Bill Text: NJ S685 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Establishes "Fleet Conversion Task Force" in DEP.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Engrossed) 2026-02-24 - Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee [S685 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2026-S685-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 685

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator BOB SMITH

District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Establishes "Fleet Conversion Task Force" in DEP.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee on February 12, 2026, with amendments.

  

An Act establishing a "Fleet Conversion Task Force" in the Department of Environmental Protection.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     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's plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions pursuant to the "Global Warming Response 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 NJ Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report Years 1990-2021," produced by the Department of Environmental Protection;

     (5) Thus, vehicle fleets are responsible for approximately two percent of New Jersey's greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to emitting other pollutants such as carbon monoxide, particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide; ¹[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 ¹; and

     (7) Effective fleet policy must account for operational readiness, service continuity, total cost of ownership, workforce impacts, and the diversity of duty cycles across public and private fleets operating in New Jersey¹.

     b.  The Legislature therefore determines that it is in the public interest to create a Fleet Conversion Task Force to study and make recommendations on the process of converting motor vehicle fleets from fossil fuel-powered to zero-emission vehicles, and ¹modernizing motor vehicle fleets through zero-emission, near zero-emission, and other emission-reducing technologies, operational efficiencies, and resilience strategies, consistent with¹ the State's ¹[policies to reduce]¹ greenhouse gas ¹[emissions from the transportation sector] reduction goals¹.

 

     2.  a.  There is established in the Department of Environmental Protection a Fleet Conversion Task Force.  The duty of the task force shall be to ¹:

     (1)¹ study the challenges faced by commercial 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 ownership and workforce and training requirements for fleet operators;

     (2)¹ coordinate with the necessary stakeholders to develop a cost-effective ecosystem to support the transition to zero-emission motor vehicle fleet; and ¹[to]

     (3)¹ formulate recommendations for policy changes that could ease compliance with any existing laws or policies, and recommendations for new policies that could more effectively and efficiently reduce greenhouse gas emissions from commercial motor vehicles.

     b.  The task force shall be composed of 15 members, as follows:

     (1) the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio as chair;

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

     (3) the President of the Board of Public Utilities, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio;

     (4) the Executive Director of the New Jersey Transit Corporation, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio;

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

     (6) the Executive Director of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio;

     (7) two members of the public, appointed by the Senate President, with knowledge, expertise, or experience in zero-emission vehicles, one of whom shall represent privately owned fleets and one of whom shall represent publicly owned fleets;

     (8) two members of the public, appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, with knowledge, expertise, or experience in zero-emission vehicles, one of whom shall represent privately owned fleets and one of whom shall represent publicly owned fleets; and

     (9) five members of the public appointed by the Governor as follows:

     (a) one representative from an environmental justice organization;

     (b) one representative from a labor organization that represents trucking workers or other workers involved with motor vehicle fleets;

     (c) two representatives of automotive original equipment manufacturers, with experience in medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, at least one of whom shall have ¹direct¹ experience ¹with fleet deployment or fleet operation¹ in zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles; and

     (d) one representative of publicly owned fleets, with knowledge, expertise, or experience in zero-emission vehicles.

     c.  The members of the task force shall be appointed no later than 90 days after the effective date of this act.  The task force shall organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of the task force's members.  The task force may appoint a secretary who need not be part of the task force.  The presence of eight members shall constitute a quorum.

     d.  The task force shall meet regularly as the task force determines or at the call of the chair.  A true copy of the minutes of each meeting of the task force shall be published and maintained on the Department of Environmental Protection's Internet website.  The task force shall hold public hearings in various regions of the State and shall solicit feedback from the following entities:

     (1) public fleets, including county, city, electric utility, water district, solid waste, wastewater, education, emergency, and law enforcement fleets;

     (2) regional trucking and drayage companies, small-, medium- and large-sized business enterprises, national carriers operating in New Jersey, and first and final mile e-commerce and air cargo couriers;

     (3) public and investor-owned utilities;

     (4) class 1, 2, and 3 railroads, as applicable to New Jersey;

     (5) producers of electric vehicle infrastructure;

     (6) producers and sellers of petroleum products, biofuels, natural gas, propane, and hydrogen;

     (7) environmental organizations and environmental justice advocates;

     (8) labor organizations;

     (9) the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission;

     (10) automobile dealers, automotive original equipment manufacturers, and manufacturers of internal combustion and electric vehicles, including light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles; and

     (11) local governments.

     e.  The members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but the department may, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the task force, reimburse members for actual expenses necessarily incurred in the discharge of their official duties.

     f.  Any vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.

     g.  The Department of Environmental Protection shall provide stenographic, clerical, and other administrative assistance and professional staff as the task force requires to carry out the task force's work.  The task force shall be entitled to call to the task force's assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as the task force may require and as may be available for the task force's purposes.  ¹Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or direct the independent advisory role of the task force.¹

     h.  The task force shall report its findings and recommendations¹, which shall include whether or not to extend the term of the task force or convert the task force to a permanent fleet advisory council,¹ to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature no later than ¹[two years] 18 months¹ following the initial organizational meeting of the task force.  ¹The task force shall serve, during those 18 months, in an advisory capacity to the Governor and the Legislature on fleet modernization, transition, and implementation.¹  A written copy of the task force's report shall be provided to the chair of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee and the chair of the Assembly Environment, Natural Resources and Solid Waste Committee, or their successor committees. 

     i.  Thirty days after the submission of the report required pursuant to subsection h. of this section, the task force shall dissolve.

     ¹j.  The task force may establish subcommittees as necessary to examine specific issues, including, but not limited to, fleet operations, infrastructure readiness, workforce and training needs, fiscal impacts, and regional or sector-specific fleet considerations.¹

 

     3.  This act shall take effect immediately ¹[,]¹ and shall expire 30 days after the submission of the report required pursuant to subsection h. of section ¹[1] 2¹ of this act ¹,unless otherwise provided by law, rule, or regulation¹.