When it comes to the environment.

The transportation sector is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gases.

In New Jersey, it accounts for about 40% of all emissions.

Not to mention the toll it takes on the health and well-being of residents.

The Murphy administration today celebrated a massive new grant from the federal EPA to support electric truck charging stations that will be built up and down the I-95 corridor, along with requiring a certain number of all new trucks purchased to be electric.

That's drawn the ire of some industry lobbyists and lawmakers who say new Jersey is just not ready.

And as Ted Goldberg reports, are proposing to delay that clean truck rule by another two years under fire.

And a truck looks like your typical truck from a distance until you get close up.

You wouldn't normally see, like such a big catwalk here.

So the batteries are all in the middle here and realize it's fully electric and has been a trucker for four years and for most of the past year she's gotten around thanks to batteries, not diesel fuel.

The big difference is you don't feel like the weight, so you definitely feel like you're on a cloud.

It's awesome, actually, compared to where you have like an automatic or manual, you really have to get that truck going.

And most importantly, you feel like you're sacrificing any performance at all.

No.

And it gets up to 240 miles on a full charge, less than she'd get on a diesel engine, but good enough for her routes and good enough to change her mind on electric trucks in general.

I was actually skeptical at first.

Yes, I have to admit, being that, you know, I've always driven automatics and even a manual in the beginning, so it was a little different.

Yeah, I was just like, I was kind of like, oh no, no, you know, it was just kind of interesting.

She says driving it is a smoother, cleaner experience than driving with diesel.

It's very quiet, like you don't hear like like anything.

It's like, sometimes I have to listen to you, like, are you still on, you know.

And exactly like, lack of exhaust you don't have to worry about, you know.

Do you like it helps the environment and not even just environment truckers as well, you know, because we have to deal with anything, you know, leakage or going into the truck.

This has become a once in a generation opportunity to clean up her air.

Ina was joined by environmental advocates at the Thomas Edison service area on the turnpike today, celebrating a $250 million federal grant that will be used to build charging stations for trucks along I-95.

They say it's a win for the environment and also for people who won't have to breathe in diesel fumes this quarter, as well as other heavily trafficked roads in new Jersey, bringing enormous amounts of pollution not just to our communities, but to our entire region.

Even apart from the need to take dramatic action to reduce climate pollution, we have to protect the lungs of our residents and of our kids.

The charging stations are needed so new Jersey truckers can follow state guidelines, which require more new truck sales to be zero emission vehicles in 2035.

All new truck sales will have to be zero emission.

Small business owners, as well as large trucking companies, have the opportunity to transition their fleet to electric and help to reduce the climate emissions that are creating days like today, an 80 degree day in October.

Those guidelines have faced opposition from some in the trucking industry.

We just are not ready.

We're out too far over our skis on this and that.

The market needs time.

Lobbyist Eric to Jess Rowe says he's not anti electric truck, but he says they're more expensive and require more charging stations than the state has right now.

An electric truck is three times the expense of the comparable new, new regular diesel powered truck.

We're starting the process of putting together the infrastructure with a requirement that we start selling a certain percentage of these trucks.

We got to bring everybody to the table and figure out how we're going to address this issue.

State Senator Patrick Diegnan is also skeptical to impose a mandate to 10% of new trucks be electric.

Just is simply at this particular point, unattainable because how are they going to charge, how they're going to do their business?

He's introduced a bill that would delay these guidelines for another two years, because he doesn't think 100% zero emission trucks are possible by 2035.

Anything's possible.

Unlikely.

But let's put it this way.

If we get 75%, we're much more advanced than we were in 2020.

For the $250 million grant is good for 24 truck charging sites along I-95.

While state leaders figure out regulations for the new trucks that would use them in Woodbridge.

I'm Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.