STAFFORD – The grass is always greener in Stafford Township, and soon enough the transportation will be too.
Stafford Township was recently approved for a grant through the NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s “It Pay$ to Plug In” program. “It Pay$ to Plug In” provides funding amounts of up to $6,000 per charger to offset the cost to purchase and install electric vehicle charging stations, according to NJDEP.
This program allows for dwellings, businesses, and public spaces to “go green” by providing the space and chargers for electric vehicles, which dramatically reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality.
Although Stafford is still awaiting a grant agreement from the NJDEP to determine funding, Mayor Gregory Myhre believes the program to be in the best interest of Stafford residents.
“It Pay$ to Plug In” is available to businesses, governments, multi-unit dwellings, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in New Jersey.
With this, Stafford Township is taking one more step towards a cleaner, greener future for New Jersey. Governor Murphy’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is aiming for 100 percent clean energy by 2050.
“Shifting to clean and renewable energy sources reduces greenhouse gas emissions that are already causing climate impacts in New Jersey, particularly in economically disadvantaged communities,” according to the NJDEP.
The RGGI is the first mandatory market-based program in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the initiative’s website.
For more information on RGGI, visit rggi.org.
And “It Pay$ to Plug In” isn’t the only program focusing its energy on expanding electric vehicles throughout New Jersey. Senate bill S2252 and Assembly Bill A4819 could expand and incentivize the use electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state. These bills have not yet been passed.
