by Greg Walcher, E&E Legal Senior Policy Fellow
As appearing in the Daily Sentinel

An ancient expression says “the idle mind is the devil’s playground.” When it comes to air pollution, it could be said about the idle car. Idling engines pollute the air.

A British consulting company, Cambustion, studied the use of gasoline by idling vehicles, with startling conclusions. Cars use more fuel, and emit more pollutants, idling for 10 seconds than turning off and restarting the engine. Numerous other studies have confirmed that.

In response, British constables now issue hefty fines to drivers idling more than five minutes. Some U.S. states are following suit, Massachusetts threatening $25,000 fines for five-minute idling. A Canadian study (converting the original metric numbers) found that for every gallon of gasoline used, a vehicle produces 20 pounds of carbon dioxide.

The Environmental Protection Agency agrees that 10 seconds of idling “uses more fuel and produces more emissions that contribute to smog and climate change than stopping and restarting your engine.” It estimates that idling vehicles in the U.S. waste six billion gallons of fuel annually, and that America’s 250 million personal vehicles generate 30 million tons of CO2 a year while idling.

Unquestionably, traffic jams and congestion cause major emissions. It is all wasted, because idling produces no movement, and slows economic activity.

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