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San Francisco Chronicle Tuesday, April 1st, 2003
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Bay Area News Roundup Greenaction and Stop Diesel Coalition Press Conference Calls for Dumping Old Diesel Buses A group of environmentalists is stepping up its campaign to pressure San Francisco's Muni Railway to get rid of older diesel buses that cause air pollution. A spokesman for the Dump Diesel Coalition, which includes organizations such as Our Children's Earth, Greenaction, and Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates, said today a recent informal survey found that nearly 40 percent of daily diesel bus runs are made by vehicles older than the recommended 12-year limit for the "useful life'' of such vehicles. Jon Golinger also said the use of so-called reserve buses that can be even older and dirtier was also found to be common. The coalition has planned a novel public education campaign to get its point across, passing out mock Muni Fast Pass cards marked "Toxic Pass'' to warn bus riders about potential hazards in old diesel engines and to ask the passengers to contact Muni General Manager Michael Burns if they are concerned. Muni spokeswoman Maggie Burns was not immediately available to comment on the issue this morning. San Franciscan John Rizzo, who heads the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Sierra Club, said he is outraged by the survey's findings. Another local clean-air advocate, Linda Weiner of the American Lung Association of San Francisco, commented that she finds it ironic that city garbage trucks are now often cleaner than public transit buses because they run on alternative fuels.
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