A Massachusetts waste hauler has paid a fine of $107,300 for exceeding the state’s idling limit, part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) effort to reduce unnecessary idling.
Capitol’s refuse trucks in Revere, MA were deemed to be idling pervasively and unnecessarily in 2007. Massachusetts is one of the two states-- Connecticut is the other-- where EPA has the authority to cooperatively enforce idling limits.
Pollutants from diesel engines have been linked to causing or aggravating conditions such as asthma, respiratory illnesses, heart diseases, and lung cancer. The Revere lot was noted as being adjacent to a residential area.
"The pollution from idling engines contributes to ozone smog, fine particle pollution and climate change, all of which pose immediate and long-term threats to human health," said EPA Regional Administrator Robert Varney. "Our enforcement of anti-idling regulations sends the message that excessive idling will not be tolerated."
