Coalition for Healthy Ports and other allies take on still pending ACT Bill

The Coalition for Healthy Ports (CHP) will renew its efforts to permit immediate implementation of the Advanced Clean Trucks bill (ACT) despite attempts by the New Jersey Assembly’s Transportation Committee to delay it. ACT was adopted in 2021 by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to speed the transition to zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles—the state’s largest source of toxic air pollution.

Last year, over Governor Phil Murphy’s objections, the NJ Assembly’s Transportation Committee passed a measure (A4967/S3817) that would delay ACT’s implementation until 2027, two years later than scheduled. Fortunately, the efforts of the Coalition for Healthy Ports and allied organizations headed off passage by a full Assembly floor vote (12/19/24).

We are now in a new year, a new era in Washington and industry is very likely to be back in New Jersey and other state houses across the country to slow the transition to zero-emission vehicles.

ACT offers a critical framework to reduce emissions from the transportation sector, through a phased and structured approach striking a balance between advancing environmental goals and accommodating the practical needs of manufacturers, ensuring a smoother transition to a cleaner, healthier future for all New Jerseyans.

Contrary to manufacturers’ scare allegations, ACT doesn’t ban new diesel vehicle sales, or force truck dealers to buy a certain number of electric trucks in order for them to fulfill their diesel truck orders or further regulate diesel trucks that are already on the road or on the secondary market.

“The recent vote on the ACT bill, is another example, yet again, of industry powers being prioritized over people and clean air,” said Tolani Taylor, NJ Zero Emissions & Warehouse Organizer, Clean Water Action. “A two-year ACT delay means two years of more life-threatening pollution for front-line communities. It means two more years of environmental injustices within our freight and goods movement system. I am extremely disappointed in all the individuals and entities involved for pushing this bill to delay ACT. It’s easy to call for the delay of a policy like this when you are not living  in those same communities where the pollution from diesel-powered trucks is impacting you on a daily basis, which is exactly what supporters of this bill have done.”

“Communities near highways, ports, warehouses, and industrial areas are already suffering from poor air quality. A delay would condemn them to years of continued exposure to harmful diesel emissions,” said Amy Goldsmith, Steering Committee Member, Coalition for Healthy Ports. “Voting against this delay was a missed opportunity for our legislators to stand with New Jersey residents, workers, and communities who have already experienced a lifetime of this pollution. It’s time to stop taking people’s breath away!”

“MHD trucks, which emit dirty diesel and harmful pollutants in communities that are already socially and economically disadvantaged, are far too great a burden for our residents to bear,” said Kelli Koontz Wilson, Coordinator, Coalition for Healthy Ports. “If the ACT policy is delayed, thousands of low-income families, communities of color, as well as port and warehouse adjacent communities will continue to suffer from the effects of deadly truck emissions. The Coalition for Healthy Ports strongly opposes any delay in ACT regulations.”

“As a retired Longshorewoman with 31 years of experience at Port Newark, I’ve seen the devastating impact of port operations on workers and our community. I’ve worked alongside men and women who’ve developed high blood pressure, respiratory diseases, suffered heart attacks, and battled cancer—myself included. These aren’t isolated cases; they’re the result of decades of exposure to harmful emissions in our daily work operations. It’s time we prioritize the health and well-being of those who keep the port running and the neighborhoods that surround it. Our lives depend on it,” said Regina Townes, Port Organizer for South Ward Environmental Alliance.

“New Jersey needs a strong indirect source review law and policy in order to protect communities, particularly environmental justice communities, from the dangers of diesel emissions.” Nicky Sheats, Ph.D., Esq., Director, Center for the Urban Environment, John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research

“Opponents of the Advanced Clean Trucks rule, led by truck manufacturers and their dealers, are prioritizing short-term profits over long-term benefits for New Jersey’s communities and businesses,” said Guillermo Ortiz, Senior Clean Vehicles Advocate, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Zero-emission trucks are not only cleaner but also cheaper to operate than their fossil-fueled counterparts, offering real savings for fleets and small businesses. Rolling back ACT would delay these benefits, prolong toxic diesel pollution in frontline neighborhoods, and stall economic opportunities tied to the transition. New Jersey’s leaders must reject these delays and keep the state on track to cleaner air, healthier communities, and a stronger, more affordable transportation future.”

“Diesel exhaust is a preventable cause of lung cancer, asthma and other respiratory disease, heart attacks and strokes, as well as other adverse health effects.  We have no time to waste in moving forward to eliminate this scourge that affects all New Jersey residents, but falls most heavily on people working and living near our ports and transportation centers, and along all of the state’s roadways and in neighborhoods impacted by truck traffic to and from proliferating warehouses and distribution centers,” said Robert Laumbach M.D., Occupational and Environmental Medicine physician.

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* Coalition for Healthy Ports (CHP) is a bi-state alliance founded in 2007 by environmental and environmental justice activists, truck drivers, faith leaders, labor unions, and community advocates fighting for zero emissions, clean air, good jobs, healthy communities, environmental and economic justice at the Ports of New York and New Jersey and throughout the logistics industry. Particular emphasis is given to port-adjacent communities that are disproportionately overburdened by port pollution and operations. www.coalitionforhealthyports.org