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Fortifying the future: NJ’s Priority Action Plan tackles climate change C By Sheila Baker Gujral, ANJEC Resource Center Director limate change is coming down the (turn)pike in New Jersey and local governments need to be prepared. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection has received a federal Environmental Protection Agency grant to explore how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and which actions should be prioritized. The result, the New Jersey Priority Climate Action Plan was released in March and is the first of three deliverables resulting from the four-year grant. The Plan was created to guide and prioritize future federal investments in the State’s pollution reduction efforts. It lists priorities in several sectors – transportation, buildings, electric generation, food waste, natural and working lands and halogenated gases. For each section, it lists the top priority measures along with guidance on which local government actions will support those goals. This is kind of a dream document for environmental commissions, answering key questions: What's the problem? What should we tackle first? How do we do it? How do we fund it? The role of local governments includes: • developing local climate action plans; • implementing projects; • connecting with stakeholders to foster collaboration; • ensuring equity and accessibility; and • engaging and coordinating with the private sector. Here is a sampling of the many goals and measures outlined in the plan. The transportation sector Responsible for 38 percent of net statewide GHG emissions, this sector's number one priority is to "achieve 30 28 ANJEC REPORT – Autumn 2024 percent of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050.” The local government action to pursue this goal is to “replace diesel medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and school buses with electric vehicles (EVs).” For the sector's second priority, to “achieve light-duty vehicle electrification goals in NJ's Electric Vehicle Law,” there are three local government actions to take: 1) electrify local government fleets; 2) create and expand eMobility programs that provide electric ride sharing and ride hailing services1; and 3) install and expand publicly available EV charging infrastructure. Another goal is to “reduce vehicle miles traveled,” by 1) expanding transportation infrastructure and complete

iling services1; and 3) install and expand publicly available EV charging infrastructure. Another goal is to “reduce vehicle miles traveled,” by 1) expanding transportation infrastructure and complete streets; 2) promoting and increasing NJ Transit ridership and becoming a “Transit Village;” and 3) expanding work-from-home and ridesharing programs. The building sector Responsible for 23 percent of NJ's total GHG emissions, the building sector has as priority measure number five: “install zerocarbon emission space-heating and -cooling and water-heating systems in 400,000 residential properties and in 20,000 commercial properties.” There are three actions that local governments can take: 1) pilot building decarbonization efforts at local government facilities; 2) pilot beneficial use of wastewater for building electrification at 1 Such as the Go Trenton! all-electric shuttles and van service – www.gotrenton.org/