The Colorado General Assembly has approved a bill for the governor’s consideration, aiming to amend regulations on vehicle idling. Currently, state law imposes a standard limiting vehicle idling to five minutes within any 60-minute period, with exceptions. Moreover, local governments are barred from enacting stricter idling regulations than the state standard.
In a 22-12 vote, the Senate passed a bill allowing local governments to establish idling resolutions or ordinances matching or surpassing the state standard. The House previously endorsed the bill with a 45-18 vote.
Proponents argue that the legislation provides local authorities with additional tools to address idling issues tailored to their communities’ needs, specifically targeting vehicles weighing at least 14,000 pounds. Senator Lisa Cutter emphasized the bill’s importance in addressing environmental inequality, citing its alignment with measures taken in regions combating ground-level ozone pollution.
However, Senator Byron Pelton expressed reservations regarding the bill’s emphasis on local control.
“If you are going to talk about local control, it needs to be local control at the local level all the way down. Not just what the state tells you,” Pelton said.
Senator Perry Will raised concerns about potential challenges for truck drivers under the proposed idling revisions.
“There are places in Colorado you turn the truck off and take your sleep, it’s not going to start in the morning,” Will said. “This bill just doesn’t work for commercial truckers.”
The bill now awaits Governor Jared Polis’s decision, who may choose to sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.
Source: Commercial Carrier Journal
