A Step in the Right Direction: Pittsburgh

It is to my greatest joy to announce that as of July 13, the Pittsburgh City Council passed a clean-air bill, updating the last clean-air bill passed 70 years ago. Accompanying this bill is another which will requires the city to install pollution-control devices on all of its diesel vehicles within the next 10 years.

This is an exciting time for Pittsburgh because not only does the passing of this bill mean that a new era is beginning, but also that Pittsburgh is taking crucial steps to improve the quality of life for its people!

The bill will require contractors of city-subsidized developments to install pollution-control equipment for on-road diesel equipment by January 1st of 2012 and off-road by 2013. This means that by the time the years of 2012 and 2013 roll around, all vehicles such as trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty vehicles must have pollution-control equipment installed. However this requirement only applies to projects that use at least $250,000 in city subsidies, and have a total cost of over $2.5 million.

The legislation was supported by the bill’s sponsor, Councilman Bill Peduto, environmentalists, and a variety of different unions and community groups. And though the bill was approved and supported by many on the council, one councilmen, Ricky Burgess had some misgivings, believing that it would have a minimal impact on air standards and prevent investments in troubled neighborhoods.

In the end however, the bill was approved with a vote of 8-0.

Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11194/1160007-53.stm#ixzz1S5Rx9eln

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