Transportation (Electric Vehicles)

This New Jersey legislative resolution urges Congress to pass the "Guarding Ratepayers from Imposed EV Charging Directives Act," which would remove specific federal rules related to electric vehicle charging programs. The bill aims to prevent the costs associated with upgrading infrastructure for these programs from being added to residential electricity bills. By repealing portions of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, the proposed federal law seeks to stop utilities from passing these expenses onto ratepayers through delivery charges. This measure directly affects New Jersey residents who currently see rising utility costs linked to state-mandated clean energy and electric vehicle initiatives. The resolution does not change state law but serves as a formal request to the federal government to alter existing regulations.

SCR 82 is a legislative resolution declaring that New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) rules implementing the "Advanced Clean Trucks" program are inconsistent with prior legislative intent. The DEP adopted these rules in December 2021, requiring truck manufacturers to sell specific percentages of zero-emission trucks (e.g., 55% for Class 2b-3 vehicles) by 2035, but the resolution states this program was never authorized by the legislature. The resolution cites that previous law (P.L.2003, c.266) only permitted DEP to implement the *second phase* of California's low-emission vehicle program, not the "Advanced Clean Trucks" program, and that the DEP failed to provide required notice to environmental committees about the change. The resolution gives the DEP 30 days to amend or withdraw the rules, or the legislature could later invalidate them via another resolution.