Every year, hundreds of New Jerseyans die prematurely and scores of others suffer asthma attacks or other debilitating respiratory illnesses from harmful diesel soot.

What is Being Done?

On September 7, 2005, Acting Governor Codey signed into law a bill that would establish a program to cut exposure to harmful diesel soot emissions in school buses and to reduce diesel soot from garbage trucks, transit buses and publicly owned on-road and off-road diesel vehicles and equipment.

On November 8, 2005, voters approved Ballot Question #2, a constitutional amendment that will fund the diesel program and will be paid for with a portion of revenue from the existing Corporate Business Tax.

The amendment will not raise taxes, but over the next ten years will shift a portion of the CBT revenue currently earmarked for environmental programs to provide grants for the cost of air pollution control equipment, which will reduce the levels of fine-particle pollution from diesel-powered engines.