New York targets urban truck pollution

MANHATTAN, NY — The Big Apple is taking aim at "smoke-spewing diesel trucks and buses" in certain city jurisdictions.

The Department of Environmental Conservation recently launched a long-term enforcement strategy in communities "that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution."

DEC will carry out regular but unannounced enforcement actions in hot spots where heavy truck traffic enters or exits a neighborhood, as well as areas where diesel trucks tend to congregate. DEC will implement pullover operations that target trucks putting out visible exhaust and crack down on illegal idling.

"We call this our Stop Smoking Initiative for Trucks," said DEC Regional Director Gene Kelly. "Just as cigarette smoke creates risks not only for smokers but also those around smokers, polluting trucks put neighborhoods at risk. In addition, this initiative will help identify the dirtiest diesels on the road and influence them to clean up their act."

The initiative is based on a successful pilot program in New York City. In one day in 2007 in East Harlem, DEC law-enforcement officers pulled over and inspected 361 diesel trucks and issued 163 tickets for various violations of state air and safety regulations. The officers also issued 10 tickets for excessive idling.

— via Truckinginfo.com