Moving the Needle--An Act Prohibiting the Idling of Motor Vehicles

Over a three-month period, three different mothers from three different towns reached out to CTGreenScene because they thought they were alone in their belief that idling outside of their children's schools was not only unnecessary, but also a risk to our respiratory health and the health of the planet.

Each of them said that they felt awkward coming forward, and each took a different approach dealing with the issue. One made up fliers and put them on cars in the parking lot, and one spoke directly to the school office. All raised awareness and primed their schools for what is sure to be a ban similar in scope to banning smoking cigarettes in public.

Our hats are off to all of you!

RAISED BILL No. 123  AN ACT PROHIBITING THE IDLING OF MOTOR VEHICLES.

Chairs Senator Ed Meyer, Representative Richard Roy, and Members of the Environment Committee:

My name is Nancy Alderman. I am President of Environment and Human Health, Inc. a non-profit organization comprised of nine members who are physicians and public health professionals dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harms.

This Bill seeks to copy what already exists in the CT Department of Environmental Protections' (CT DEP) "NO IDLING" regulations of  22a-174-18, only this Bill has additional exemptions as it moves the CT DEP regulation into the motor vehicle statutes.  This is exactly what the CT Legislature did in 2002 when it moved the School bus "No Idling"  CT DEP regulations into Motor Vehicles. It has  had a tremendous impact on stopping school buses from unnecessary idling and we are hopeful this Bill will do the same thing for cars and trucks. It has enough exemptions to protect all those cases where idling is necessary.

The CT DEP has thought this issue important enough to created regulations that deal with the unnecessary idling of all cars and trucks in its own regulations.  However, the CT DEP would be the first to say, that although the regulations are  very good one, it is very hard, if not impossible, to enforce as a DEP regulation and needs to be moved over to motor vehicles

This is because, as a CT DEP regulation, the DEP has to first receive a complaint about a particular idling vehicle - then the DEP has to arrange an inspection, which is usually the following day and by that time the idling vehicle has long gone. To be effective, this regulation needs to be moved into the motor vehicle regulations so that it can be enforced by the police, just like the legislature did in 2002 for the "no idling" school bus DEP regulation that the legislature copied into the CT motor vehicle laws.

Because this Bill basically copies the CT DEP regulation - with additional exemptions, this Bill is well thought-out and well written.  It has all the exemptions it needs to allow for necessary idling, such as using a drive-in windows, needing to use auxiliary equipment, when the temperature is below 20 degrees, exemptions for overnight truckers, and many more.

The public is quite unaware of their idling habits. They leave their motors running when they go into the cleaners, the drug stores, Dunkin Doughnuts, grocery stores and so on. The public is also unaware of the harmful effects of both diesel and car exhaust - both of which have serious health effects. Both have components that are carcinogenic, both contribute to ozone levels which effects lung function, diesel exhaust exacerbates asthma, which in this state affects almost 10% of our children.

EPA estimates that about 40% of air toxic emissions in the U.S. come from mobile sources. People need to better understand the health effects of vehicle exhaust so that they can better protect their health and the health of their families.

"Continue Reading" for the Bill that YOU CAN USE WHERE YOU LIVE....

The quickest and cheapest way to get immediate vehicle exhaust reductions is to ban the unnecessary idling of cars and trucks. As well, a side benefit will be reducing carbon dioxide emissions which is the main component of greenhouse gases that are contributing to global warming.

The school bus "No Idling" law has done a tremendous job in reducing school bus idling and now we need to do the same thing for cars and trucks.
The issue that the police cannot prioritize their time enforcing a vehicle idling law is not reason not to make the CT DEP "No Idling" regulation the law under the motor vehicle statutes - which this Bill will do. The police do not spend their time enforcing the school bus idling law  - yet that law is working.  Parents, teachers, and school administrators enforce the law and if bus drivers don't listen, then they can call police  --- because it is "The Law".

This is exactly what we need to do for all vehicles.  Prohibiting the unnecessary idling of cars and trucks is the quickest and cheapest way to reduce vehicle emissions -- and it will be better for the environment, global warming, and everyone's health all at the same time.

Nancy Alderman, President
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
1191 Ridge Road
North Haven, CT 06473
(phone)   203-248-6582
(fax)        203-288-7571
http://www.ehhi.org

Raised Bill No. 123

February Session, 2008

LCO No. 311

*00311_______ENV*

Referred to Committee on Environment

Introduced by:  (ENV)

AN ACT PROHIBITING THE IDLING OF MOTOR VEHICLES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2008) (a) No person shall cause or allow a motor vehicle to operate for more than three consecutive minutes when such motor vehicle is not in motion, except as follows:
(1) When a motor vehicle is forced to remain motionless because of traffic conditions or mechanical difficulties over which the operator has no control;
(2) When it is necessary to operate defrosting, heating or cooling equipment to ensure the safety or health of the driver or passengers;
(3) When it is necessary to operate auxiliary equipment that is located in or on the motor vehicle to accomplish the intended use of the motor vehicle;
(4) When it is necessary to bring the motor vehicle to the manufacturer's recommended operating temperature;
(5) When the outdoor temperature is below twenty degrees Fahrenheit;
(6) When the motor vehicle is undergoing maintenance or an inspection that requires such motor vehicle be operated for more than three consecutive minutes;
(7) When a motor vehicle is in queue to be inspected by United States military personnel prior to gaining access to a United States military installation;
(8) When a law enforcement, firefighting rescue or emergency vehicle is in the course of responding to an emergency; or
(9) When a motor vehicle is in a queue at a drive-in establishment.
For the purposes of this section, "motor vehicle" means any automobile or truck, and does not include any agricultural tractor or farm implement, as defined in section 14-1 of the 2008 supplement to the general statutes.

(b) A violation of any provision of this section shall be an infraction.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
October 1, 2008
New section
Statement of Purpose:
To prohibit the idling for more than three consecutive minutes of any motor vehicle, except for certain exempted purposes.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]