Health Experts Demand Murphy Speeds Up Switch To Green Energy

NEW JERSEY — Medical professionals are urging Gov. Phil Murphy's administration to speed up its efforts to decarbonize the economy, as fossil fuel emissions from cars, trucks and buses are a threat to public health.

More than 300 health care leaders signed a letter addressed to Murphy, demanding for quicker adoption of electric cars and charging stations, as well as electrifying public transit, using federal funds to reduce the exposure of underserved communities to air pollution and boost air-quality monitoring along highways, according to NJ Spotlight News.

Murphy recently passed legislation that establishes a three-year "Electric School Bus Program," which will provide $15 million a year for the purchase of electric school buses and charging infrastructure across the state.

According to Judith Schmidt, the chief executive of the New Jersey Nurses Association, emissions from fossil fuel-powered cars, trucks and buses "release pollutants that worse respirator and cardiovascular disease including asthma, and many forms of cancer."

Schmidt told NJ Spotlight that Murphy's electric school program is a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Camden and seven other New Jersey communities received F grades this year from the American Lung Association for ozone levels that exceed a national benchmark. Therefore, health experts believe Murphy needs to accelerate the state's switch to green energy.

The letter also urged New Jersey leaders to work with other states on finding solutions to common transportation challenges, according to NJ Spotlight.

“We’re urging New Jersey to undertake immediate, dramatic and equitable action to protect our children and vulnerable communities from the life-threatening health impacts of a warming world,” said Dan Quinlan, senior adviser to Health Care Without Harm — a global organization that promotes environmentally responsible health care and was one of the groups that signed the letter. “The longer we rely on fossil fuel power, the longer we will experience the devastations of climate change.”

Murphy's administration aims to cut the state's climate-warming carbon emissions by 50 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and to reach "net zero" in emissions by 2050. This means the state wouldn't add any new carbon to atmosphere.

This is part of a global effort to stop the earth's temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels.

According to a spokesperson for Murphy, New Jersey remains "on track" to meet its emissions-reduction goals.

Murphy is also investing $10.8 million to electrify medium and heavy-duty vehicles including school buses, garbage trucks and buses to build another 69 charging stations around the state.

As part of the investment, $6.9 million will come from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative's auction proceeds and $3.9 million will come from New Jersey’s share of the nationwide Volkswagen Settlement over the misreporting of emissions.

According to a report from Commodity.com in December of 2021, the Garden State emitted 198 tons of carbon dioxide per $1 million of gross domestic product, compared with the U.S. average of 287.2 tons. Out of all states, New Jersey had the 9th-least carbon-intensive economy in the country.

But Sen. Bob Smith, the chairman of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee, told NJ Spotlight that switching New Jersey to renewable energy will require action from the executive, the regulators and the legislature.

He explained that the Board of Public Utilities needs to mandate renewable energy, the grid needs to be able to handle it and the legislature needs to appropriate the money as fast as possible.

Health professionals are particularly urging Murphy's administrator to monitor the air pollution along highways that neighbor underserved communities that are overburdened by tailpipe emissions.

New Jersey's eMobility initiative aims to bring zero emission solutions to overburdened areas. You can learn more about eMobility here.