N.Y. passes school bus anti-idling legislation
ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Eliot Spitzer recently signed legislation that limits the amount of time school buses can idle on or near school grounds....
ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Eliot Spitzer recently signed legislation that limits the amount of time school buses can idle on or near school grounds.
The bill requires the state's commissioner of education to issue regulations that require certain school districts, particularly those that contain many students who have asthma, to minimize school bus idling while parked on school grounds or in front of schools. Buses can idle as necessary, however, for heating, mechanical and emergency purposes.
"Idling school buses expose children and others to harmful diesel exhaust," Spitzer said. "Promoting clear air in our school yards is critically important, and I thank the bill's sponsors for their advocacy on behalf of this vital public health initiative."
State law currently prohibits trucks and buses from idling for more than five consecutive minutes. This bill authorizes the commissioner of education to require that drivers turn off their buses while waiting for students to load or unload.
It also stipulates that the commissioner must implement the regulations by July 1, 2008.
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