A 4555 — Establishes "Fleet Conversion Task Force" in DEP.

A4555 1R [First Reprint] ASSEMBLY, No.

  CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT      As introduced.reported by the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee on September 17, 2026, with amendments.

            1.  a.  The Legislature finds and declares that:

          (1) Commercial vehicle fleets play a vital role in the economy, providing transportation and logistics support to virtually every sector of the economy, including manufacturers, distributors, agricultural and food service companies, and retailers;

          (2) According to data published by the United States Department of Transportation, there were approximately 12 million automobiles and trucks in fleets on the road in 2013, comprising five percent of all registered motor vehicles;

          (3) Transitioning to zero-emissions vehicles is a cornerstone of the State’sState's plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions pursuant to the “Global"Global Warming Response Act,”Act," P.L.2007, c.112 (C.26:2C-37 et seq.);

          (4) This is because, in New Jersey, the transportation sector emits 38 percent of the total Statewide greenhouse gas emissions, according to the “2024"2024 NJ Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report Years 1990-2021,”1990-2021," produced by the Department of Environmental Protection;

          (5) Thus, vehicle fleets are responsible for approximately two percent of New Jersey’sJersey's greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to emitting other pollutants such as carbon monoxide, particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide;

and1[and]1           (6) The Legislature and the Department of Environmental Protection would benefit from the expertise and experience of people working in the transportation sector as they develop and implement policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicle fleets.fleets 1;

    and b.       The(7) LegislatureEffective thereforefleet determinespolicy thatmust itaccount isfor inoperational thereadiness, publicservice interestcontinuity, tototal createcost aof Fleetownership, Conversionworkforce Taskimpacts, Force to study and make recommendations on the processdiversity of convertingduty motorcycles vehicleacross fleetspublic from fossil fuel-powered to zero-emission vehicles, and theprivate State’sfleets policiesoperating toin reduceNew greenhouseJersey1. gas emissions from the transportation sector.

           b.  2. The a. Legislature Theretherefore isdetermines establishedthat it is in the Departmentpublic ofinterest Environmentalto Protectioncreate a Fleet Conversion Task Force. Force Theto dutystudy ofand themake taskrecommendations forceon shallthe beprocess toof studyconverting themotor challengesvehicle facedfleets byfrom commercialfossil motorfuel-powered vehicleto fleetzero-emission ownersvehicles, and operators1modernizing inmotor convertingvehicle their fleets tothrough zerozero-emission, emissionnear vehicles,zero-emission, includingand theother fiscalemission-reducing impacttechnologies, onoperational smallefficiencies, businesses,and toresilience coordinatestrategies, withconsistent with1 the necessaryState's stakeholders1[policies to developreduce]1 agreenhouse cost-effectivegas ecosystem1[emissions tofrom support the transitiontransportation tosector] zero-emissionreduction motorgoals1. vehicle fleets;

and  to      formulate2.  recommendationsa.  forThere policyis changesestablished thatin couldthe easeDepartment complianceof withEnvironmental anyProtection existinga lawsFleet orConversion policies,Task andForce.  recommendationsThe forduty newof policiesthe thattask couldforce moreshall effectivelybe andto efficiently1: reduce greenhouse gas emissions from commercial motor vehicles.

          b. (1)1 Thestudy taskthe forcechallenges shallfaced beby composedcommercial 1and publicly owned1 motor vehicle fleet owners and operators in converting their fleets to zero emission vehicles, including the fiscal impact on small businesses 1[, to] and impacts on fleet reliability, mission readiness, service continuity, total cost of 15ownership members,and asworkforce follows:and training requirements for fleet operators;

          (1)(2)1 thecoordinate Commissionerwith ofthe Environmentalnecessary Protection,stakeholders orto develop a designee,cost-effective whoecosystem shallto servesupport ex-officiothe astransition chair;to zero-emission motor vehicle fleets;

    1[and (2)to] the      Commissioner(3)1 offormulate Transportation,recommendations for policy changes that could ease compliance with any existing laws or apolicies, designee,and whorecommendations shallfor servenew ex-officiopolicies asthat vice-chair;could more effectively and efficiently reduce greenhouse gas emissions from commercial motor vehicles 1;

          (3)(4) theevaluate Presidentcomparative oftechnology pathways for the Boardconversion and modernization of Publiccommercial Utilities,and orpublicly aowned designee,motor whovehicle shallfleets, serveincluding, ex-officio;but not limited to:

          (4)(a) thean Executiveevaluation Director of thebattery-electric, Newhydrogen Jerseyfuel Transitcell, Corporation,near orzero-emission, aand designee,other whoviable shallemission-reducing servetechnologies; ex-officio;

          (5)(b) thean Executiveassessment Director of the Portsuitability Authority of Newconversion Yorktechnologies andby Newvehicle Jersey,class orand aduty designee,cycle; who shall serve ex-officio;

          (6)(c) thean Executiveevaluation Director of thegeographic Newand Jerseyregional Economicoperational Developmentconsiderations; Authority, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio;

          (7)(d) twoan membersanalysis of theoperational public,requirements, appointedincluding byperformance theunder Senatevarying President,weather, withterrain, knowledge, expertise, or experience in zero-emission vehicles, one of whom shall represent privately owned fleets and oneload ofconditions; whom shall represent publicly owned fleets;

    and (8)      two(e) membersa ofconsideration the public, appointed by the Speaker of theinfrastructure Generalreadiness Assembly,and withtotal knowledge,cost expertise, or experience in zero-emission vehicles, one of whomownership; shall represent privately owned fleets and one of whom shall represent publicly owned fleets;

and          (5) (9)conduct, fivein memberscoordination with the Board of Public Utilities and the publicDepartment appointedof byTransportation, an assessment of electric grid capacity, infrastructure readiness, and rate impacts associated with the Governorconversion asof follows:commercial and publicly owned motor vehicle fleets, which shall include, but not be limited to:

          (a) onean representativeanalysis fromof anfreight environmentalcorridor justicegrid organization;capacity and substation load serving high-density freight, port, warehouse, and industrial areas of the State;

          (b) onean representativeidentification fromof ainfrastructure laborupgrade organizationrequirements thatand representstimelines; trucking workers or other workers involved with motor vehicle fleets;

          (c) twomodeling representatives of automotiveincremental originalelectric equipmentload manufacturers,under withvarious experiencefleet inconversion medium-scenarios and heavy-dutyduty vehicles,cycles; at least one of whom shall have experience in zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles;

and           (d) onean representativeevaluation of publiclypotential ownedimpacts fleets,on withretail knowledge,electricity expertise,rates, orincluding experienceimpacts inrelated zero-emissionto vehicles.capacity market obligations within the PJM Interconnection region;

    and c.       The(e) membersan ofassessment the task force shall be appointed no later than 90 days after the effective date of thishow act. existing Thegrid taskreliability, forceaffordability, shalland organizesupply asconstraints soon as practicable after the appointment of the task force’s members.  The task force may appointaffect afeasibility secretaryand whosequencing need not be part of thefleet taskconversion; force.  The presence of eight members shall constitute a quorum.

    and d.       The(6) taskconduct forcea shalldistinct meetfiscal regularlyimpact asanalysis the task force determines or at the call of thefleet chair. conversion Afor truecommercial copy of the minutes of each meeting of the task force shall be published and maintainedpublicly onowned themotor Departmentvehicle offleets Environmentaloperating Protection’sfewer Internetthan website. 50 Thevehicles, taskincluding, forcebut shallnot holdlimited publicto: hearings in various regions of the State and shall solicit feedback from the following entities:

          (1)(a) publicmodeling fleets,of total cost of ownership under financing assumptions reflective of small business credit conditions, including county,higher city,borrowing electriccosts, utility,limited wateraccess district,to solidcapital waste,markets, wastewater,shorter education,loan emergency,terms, and lawreduced enforcementbalance fleets;sheet capacity;

          (2)(b) regionalan truckinganalysis andof drayageinfrastructure companies, small-, medium- and large-sizedmake-ready businesscosts enterprises,on nationala carriersper-vehicle operatingbasis inat Newsmall Jersey,fleet andscale, firstincluding andfleets finaloperating milefrom e-commerceleased, andshared, airor cargospace-constrained couriers;facilities;

          (3)(c) publicevaluation of potential impacts of electricity rate volatility, demand charges, and investor-ownedcapacity utilities;market costs on small fleet operating expenses;

          (4)(d) classan 1,assessment 2,of potential market structure impacts, including risks of industry consolidation and 3effects railroads,on assmall applicableand toindependently Newowned Jersey;fleet operators;

    and (5)      producers(e) ofrecommendations electricregarding vehiclecompliance infrastructure;timelines, incentive structures, financing mechanisms, or other policy adjustments necessary to ensure economically feasible participation by small fleets1 .

          (6)b.  producersThe andtask sellersforce ofshall petroleumbe products,composed biofuels,of natural15 gas,members, propane,as andfollows: hydrogen;

          (7)(1) environmentalthe organizationsCommissioner andof environmentalEnvironmental justiceProtection, advocates;or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio as chair;

          (8)(2) laborthe organizations;Commissioner of Transportation, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio as vice-chair;

          (9)(3) the NewPresident Jerseyof Motorthe VehicleBoard Commission;of Public Utilities, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio;

          (10)(4) automobilethe dealers,Executive automotiveDirector original equipment manufacturers, and manufacturers of internalthe combustionNew andJersey electricTransit vehicles,Corporation, includingor light-,a medium-,designee, andwho heavy-dutyshall vehicles;serve ex-officio;

      (5) the Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and     New (11)Jersey, localor governments.a designee, who shall serve ex-officio;

          e. (6) The members of the taskExecutive forceDirector shallof serve without compensation, but the departmentNew may,Jersey withinEconomic theDevelopment limitsAuthority, of funds appropriated or otherwisea madedesignee, availablewho toshall theserve taskex-officio; force, reimburse members for actual expenses necessarily incurred in the discharge of their official duties.