Green Group to Attend Mayoral Signing of Laws to Cut Pollution in School Zones

New Laws Reduce Time Vehicles Can Idle in School Zones, Increase Enforcement Authority

WHO: Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Isabelle Bodmer Silverman, Attorney, Environmental Defense Fund/Author, new report, "Idling Gets You Nowhere" (Attending ceremony, but not speaking)

WHAT: Mayor Bloomberg will sign a new law sponsored by Councilmember John C. Liu that will cut the amount of time drivers can idle their engines while parked in school zones from three minutes to one minute and another new law sponsored by Councilmember David Yassky that will authorize the Departments of Sanitation and Parks & Recreation to issue summonses for breaking anti-idling laws, powers currently held only by the New York City Police Department and the Department of Environmental Protection.

  WHEN: Tuesday, February 10, 1:00 pm

  WHERE: City Hall

WHY: The city has restricted idling since 1971, but rarely enforced the laws, despite the fact that idling cars, trucks and buses substantially contribute to high rates of respiratory diseases and illnesses throughout New York City.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has completed a new study, "Idling Gets You Nowhere," that it will release on Tuesday about the extent and the harmful effects of unnecessary curbside vehicle idling in New York City and concluded that reducing idling would improve the air quality citywide. According to EDF's report, idling wastes on average 30,000 gallons of gasoline and 20,000 gallons of diesel each weekday in the city and unnecessary idling costs the city's drivers more than $28 million dollars annually based on fuel prices of $2.00 a gallon for gasoline and $2.50 a gallon for diesel. The report author, Isabelle Bodmer Silverman, will attend the bill signing -- although she is not speaking at it -- but is available to speak with reporters (917-445-6385-c isilverman@edf.org).

/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- Feb. 9/