Establishes grant program in DOT to subsidize purchase and installation of supplemental catalytic converters.

A5269

ASSEMBLY, No. 5269

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED JUNE 15, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

Assemblyman� ANTHONY ANGELOZZI

District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes grant program in DOT to subsidize
purchase and installation of supplemental catalytic converters.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning air pollution from motor vehicles and
supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.� a.� As used in this
section:

���� �CO� means carbon monoxide.

���� �Department� means the
Department of Transportation.

���� �EPA� means the United States
Environmental Protection Agency.

���� �Grant program� means the �Supplemental
Catalytic Converter Grant Program� established pursuant to subsection b. of
this section.

���� �NOx� means oxides of
nitrogen.

���� �Qualified applicant� means a
person or organization who meets the eligibility conditions established
pursuant to subsection d. of this section.

���� �Supplemental catalytic
converter� means an EPA-verified catalytic converter, installed behind the
original catalytic converter, which:� (1) has a demonstrated durability of at
least 200,000 miles; (2) achieves, after 200,000 miles, at least a 85 percent
NOx reduction, a 70 percent reduction of CO, and a 55 percent reduction of VOCs;
and (3) has an average cost-per-ton of total pollutants removed of $2,500 per
ton or less.

���� �VOCs� means volatile organic
compounds.

���� b.� The department shall
establish and administer the �Supplemental Catalytic Converter Grant Program�
for the purpose of providing grants, on an annual basis, to qualified
applicants to subsidize the purchase and installation of a supplemental
catalytic converter.

���� c.� In establishing the grant
program, the department shall:

���� (1) develop guidelines and
procedures for the submission of grant applications and criteria for the
evaluation of applications;

���� (2) establish terms and
conditions for the awarding of a grant under this section; and

���� (3) establish authorized uses
of the grant awards.

���� d.� (1) To qualify for the
grant program, an applicant shall demonstrate to the department that the
applicant:

���� (a) is a New Jersey resident;

���� (b) regularly operates a
gasoline-powered motor vehicle with a model year of 2000 or later;

���� (c) has installed, or plans to
install, a new supplemental catalytic converter on the vehicle; and

���� (d) meets any other
eligibility requirements established by the department.

���� (2) Private companies and nonprofit
organizations that are capable of community outreach, including, but not
limited to, vehicle repair shops, community organizations, and foundations, shall
be eligible to apply for larger grants to incentivize the installation of
supplemental catalytic converters across a community or region. �Eligible private
companies and nonprofit organizations may offer financial incentives for each
privately-owned vehicle that receives an installation and may use grant funds
to pay for community outreach efforts. �A nonprofit organization may utilize up
to 10 percent of a total grant award for general administrative purposes.� The
department may establish additional eligibility criteria for applicants that
are private companies or nonprofit organizations.

���� e.� A qualified applicant that
applies for a grant pursuant to this section shall submit an application to the
department in a form and manner prescribed by the department.� In addition to
any other information that the department may deem appropriate, the application
shall require the qualified applicant to submit information:

���� (1) demonstrating that the
qualified applicant meets the eligibility requirements developed by the
department pursuant to subsection d. of this section;

���� (2) outlining the anticipated
use of the grant; and

���� (3) estimating the amount of
cost-sharing contributed by the applicant.

���� f.� The department may approve
applications for the grant program on a rolling basis, subject to the
availability of funding for the grant program.

���� g.� Upon approval of an
application, the department shall provide a grant, in an amount to be
determined by the department, to the qualified applicant to support the costs
of purchasing and installing a supplemental catalytic converter, or to
incentivize the installation of supplemental catalytic converters across a
community or region, as applicable.

���� h.� The department may use
funding appropriated or otherwise made available to the department under the
National Highway Performance Program, the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air
Quality Improvement program established pursuant to the �Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act� (IIJA), Pub.L.117-58, or from the �Global Warming
Solutions Fund� created pursuant to section 6 of P.L.2007, c.340 (C.26:2C-50),
to fund the grant program, or from any other similar federal or State program,
so long as this utilization is consistent with federal and State law.

���� i.� The department shall
prepare and submit an annual report on the grant program to the Governor, and
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature,
and make the report available on the department�s Internet website, no later
than one year after the first grant to a qualified applicant is awarded, and
annually thereafter.� The report shall include the number of qualified
applicants that applied for the grant program, the names of the qualified applicants
approved for the grant program, the total number of grants distributed, the
amount received per qualified applicant, and any other information the
department determines necessary to evaluate the progress of the grant program.

���� 2.� The department may adopt
rules and regulations, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,�
P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary for the implementation of this
act.

���� 3. �This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would establish a
grant program in the Department of Transportation (DOT) to subsidize the
purchase and installation of supplemental catalytic converters.� The grant
program would be available to individual residents who operate a vehicle with a
model year 2000 or later, as well as to private companies and nonprofit
organizations that can incentive the installation of supplemental catalytic
converters across a community or region.

���� Supplemental catalytic
converters are installed behind the original catalytic converter, to further
reduce exhaust pollutants from older vehicles, especially those nearing or past
their emissions warranty.� Under the bill, a supplemental catalytic converter
would be required to meet certain durability, effectiveness, and cost
standards, in order to qualify for the grant program.� The bill would direct
the DOT to develop application criteria and procedures for the grant program,
and to determine the size of the grants issued under the program.� The bill
would authorize the DOT to utilize certain funds provided by the United States
Department of Transportation (USDOT), in order to fund the grant program.

���� The durability and low cost-per-ton
standards are key to increasing the effectiveness of New Jersey�s use of USDOT
funds.� In 2022, the DOT received $148 million for seven projects that had a
total estimated emission reduction, for carbon monoxide and volatile organic
compounds, and oxides of nitrogen, of 115 kilograms per day. �With the same
funding, supplemental catalytic converters would have provided about 10 times
that emissions reduction.