DEP Urges House Committee to Amend, Strengthen Diesel Idling Legislation

Stronger Enforcement Provisions Will Ensure Statewide Compliance, Cleaner Air

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In order to better
protect the public health and ensure cleaner air, a Department of
Environmental Protection official today urged the General Assembly to make
substantive amendments to a bill that would limit the amount of time
diesel-powered commercial vehicles could idle their engines.

Testifying before the House Transportation Committee, Deputy Secretary for
Waste, Air and Radiation Management Thomas Fidler proposed a series of
amendments to Senate Bill 295 that would strengthen enforcement options; give
the owners of warehouses, truck stops and commercial lots a greater role in
ensuring the law would be followed; and increase the penalties that could be
levied against violators.

"The Department of Environmental Protection fully supports the concept
of statewide idling restrictions to limit emissions from diesel-powered
commercial vehicles," said Fidler. "However, the department cannot support SB
295 in its current form and recommends substantive amendments to bring this
legislation in line with neighboring states and better protect the public's
health."

Fidler recommended three amendments:
-- Because the owners and operators of locations where diesel-powered vehicles
load, unload and park often share responsibility with vehicle operators for
excessive idling, they should also be accountable for causing delays.

-- DEP should be given the flexibility to assess civil penalties or fines for
idling restrictions under the existing framework of the Air Pollution Control
Act.

-- The summary offense fines for violation of SB 295 should be increased
significantly to coincide with the penalties already in place in certain parts
of Pennsylvania and neighboring states.

The Environmental Quality Board is currently promulgating regulations to
restrict idling under the authority of the Air Pollution Control Act. This
proposed rulemaking, like SB 295, would prohibit the unnecessary idling of
diesel-powered commercial vehicles -- with certain exceptions -- and imposes
fines and penalties for violations of idling restrictions.

The department's proposed regulation includes stronger enforcement provisions
and will proportion anti-idling responsibilities more equitably among all
parties.

"Diesel exhaust is a complex mixture of hazardous particles and
vapors, some of which are known, and probable, carcinogens," said Fidler.

According to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, diesel exhaust
contains significant levels of small particles, known as fine particulate
matter. The fine particles pose a significant health risk because they can
pass through the nose and throat and lodge in the lungs, causing lung damage
and premature death. The particles can also aggravate conditions such as
asthma and bronchitis.

Nationwide, particulate matter, especially fine particles, is responsible for
thousands of premature deaths every year. EPA has also determined that diesel
exhaust is a likely human carcinogen. The exhaust can also contribute to other
acute and chronic health effects.

Emissions from heavy-duty vehicles also contribute to ground-level ozone, or
smog. EPA has recently made the ozone and the fine particulate standards more
protective. As a result, many counties in the commonwealth will be designated
as nonattainment areas later this year and in 2009.

"Achieving the national ambient air quality standards for ozone and fine
particulates remains a significant challenge for the commonwealth, especially
in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley areas," said Fidler.
"Reducing diesel emissions from vehicle idling is an important component of
our plans to achieve and maintain the ozone and fine particulate health-based
national ambient air quality standards."

Fidler added that ensuring fewer commercial vehicles idle their engines
extensively also saves fuel, which is important to many truck operators today
as diesel prices climb.

"Idling diesel-powered vehicles can consume as much as a gallon of fuel per
hour," said Fidler. "With the price of diesel fuel at more than $4 per gallon,
every night a long-haul truck spends idling in Pennsylvania costs that
operator as much as $40. If that truck idles every night, that is more than
$14,000 a year in fuel expenses."

As many as 44 states and local jurisdictions, including the City of
Philadelphia and Allegheny County, have enacted ordinances or adopted
regulations that impose idling restrictions.

For more information on the Environmental Quality Board's proposed idling
restrictions, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Diesel idling.

CONTACT:
Tom Rathbun
(717) 787-1323

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Tom Rathbun of the PA Department of Environmental Protection, +1-717-787-1323