The Wrap: Electric Cars Report, NJ’s 238th Birthday, Marijuana Laws – Cape May County Herald
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Electric Cars Report
Gov. Phil Murphy continues to advance his energy policies even as he packs his belongings at the governor’s mansion. Murphy will leave office on Jan. 20.
Murphy recently announced the release of the New Jersey Zero Emission Vehicle Roadmap Report. Calling climate change the “defining challenge of our time,” he says the plan is a roadmap “to maintain and expand ZEV incentives, enhance ZEV infrastructure installation and reliability, invest in grid upgrades, develop ZEV resources and tools for targeted outreach, prioritize equity and underserved communities, develop a ZEV workforce, and reduce vehicle miles traveled.”
That is a huge sentence with very ambitious goals for a governor giving up his post in a matter of weeks and leaving in the midst of a major run-up of electricity prices.
The 75-page document is part progress report and part plan for accelerating further adoption of EVs through public investments and policy initiatives. It reaffirms the state’s goals under the Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, with a goal of 100% of all new light-duty vehicles having zero emissions by 2035.
Murphy touts his administration’s “whole-of-government approach” to expand customers’ access to cleaner vehicles and charging ports. The roadmap report was developed by New Jersey’s Partnership to Plug In and led by the governor’s office.
The report addresses policy options regarding the most significant barriers to ZEV adoption, including expansion of the charging infrastructure and concerns over electric vehicle range, cost and convenience.
Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill has voiced support for expanding ZEV infrastructure. But that is within the context of her “all of the above” stance on energy generation, which involves renewables, natural gas and nuclear. Her focus in the campaign was on increasing energy affordability and reliability. How that will mesh with Murphy’s electrification policies is not entirely clear.
“The Roadmap Report is a valuable resource to further strengthen the state’s continued investment in an electric future for New Jersey – one that better protects public health and reduces greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette.
EV acceptance has increased significantly in the Garden State during Murphy’s term in office. New Jersey had a little over 10,000 electric vehicles on the road in 2016, and most recent data says there are 280,000 such vehicles on the road as of November 2025.
NJ’s 238th Birthday
On Dec. 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the Constitution. This year is the Garden State’s 238th birthday as a state. The U.S. Census Bureau noted the occasion with the release of a data profile.
The 2020 census put New Jersey’s population at a little over 9.2 million. In terms of population, New Jersey just misses the top 10, coming in as the eleventh most populous state in the union, just behind Michigan.
In most areas of New Jersey you are never far from your neighbor. The state is consistently listed as the most densely populated one in the union, with 1,292 souls per square mile. The largest age grouping is the 650,000 New Jerseyans aged 50 to 59. The state has a median age of 40.4 years, with Cape May County its oldest area at median age 52.7.
More than one in four New Jerseyans are foreign-born (25%), with 56% of those naturalized citizens. The state ranks second only to California in terms of the percentage of foreign-born residents. The state with the lowest percentage of foreign-born residents is West Virginia at 2%.
The Garden State is better-educated than most of the other states, with 44.5% of its population having a bachelor’s degree or higher. For the country as a whole that number is 36.8%. With median household income at $104,000 the state does well compared to a U.S. median of just under $78,000.
The home ownership rate, at 64%, is slightly below the country's average of 65%, with just under 50% of the home values at $500,000 or more.
New Jersey has a diverse population, with 52% of that population self-declared as “white alone, non-Hispanic or Latino.”
Happy birthday, New Jersey.
Marijuana Laws
On Dec. 18 President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to expedite a reclassification of cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. The move represents a significant change in federal policy.
A Schedule III designation for cannabis means the federal government recognizes that cannabis has legitimate medical value and use. Schedule I drugs, like heroin, are seen to have no accepted medical uses. The schedule change also implies a recognition that cannabis has a lower level of potential for abuse than was seen when it was classified as a Schedule I substance. Cannabis, most commonly referred to as marijuana, has been a federal Schedule I drug since 1970.
The action by Trump does not change the fact that cannabis use is still illegal under federal law. Penalties for its possession and use under federal statutes do not change with the executive order. What changes we are likely to see involve an easing of the bureaucratic burden attached to research on a Schedule I drug. As a Schedule III substance, cannabis research becomes easier. Researchers are looking into the substance’s use for relieving chronic pain and treating certain disorders like epilepsy and PTSD.
The change can represent a serious financial windfall for cannabis companies, which will be free of certain restrictions in the tax code that apply to Schedule I substances. Businesses would be allowed to deduct certain business expenses from their taxes, a move not allowed currently.
It is unclear what steps need to be taken next with respect to the order. The federal government had begun the process of rescheduling cannabis under President Joe Biden. A notice of intent has been published in the federal register. That is usually followed by public hearings on the matter, which were never held under Biden. Trump’s action may signal that the government will more directly lead to reclassification, skipping the hearings, or it may not.
Week in Review
*The Ocean City Council has unanimously adopted a redevelopment plan for the now closed Seaspray condominium complex at the 34th Street gateway into the city.
*PJM Interconnection, the electricity grid operator for New Jersey, failed to secure enough electricity capacity at auction to cover the projected need for the 2027-2028 delivery year.
*Stone Harbor is likely to seek a waiver of the budget appropriations cap from the Department of Community Affairs.
*“Unreasonable or unnecessary noise,” including yelling, shouting and hooting, is prohibited under an ordinance approved by the Upper Township Committee on Dec. 15.
*Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera has called “asinine” the state’s demand for the borough to get a Coastal Area Facility Review Act permit for existing bike racks at Sunset Lake.
*North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello sat in his final council meeting as mayor, a position that will be assumed by Councilman Sal Zampirri at the reorganization meeting Jan. 6.
*Trying to stay one step ahead of destructive storms, the county Office of Emergency Management has developed a series of zones that show the county’s emergency evacuation system.
*Despite strong public opposition to one of the measures, the Stone Harbor Borough Council adopted two ordinances at its Dec. 16 meeting.
*The county commissioners have approved a funding contribution of up to $2.5 million for the reconstruction of the Heather Road fishing pier in Wildwood Crest.
*The Ocean City Council on Dec. 18 joined the increasing number of voices calling on Gov. Phil Murphy to issue an emergency declaration concerning erosion of county beaches due to storms.
*The Trump administration ordered a halt to all offshore wind construction projects, citing classified national security risks.