TodayBill seeks to reduce idling emissions
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Article RatingA bill introduced in the state Senate last week seeks to improve the area’s air quality by restricting the amount of time tractor-trailers can sit idling.
The bill, proposed by state Sen. Patricia Vance, R-31, would forbid commercial diesel-engine vehicles from idling for more than five minutes per hour in many circumstances. Drivers often idle their truck engines when they aren’t driving to keep the power on in their cab.
Vance said the proposed statewide legislation is particularly important for Cumberland County, whose air quality is among the worst in the country. Vance said she was motivated to find ways to clean the air because many of the county’s doctors have told her they have seen anincrease in patients with lung problems such as asthma.
“We’re all concerned about the air we breathe, or we should be,” Vance said. “(This legislation) is a step toward cleaner air.”
Jennifer McKenna, president of the Clean Air Board of Central Pennsylvania, said she estimates as many as 3,000 tractor-trailers idle near Carlisle everyday, polluting the air. Based in Carlisle, CAB worked with Vance on the legislation to help reduce those emissions.
The legislation, Senate Bill 1095, exempts tractor-trailers in weather hotter than 80 degrees or colder than 40 degrees when the trucks do not have access to idle-reduction technology, machines that can provide power to a cab.
The bill also exempts tractor-trailers stuck in traffic, loading or unloading equipment or operating defrosters, heaters or refrigeration required for safety, but not during a rest period. Buses that need to heat or cool their passengers are also exempted.
Vance said the weather exception was put in specifically to protect drivers.
Officials from the trucking industry said although they have not yet reviewed Vance’s legislation, they need to make sure it will keep truck drivers safe.
Jim Runk, president of the Pennsylvania Motor Trucking Association, said his organization has been working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to draft similar statewide requirements. He said reducing idling is beneficial for all parties, because it helps the environment and reduces fuel consumption. But driver safety, Runk said, has to be a priority.
Jesse Keen, vice president of Keen Transport Inc. in Carlisle, worked with Vance to help draft the legislation, but he declined to comment until he reads the final version.
Craig Shuey, executive director of the state Senate Transportation Committee, said although he has not had a chance to review the bill, any legislation restricting idling would “have to be flexible.”
