ISSUE:
New York State leads the nation in the damaging health effects of diesel pollution.
Transportation planning is the backbone of smart growth and economic development. Unwise transportation policies promote irresponsible sprawl and traffic congestion. They also promote dangerous air pollution, and New York State leads the nation in the damaging health effects of diesel pollution. Most of this diesel pollution comes from engines in a few key fleets, such as transit and school buses, sanitation trucks, and construction equipment.

New York needs a forward-thinking transportation policy that promotes clean fleets, encourages mass transit, and advances transportation-led smart growth that gives communities transportation options and reduces traffic congestion.

NYS ACTIONS:

While the transit sector in and around New York City has retrofitted many of its diesel engines or switched to alternative technologies, the transit agencies in upstate New York and other key sectors are lagging behind. Last year, a federal transportation law was passed that directs states to give priority status to funding diesel retrofit projects through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program. Through this program, New York has a prime opportunity to address this problem and become a national leader in diesel retrofits.

Support for mass transit in the downstate region is critical to the region's health. An important element of this is ensuring the financial solvency of the MTA. Congestion pricing is one strategy to achieve this objective. A necessary precondition for congestion pricing is high-speed EZ Pass. Improved transportation planning at the NY Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) is also critical.