EPA Fines Rent-A-Car Companies For Excessive Idling Of Diesel Vehicles
The Agency Also Funds Projects To Reduce Diesel Emissions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined three companies affiliated with National Car Rental facilities at Bradley International and Logan airports. WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports the EPA says the companies violated motor vehicle idling regulations.
The companies are being fined $475,000 dollars for repeated violations. The action is subject to a 30 day public comment period and approval by federal court. At the time of the violation, Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc operated the National Car Rental facilities at Bradley and Logan airports. EPA Attorney Tom Olivier, says the shuttle buses were idling at the depot where customers pick up their cars.
"In Connecticut in 2007 our inspector went down to that facility on a couple of different days and found vehicles idling for an average of 20 minutes as compared to the 3 minute motor vehicle idling limit in Connecticut.
Olivier says the particulate matter in diesel fumes can aggravate asthma and contains carcinogens.
The company Enterprise Holdings acquired National Car Rental after the violations occurred. In a written statement Enterprise says the company is now in compliance with anti-idling regulations.
The EPA has taken other actions this month to reduce diesel emissions. The agency awarded the town of Fairfield more than $800,000 to retrofit 39 of the town’s vehicles with diesel particulate filters. In addition, the agency gave $850,000 to retrofit freight trains in Connecticut and three other New England states to eliminate all locomotive engine idling.
For WNPR, I’m Nancy Cohen.
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I guess it depends on us to
I guess it depends on us to protect the environement and our health.The car`s carbon dioxide emission is polutting the air.In the future the old cars should replace by cars that use solar power.We talked a lot about this subject at last car donation event I was.
They knew what the rules are
They knew what the rules are and still they kept braking them, this seems like the fair thing to do. What surprises is how difficult it is for these drivers to understand that idling their cars is a bad thing. I happen to have a used generator for my diesel car and I could never afford to idle it... What were those people thinking?
cars
Today car technology has developed a lot and even headlights are very advanced compared to what we had 20 years ago. Maybe it's the time to force car manufacturers to stop producing gas powered cars. We should switch to hydrogen/electric powered cars.
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