Clean air, along with food, shelter and potable water, is a basic right. But as anyone who lives in a city can tell you, it's not a right that is distributed evenly. Black clouds of exhaust and fumes aren't just unpleasant, they're also unhealthy. A proposal from a state environmental group looks to put limits on diesel fuel, a key source of polluting emissions.
The bill, as described by the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, would call for retrofitting buses and construction equipment with emission-control devices. It would require cleaner-burning fuels for equipment used in state-funded construction projects, and would require new equipment on public school buses. Some of the points are problematic because its unclear where the money would come from, but the proposal is sound.
The benefits from cutting diesel fuel are clear. People who breathe polluted air have more health problems, including asthma, chronic bronchitis and cardiovascular disease. The best treatment is often prevention, and a reduction in harmful emissions would be an important step on that path.
And there's action being taken locally. A group of city, state and federal officials today will announce that buses for the Bridgeport public schools will be retrofitted to reduce exhaust. In Seymour, concern about a truck-driving school moving into a residential area has been about more than just aesthetics — people who live there are worried about breathing in all those emissions, and have taken their argument to the town's land-use boards.
With fumes from trucks, construction equipment, power plants and elsewhere, all in a confined space, city residents are at increased risk of breathing in harmful particles. The reworked buses are a step toward changing that. Passing the diesel cleanup bill would be even more important.
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