A national report recently found that NJ is “lagging far behind” other states in electric car sales and availability of changing stations, raising concern from environmental groups.

“One particular area of concern is in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States,” stated the report, titled “Charging Up.” The report, by the Sierra Club Conservation Law Foundation and Acadia Center, states that New Jersey should be following the lead of western states like California, Washington and Oregon that are “far more pro-active.”

North Jersey.com reported on Friday that Gov. Chris Christie has not signed on to an eight-state pact that would provide more infrastructure and incentives toward getting more electric vehicles on the road. Out of 5.7 million registered vehicles in New Jersey, currently only about 2,500 are electric, stated the article. The goal of the pact is to increase the number of electric cars to 3.3 million by 2025.

While New Jersey is part of a multi-state effort to promote lower emissions, “A number of pieces of legislation in recent years, from tax credits for owners of electric cars to requiring charging stations at shopping centers, have died in Trenton,” stated the article.

It noted however, that the New Jersey Turnpike Authority issued a contract in September to build at least 12 charging stations along the turnpike and Garden State Parkway, and plans to install some Tesla charging stations in June.

The United States is one of 195 nations that agreed last week to lower their greenhouse gas emissions as part of a coordinated global effort to fight the harmful effects of climate change. Christie has said New Jersey is among the top three states in the country in solar energy production, though at the October Republican debate that he said he is generally not in favor of governmental intervention to improve climate change.

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