Cough, Cough: Adams Administration Hands Largest Ever Idling Law Exemption to NJ Charter Bus Company - Streetsblog New York City

"A New Jersey-based charter bus company will be allowed to spew toxic fumes with impunity under a proposed variance granted by the city Department of Environmental Protection as the Adams administration sputters to a close."

"Academy Bus Lines requested the exemption - the largest in DEP's history - after receiving more than $500,000 in idling violations through a city program that allows citizens to submit complaints and receive a portion of any resulting violation."

""Due to the lack of proven alternatives or retrofit technologies for long-distance buses, and the impact on passenger comfort during cold and hot weather of not running the onboard climate control systems, there is likely currently to be an unreasonable hardship during extreme weather," DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala wrote in a letter to the company explaining the permission to pollute."

The city Department of Environmental Protection proposed a variance permitting Academy Bus Lines to idle many of its charter buses in extreme temperatures. The exemption is the largest in DEP history and follows more than $500,000 in idling violations filed through a citizen complaint program. The variance allows 701 buses to idle below 32°F and above 82°F if the company electrifies or installs auxiliary power units on 14 smaller vehicles. No APU technology exists for the heavy-duty motorcoaches, so those vehicles receive an exemption from the city's 53-year-old anti-idling law. The variance will expire in two years.

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