Invest $166M In Electric Vehicle Charging Stations In NJ
• See related article: NJ Bill Gives Urban Areas A Powerful Tool To Fight Polluters
• See related article: NJ Launches Suits Vs. 'Polluters' In Orange, South Orange, Newark

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