Bill Text: NJ A5269 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes grant program in DOT to subsidize purchase and installation of supplemental catalytic converters.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-06-15 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee [A5269 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5269-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblyman ANTHONY ANGELOZZI
District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes grant program in DOT to subsidize purchase and installation of supplemental catalytic converters.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning air pollution from motor vehicles and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"CO" means carbon monoxide.
"Department" means the Department of Transportation.
"EPA" means the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
"Grant program" means the "Supplemental Catalytic Converter Grant Program" established pursuant to subsection b. of this section.
"NOx" means oxides of nitrogen.
"Qualified applicant" means a person or organization who meets the eligibility conditions established pursuant to subsection d. of this section.
"Supplemental catalytic converter" means an EPA-verified catalytic converter, installed behind the original catalytic converter, which: (1) has a demonstrated durability of at least 200,000 miles; (2) achieves, after 200,000 miles, at least a 85 percent NOx reduction, a 70 percent reduction of CO, and a 55 percent reduction of VOCs; and (3) has an average cost-per-ton of total pollutants removed of $2,500 per ton or less.
"VOCs" means volatile organic compounds.
b. The department shall establish and administer the "Supplemental Catalytic Converter Grant Program" for the purpose of providing grants, on an annual basis, to qualified applicants to subsidize the purchase and installation of a supplemental catalytic converter.
c. In establishing the grant program, the department shall:
(1) develop guidelines and procedures for the submission of grant applications and criteria for the evaluation of applications;
(2) establish terms and conditions for the awarding of a grant under this section; and
(3) establish authorized uses of the grant awards.
d. (1) To qualify for the grant program, an applicant shall demonstrate to the department that the applicant:
(a) is a New Jersey resident;
(b) regularly operates a gasoline-powered motor vehicle with a model year of 2000 or later;
(c) has installed, or plans to install, a new supplemental catalytic converter on the vehicle; and
(d) meets any other eligibility requirements established by the department.
(2) Private companies and nonprofit organizations that are capable of community outreach, including, but not limited to, vehicle repair shops, community organizations, and foundations, shall be eligible to apply for larger grants to incentivize the installation of supplemental catalytic converters across a community or region. Eligible private companies and nonprofit organizations may offer financial incentives for each privately-owned vehicle that receives an installation and may use grant funds to pay for community outreach efforts. A nonprofit organization may utilize up to 10 percent of a total grant award for general administrative purposes. The department may establish additional eligibility criteria for applicants that are private companies or nonprofit organizations.
e. A qualified applicant that applies for a grant pursuant to this section shall submit an application to the department in a form and manner prescribed by the department. In addition to any other information that the department may deem appropriate, the application shall require the qualified applicant to submit information:
(1) demonstrating that the qualified applicant meets the eligibility requirements developed by the department pursuant to subsection d. of this section;
(2) outlining the anticipated use of the grant; and
(3) estimating the amount of cost-sharing contributed by the applicant.
f. The department may approve applications for the grant program on a rolling basis, subject to the availability of funding for the grant program.
g. Upon approval of an application, the department shall provide a grant, in an amount to be determined by the department, to the qualified applicant to support the costs of purchasing and installing a supplemental catalytic converter, or to incentivize the installation of supplemental catalytic converters across a community or region, as applicable.
h. The department may use funding appropriated or otherwise made available to the department under the National Highway Performance Program, the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program established pursuant to the "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" (IIJA), Pub.L.117-58, or from the "Global Warming Solutions Fund" created pursuant to section 6 of P.L.2007, c.340 (C.26:2C-50), to fund the grant program, or from any other similar federal or State program, so long as this utilization is consistent with federal and State law.
i. The department shall prepare and submit an annual report on the grant program to the Governor, and pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, and make the report available on the department's Internet website, no later than one year after the first grant to a qualified applicant is awarded, and annually thereafter. The report shall include the number of qualified applicants that applied for the grant program, the names of the qualified applicants approved for the grant program, the total number of grants distributed, the amount received per qualified applicant, and any other information the department determines necessary to evaluate the progress of the grant program.
2. The department may adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary for the implementation of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would establish a grant program in the Department of Transportation (DOT) to subsidize the purchase and installation of supplemental catalytic converters. The grant program would be available to individual residents who operate a vehicle with a model year 2000 or later, as well as to private companies and nonprofit organizations that can incentive the installation of supplemental catalytic converters across a community or region.
Supplemental catalytic converters are installed behind the original catalytic converter, to further reduce exhaust pollutants from older vehicles, especially those nearing or past their emissions warranty. Under the bill, a supplemental catalytic converter would be required to meet certain durability, effectiveness, and cost standards, in order to qualify for the grant program. The bill would direct the DOT to develop application criteria and procedures for the grant program, and to determine the size of the grants issued under the program. The bill would authorize the DOT to utilize certain funds provided by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), in order to fund the grant program.
The durability and low cost-per-ton standards are key to increasing the effectiveness of New Jersey's use of USDOT funds. In 2022, the DOT received $148 million for seven projects that had a total estimated emission reduction, for carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds, and oxides of nitrogen, of 115 kilograms per day. With the same funding, supplemental catalytic converters would have provided about 10 times that emissions reduction.
