Vehicle idling wastes fuel and emits toxic air pollutants that can harm cardiovascular and respiratory health, and even cause cancer and premature death. Children, the elderly and those with asthma and other chronic health problems are particularly vulnerable to the health dangers of exhaust.

In the Houston region, and in the Ship Channel Communities in particular, engine idling by freight trucks serving the busy Port of Houston and diesel-run school buses cause a lot of unnecessary pollution.

To address this pollution source, Air Alliance Houston led several campaigns over the past few years to build support for anti-idling ordinances in the cities of Houston, Galena Park and Jacinto City, as idling restrictions have proven simple and effective measures to improve urban air quality.

As a result of persistent campaigning efforts, all three cities passed anti-idling ordinances between 2014 and 2017. The ordinances apply to most heavy-duty diesel vehicles, including school buses. These vehicles cannot idle their engines for more than five minutes at a time.

We also teamed up with the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and the City of Houston to spread the word about Houston’s vehicle idling policy by placing  “Engine Off” bumper stickers on HISD’s fleet of school buses to help remind our bus drivers and others about the law.