More than 100 New Jersey health professionals, led by Clinicians for Climate Action New Jersey (CCANJ), are calling on state lawmakers to immediately implement the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation to protect residents—particularly those in overburdened communities—from dangerous health outcomes linked to diesel emissions.
In a letter addressed to Senate President Nicholas Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, CCANJ emphasized the urgent need for full enforcement of the ACT regulation, which was adopted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2021.
The policy is designed to transition medium- and heavy-duty trucks to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) over time, as transportation emissions remain the largest contributor to air pollution in New Jersey.
More electric trucks on Garden State roads are needed as New Jersey residents experience some of the worst diesel pollution conditions in the country:
- New Jersey is the most highway-dense state in the country.
- New Jersey ranks as the second-worst state in the nation for cancer risk from diesel soot, with diesel exhaust pollution proving more dangerous than secondhand smoke.
- While commercial vehicles make up less than 10% of road traffic, they are responsible for nearly half of all toxic tailpipe pollution. These trucks drive through densely populated areas every day to deliver packages, pick up garbage, take kids to school and so much more.
- One in 3 New Jersey residents now lives within a half-mile of a mega-warehouse, facing elevated exposure to freight truck pollution.
- In 2023 alone, exposure to diesel pollution in New Jersey led to: 330 premature deaths, 19,900 lost workdays and $3.75 billion in monetized health damages.
“Any effort to delay or derail this important policy will negatively impact public health” said Felicia K. Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, New Jersey Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, and co-lead of Clinicians for Climate Action NJ.
“Delaying the ACT rule in New Jersey until model year 2027 would be dire for both our residents and the public health systems that will need to treat them. Now is the time to ensure we move forward with policies to expand electric trucks on our roads – not pause as we are starting to see progress.”
The transition to cleaner trucks also presents an economic opportunity, promoting job growth in the clean energy and automotive sectors through the ZEV market, and in building the infrastructure needed statewide, positioning New Jersey at the forefront of sustainable innovation.
CCANJ continues to strongly urge that the Legislature and the Administration take immediate, dramatic, and durable action to protect New Jersey’s children and communities from the devastating health impacts of a warming world.
