Cleaner School Buses on the Way, Thanks Environmental Defense Fund!

As part of the settlement regarding construction of the Inter-County Connector (ICC), MCPS will be required to retrofit our school buses to reduce dangerous air pollution caused by diesel fuel. According to the Washington Post, in an article written by Katherine Shaver, the Environmental Defense Fund agreed to the settlement which includes the air pollution reduction requirements, as well as adding Beltway air monitors to measure the dangerous particulate matter that we and our children breathe in daily here in Montgomery County. Yes, folks, lots of traffic is more than aggravation, it is spews out dangerous, life-threatening particulate matter into our air.


What is particulate matter? According to the EPA,

"Fine particulate matter is a health concern because very fine particles can reach the deepest regions of the lungs. Health effects include asthma, difficult or painful breathing, and chronic bronchitis, especially in children and the elderly. Fine particulate matter associated with diesel exhaust is also thought to cause lung cancer and is therefore listed as a mobile source air toxic. Fine particulate matter can travel long distances on air currents and is also a major cause of haze, which reduces visibility, affecting cities and scenic areas throughout the United States."

This dangerous particulate matter accumulates inside school buses. It is aggravated by bus idling.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund,

"Diesel pollution from the tailpipe and the engine concentrates inside the bus. Pollution enters through the door and seeps into the cabin through tiny openings when the bus is in motion. Idling exacerbates the problem: It causes a build-up of pollution that is let into the bus when the doors open. Children can receive an extra dose of pollution every time they ride, a real cause for concern, because even short-term exposure to high levels of particulate pollution can have harmful health effects."

So thank you to those who worked on the ICC issue and to the Environmental Defense Fund.

According to the Washington Post article,

“When the ICC opens beginning in stages this spring, motorists will drive past Drew Elementary School’s playing fields in Silver Spring and Magruder High School in Rockville.”

According to Todd Watkins, the MCPS transportation director, who was interviewed for the same article, ‘pollution filters on buses can have a significant impact in a large county such as Montgomery, where 1,270 school buses log a total of 100,000 miles – about four trips around the equator – each school day.’

Now that the Environmental Defense Fund has done its work, it’s your turn. Speak up at your school and ask your councilmember, when will all the school buses be retrofitted, and more importantly, when will we and our children breathe clean air? Here’s what you can do:

• Ask MCPS to require clean buses
• Help set up no-idling zones outside your school
• Be a good role model: Do not leave your car idling