D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine has filed a lawsuit against Greyhound for idling its buses at Union Station for longer than the legal limit, polluting the air and endangering the health of commuters and workers.
“Air pollution harms the health of thousands of people who live in, work in, and visit the District of Columbia — especially children, the elderly, and communities of color,” Mr. Racine said in a press release. “We’re working with DOEE to crack down on companies that violate the District’s environmental laws — like Greyhound — and to protect vulnerable residents who are most at risk to the harms of pollution.”
The Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Energy and the Environment (DOEE) in 2018 opened an investigation into idling buses at Union Station and found that 50 Greyhound buses had their engines running for more than the legal limit of three minutes, many over 20 minutes.
The attorney general’s office is seeking $216,000 in penalties.
The lawsuit alleges that even after DOEE sent Greyhound 50 notices of its violations, it did not comply with the anti-idling laws.
“We take the air quality of our city very seriously,” DOEE Director Tommy Wells said in the press release. “Respiratory issues disproportionately affect children, seniors and low-income residents. That’s why Mayor Muriel Bowser has made it a priority to enforce our anti-idling laws in the District.”
• Sophie Kaplan can be reached at skaplan@washingtontimes.com.
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