Boston- Last night Rep. Coakley-Rivera (D- Springfield)
offered an amendment to the Environmental Bond bill that would have required
some of the oldest and dirtiest diesel powered vehicles to clean up.
Unfortunately the amendment was pulled under of pressure from house
leadership.
Particulate matter from diesel pollution is a major public
heath threat in many communities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Suffolk County has one of the highest levels of this pollution in the
country. Every year diesel pollution is estimated to cause 450
premature deaths, 700 non-fatal heart attacks, 9,900 asthma attacks
and 60,000 lost work days.
"Everyone who breathes the air in Massachusetts should
be profoundly disappointed that this amendment did not pass" said Winston
Vaughan, Field Organizer for Environment MAssachusetts, a environmental
advocacy organization. "Spending money to clean up these old diesel
smokers not only improves our quality of life, but it saves us money on
healthcare by preventing disease in the first place."
Advocates from the Massachusetts Diesel Pollution Solution
Coalition, a coalition of environmental, justice and community organizations
around the state expressed profound disappointment in the failure of
the bill but pledged to continue to push for this critical clean air protection
in the next session.
"Citizens in New York, New Jersey and California
are already protected from this harmful pollution, our communities here in
Massachusetts deserve no less." Concluded Vaughan.
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Environment Massachusetts is a statewide, citizen based
environmental advocacy organization with 25,000 members across Massachusetts.
