1. The Legislature finds and declares that the burning of fossil fuels and other industrial processes release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which in turn contribute to climate change; that, in the coming years, New Jersey is likely to experience increased flooding, drought, and other severe weather effects caused by climate change; and that, in order to help mitigate the serious impacts of climate change, the State must drastically reduce its consumption of fossil fuels and its greenhouse gas emissions.

The Legislature further finds that concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world due to its low cost, strength, and durability; that the production of ordinary Portland cement, the critical ingredient in concrete, is responsible for almost eight percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions; that ordinary Portland cement requires significant amounts of energy to produce, resulting in high carbon dioxide emissions; that modern technology allows concrete to be produced utilizing less energy, and the emission of carbon dioxide from cement manufacturing can be greatly reduced by capturing and utilizing carbon dioxide in the unit concrete product manufacturing process, including the chemical reaction that results in strength and durability of concrete; and that this process can sequester carbon dioxide in the unit concrete product or chemically transform the carbon dioxide into mineral form, embedding it into the concrete and preventing its release as a gas.

The Legislature therefore determines that it is in the public interest to encourage and support the purchase of unit concrete products that utilize carbon footprint-reducing technology in the State; that unit concrete products that utilize carbon footprint-reducing technology will greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the concrete and construction industries; and that incentives for permeable pavers that are unit concrete products that utilize carbon footprint-reducing technology will further help enhance stormwater management, reduce stormwater runoff, and decrease the risk of flooding in the State.

L. 2021, c.278, s.1.