PITTSBURGH – The City of Pittsburgh’s city council passed a bill that mandates adding emissions-reduction technologies to its diesel-powered vehicles, according to City documents.

The bill directs the City’s Equipment and Leasing Authority to create a “10 Year Diesel Policy” and the adoption of the “best available” retrofit technology for the City’s diesel vehicles. It mandates that by 2022, the City will not operate any diesel vehicle unless that vehicle has installed the best available retrofit technology. It also mandates that the City not purchase any vehicles that don’t meet the standards of having the “best available retrofit technology” equipped.

The main reason for implementing the 10 Year Clean Diesel Policy, according to the text of the bills, is to reduce air pollution in the City on account of the fact that Pittsburgh ranks “among the worst cities in the nation for short-term particulate matter and ozone pollution, and year-round particulate pollution.”

Another bill passed that directs the City to reimburse contractors working on City construction projects for retrofitting their vehicles with diesel-emissions reduction retrofit technology.

By Greg Basich