Phil murphy's gas truck ban suffers another blow as lawmakers push back

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey lawmakers have introduced legislation that would delay the state’s implementation of Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulations for at least two years, pushing back the deadline to January 1.

Unfortunately, this is just a pause, not a cancelation of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s ambitious ban on gas-powered trucks.

The measure, sponsored by Assemblymen Clinton Calabrese (D-36), Robert J. Karabinchak (D-18), and William W. Spearman (D-5), would prevent the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from enforcing the regulations until that date. A wide coalition of legislators co-sponsored the bill.

The current regulations, based on California’s 2021 Advanced Clean Trucks initiative, were set to take effect on January 1, 2025. The rules mandate that manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks gradually increase the number of zero-emission vehicles they sell, reaching up to 75 percent by 2035.

“The Department of Environmental Protection shall not implement or enforce the Advanced Clean Trucks regulations, as modified to apply to New Jersey, earlier than January 1, 2027,” the bill states.

The ACT rules fall under the California Low Emission Vehicle program and were adopted in New Jersey by the DEP in 2021 through authority granted under a 2003 state law. That law permits New Jersey to follow California’s stricter vehicle emission standards.

According to the regulations, the zero-emissions sales mandate would vary by vehicle type, with targets ranging from 40 to 75 percent by 2035. The proposed legislation does not change the sales targets but defers their start.

The bill, introduced this week, takes effect immediately upon passage and signature by the governor.

New Jersey lawmakers delay electric truck sales mandate until 2027.

Key Points

New bill delays New Jersey’s ACT regulations from 2025 to 2027.
ACT rules require truck manufacturers to sell more zero-emission vehicles over time.
Legislation supported by a bipartisan group of more than 20 Assembly members.

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