Dump Diesel Pollution

What's New

Led by Rep. Ruth Samuelson, lawmakers have approved $500,000 for the next year to reduce harmful pollution from diesel engine school buses, and have set up a permanent fund to clean up more diesel vehicles.

Now, Environment North Carolina is working to ensure these funds are utilized, and to increase funding for future years.

Summary

Have you noticed that more children are suffering from asthma these days? In North Carolina, the numbers have reached 1 in 10, more than the national average.

When air pollution levels spike, living with asthma is even tougher for these kids--because smog and soot from heavy duty trucks and buses and other vehicles can trigger asthma attacks.

New federal rules require many new diesel trucks and buses to be cleaner than ever before.  But trucks and buses are built to last for as many as 30 years—leaving thousands of old, dirty diesel vehicles on the state’s roads, spewing smot and soot into the air.  

Technology is available and affordable that can reduce diesel pollution from these vehicles by up to 85% or more.  Environment North Carolina is working to get state leaders to clean up existing diesel trucks and buses, starting with our school buses—which pose the biggest threat to children’s health.  Reps. Ruth Samuelson, Grier Martin, Jim Harrell, and Jeff Barnhart have sponsored a bill, H 1912, that would do just that