New fleet of hybrid buses-Vehicles help cut airport pollution

The first of a new fleet of pollution-resistant hybrid electric-diesel buses will soon help clear the air at JFK and LaGuardia airports according to the Port Authority.
The newly-designed buses will replace 15% of JFK’s 48-vehicle shuttle-bus fleet, as well as all seven shuttle buses that service LaGuardia airport. An additional 15 new “clean” diesel buses have also been ordered for JFK.
Constantly in service, the buses transport travelers and airport employees between long-term parking lots, passenger terminals, and cargo areas.
Manufacturing and final assembly of the new buses will take place in Oriskany, New York, making their delivery and subsequent vehicle maintenance beginning early next year an easier target.
The new bus acquisitions bring into sharper focus for Queens residents, Gov. Pataki’s environmental rulings back in 1999 which ordered sharp reductions of industrial pollutants. New York State environmental regulations became more stringent than federal law.
According to a National Resources Defense Council study at that time, the City’s top three industrial polluters — two Con Edison installations and a State Power Authority plant — are located in the northwestern Queens neighborhoods of Astoria and Long Island City. Significantly, two other prominent violators were JFK, which ranked fourth, and LaGuardia, which rated sixth.
The study also revealed that less than a decade ago, an average of 1,000 pounds of pollutants per hour were dumped into Queens’ atmosphere by the two airports.
Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia said the cleaner mode of transport will result in reduced emissions in both Queens airports. “By taking an environmentally sound approach to our business practices today,” he declared, “we will help ensure a safer, cleaner future.”