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Though our state is often the butt of jokes that paint it as a highway-choked, pollution-clogged asphalt wasteland, a new report by a national nonprofit shows New Jersey is among the national leaders in breaking automobile dependence.

“Fighting Oil Addiction: Ranking States’ Oil Vulnerability and Solutions for Change,” a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, ranks New Jersey in the top ten states in America “that are doing the most to promote clean energy technologies and reduce their dependence on oil.” The Garden State lands at number seven, between neighbors New York and Pennsylvania.

The report singles out New Jersey for prioritizing public transit funding through the allocation of state funds and by transferring some federal highway money to transit; for its Clean Car program, which requires automakers to reduce fleet-wide greenhouse gas emissions from the vehicles they sell in the state by 30 percent by 2016; and also for providing financial and travel incentives for hybrid cars.

“Especially with today’s economic challenges, Americans face a growing threat from our nation’s dangerous addiction to oil,” NRDC transportation policy director Deron Lovaas says. “This report shows how important it is for states to promote clean energy policies that will reduce our dependence on oil, while also reducing global warming pollution.”

Speaking of cost, the NRDC report also identifies New Jersey as one of 16 states where the percent of income spent on gasoline by the average driver is less than 5 percent, at 4.49 percent. Still, the annual dollar figure spent by the average Jersey driver on gas is disturbingly high, at least to the eyes of a non-driver: $2286.44.

You can read the full report here.