GAS MASKS FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL WARDROBES?

By Lauren Barth

One of Governor Perry’s few vetoes of the last legislative session was of a bill that would have prohibited diesel-fueled school buses from idling unnecessarily outside schools and school events. The bill had enjoyed support from school boards, the Texas Federation of Teachers, the Texas PTA, and other groups; and had met no opposition, so his decision puzzled many, especially the bill’s author, Scott Hochberg (D) (Houston), who received no advance notice of Perry’s intentions.

Idling school buses endanger children. Diesel emissions from the buses contain high levels of fine particulate matter, which lodges itself in the lungs where it can contribute to asthma, bronchitis, premature death, and possibly cancer. Children are particularly vulnerable to these particles because their lungs are still developing and because they breathe more quickly than adults, taking in more ambient chemicals.

Betin Santos, an air quality specialist with Environmental Defense, said that asthma is the number one childhood disease, accounting for the most hospital admissions and days lost from school.

Although Perry vetoed the no-idling bill, he allowed an appropriation bill rider that directs the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to spend for $3.75 million for the next two years on school buses upgrades to reduce emissions.

In the Houston region, about 25 percent of the school districts that have initiated their own no-idling policies. Cypress-Fairbanks, Friendswood, Fort Bend, Galena Park, Houston, Katy, Klein, Sweeny, and Willis school districts all reported to Galveston Houston Association for Smog Prevention that they have taken some action to limit school bus idling.

Representative Hochberg intends to reintroduce the no-idling bill if reelected, but parents and schools can take action now. Parents should learn their school district’s policy, talk to drivers, and report violations of the policy. Schools can continue with awareness campaigns, offer bus drivers climate controlled waiting areas, and enforce idling policies.

For more information, visit GHASP’s website; the EPA’s website; and Environmental Defense’s website.