Massachusetts Diesel Pollution Solution
Massachusetts has some of the worst diesel pollution in the country. To fight for cleaner air, ENE launched the Massachusetts Diesel Pollution Solution Coalition in 2006. Lead organizations include ENE, Alternatives for Community and Environment , Clean Water Action, Environment Massachusetts and neighborhood groups including Chelsea Four Corners, and NEON. The coalition is working to make diesel pollution clean up a top priority for policy makers in greater Boston and Massachusetts.
Background
ENE and several leading grassroots environmental justice and advocacy organizations launched the Massachusetts Diesel Pollution Solution (DPS) towards the end of 2005. The DPS coalition initiated a campaign to make cleaning up diesel pollution a top priority for policy makers in greater Boston and Massachusetts. Throughout 2006, ENE and its coalition partners educated local groups and municipal leaders about the public health problems associated with diesel pollution, and the technologies and policies that can help mitigate the pollution. ENE also worked closely with senior staff at the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) to educate them about policy options and help them develop a strategy for reducing diesel emissions in Massachusetts.
By the end of 2006 ENE and its partners achieved substantial victories. The City of Lawrence adopted a resolution recognizing the health and climate impacts of diesel pollution, promising to inventory and take action to reduce diesel sources in the city, and calling on state officials to take action as well. More significantly, in December the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs announced that the state would spend $22.5 million to retrofit its school and transit buses. The plan unveiled by EOEA achieves two of the coalition’s top three goals, and marks a strong beginning to ongoing work to implement diesel pollution policies in the state. At a well-attended hearing in June 2007, it was clear that citizens and lawmakers are still enthusiastic about the diesel issue. They joined ENE and other advocates in voicing support for a new bill that would slash emissions from other significant diesel fleets, including state-owned vehicles, municipal waste haulers, construction vehicles, delivery trucks, boats and trains.
