Nov 16, 2007 6:34 pm US/Eastern
State, NYC Crack Down On East Harlem Air Pollution
EAST HARLEM (CBS) ―
If you're ever been behind a big truck spewing filthy exhaust, or you see an apartment building polluting the sky with black smoke, you may wonder why no one has ever tried to stop this. Friday, two agencies say they will do so, for the sake of peoples' health.
A new "stop smoking" initiative has been launched, not over cigarettes, but over trucks.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced Friday that the Department, along with the cooperation of the City of New York, has been carrying out a major crackdown action to improve the air quality in urban neighborhoods that suffer from pollution.
"Of the thousands of trucks that go thru this community, 25 percent may be in violation of air pollution laws the city and state have on the books," said Grannis.
In accordance with this new initiative, randomly selected trucks of all sizes have been pulled over in East Harlem, being checked for their exhaust emissions.
"Get at trucks that are smoking and idling, as well as boilers not in compliance with regulations," said New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Emily Lloyd.
Over the past two weeks, of the 300 or more trucks that have been stopped, more than 100 were found to be in violation.
The reason for the concern, officials say, is not that the exhaust is unsightly, but unhealthy.
According to officials, the hospitalization rate for asthma in East Harlem is four to five higher than the national average. So, environmentalists applaud the crackdown.
"The particulate in diesel soot, a carcinogen, they exacerbate asthma. They are fueling the asthma epidemic in our city," said Peggy Shepard of West Harlem Environmental Action.
City officials said city buses that employ clean air technology have made the fleet 97 percent cleaner than ten years ago. If you spot a polluting truck, it's virtually impossible for police to respond and summons it.
But officials say if you see a truck that persistently idles more than three minutes, or a building that persistently belches smoke, call 311 and report it.
Authorities hope the $750 fine for a first offense and $1,300 for the second, will induce fleet operators to clean up their dirty trucks.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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