Times Union Article

Action sought on 2006 emissions law TIMES UNION August 5, 2008 Environmental groups appeal to Paterson over diesel trucks By BRIAN NEARING Staff writer

ALBANY - Nearly a dozen statewide environmental groups have signed a letter urging Gov. David Paterson to implement a 2-year-old law meant to reduce toxic diesel emissions from state-owned or state-contracted heavy trucks. Paterson received the Aug. 1 letter from the group asking for action on the 2006 Diesel Emission Reduction Act, which required that such trucks use ultra-Iow-sulfur fuel starting in February 2007. Also, the law calls for at least a third of truck engines to be modified with new pollution controls by the end of this year, with all engines to be modified by the end of201O. None of this has started. 'When it comes to air quality - particularly in areas with high traffic volumes and environmental justice concerns - the benefits to the state far outweigh the costs and administrative issues this law might create," said Marcia Bystryn, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. The letter was also signed by officials of the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Environmental Advocates of New York, Environmental Defense Fund, New York Public Interest Research Group, Renewable Energy Long Island, UPROSE/New York City Environmental Justice Alliance and We Act for EnvironmentalJustice. Diesel emissions create fine particles that can be inhaled, worsening asthma and other health problems. Particle levels in the air exceed federal health guidelines in Suffolk, Nassau, Queens, Kings, Richmond, New York, Bronx, Westchester, Rockland and Orange counties. Diesel exhaust can contain 40 different hazardous air pollutants, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to the Boston-based Clean Air Task Force, a not-for-profit environmental group, the average lifetime cancer risk from diesel soot for a resident of Albany County is 1 in 2,640. EPA sets an acceptable cancer risk at 1 in a million. The lifetime cancer risk from diesel soot for a resident of Saratoga County is 1 in 5,453; it's 1 in 4,358 in Rensselaer County and 1 in 3,896 for Schenectady County. The risk is higher in the New York City metropolitan area: 1 in 2,231 for a Nassau County resident and 1 in 975 in Bronx County.

~u Brian Nearing can be reached at 454-5094 or bye-mail [email protected]

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