New York City Mayor Eric Adams is calling out the worst offenders of the city’s Citizens Air Complaint Program, which punishes commercial vehicle owners for idling too long.
In a news release, New York City officials highlighted the 10 companies that are the worst truck idling offenders in the city. The top 10 list names the company and the total number of idling summonses it has acquired since the Citizen Air Complaint Program began in 2019.
- LabQ Clinical Diagnostics LLC – 3,288 summonses
- Amazon – 2,964
- Con Edison – 2,814
- Verizon – 2,813
- Merchants Automotive Group – 2,486
- Brink’s – 1,020
- Spectrum/Charter – 1,011
- Garde CL – 598
- Loomis – 420
- FedEx – 390
“Today, we’re making two things clear: If companies do the right thing and electrify their fleets, we’ll have their backs. And if companies don’t, while they idle and continue to expose our children to asthma-causing pollution, we’ll hold them accountable,” Adams said in a statement. “New Yorkers deserve clear streets and clean air, and the Citizens Air Complaint Program is helping us deliver.”
Due to security concerns, Loomis does not shut down their armored vehicles. Consequently, Loomis has agreed to fully electrify its fleet by 2025. For the next three years, Loomis plans to purchase six electric vehicles a year. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection will review Loomis’ progress every six months. Based on that commitment, the city of New York will issue a variance for any idling summonses handed to Loomis vehicles.
Conversely, Amazon is deciding to pay its way through the Citizen Air Complaint Program citations. To date, Amazon has paid more than $1 million toward 764 outstanding idling violations. As of March, Amazon has 1,640 outstanding summonses. Those citations can cost Amazon at minimum nearly $700,000 in penalties.
Citizens Air Complaint Program
The Citizens Air Complaint Program is enforced by citizens of New York City.
Anyone witnessing an idling truck can file a complaint with the city’s Department of Environmental Protection. Those filing a complaint can upload three-minute videos of the violation occurring.
The Citizen Air Complaint Program incentivizes participation with a cash reward. If the city successfully collects on a summons, the reporting party can receive 25% of the penalty. With first-time penalties ranging from $350 to $1,000, participants can receive anywhere from $87.50 to $250. A second violation will run $440 to $1,500, and third and subsequent violations can cost anywhere from $600 to $2,000.
Since the program began enforcement in 2019, the numbers of summonses has drastically increased over the years. In 2019, the Department of Environmental Protection received 9,070 complaints, 9,569 in 2020, 12,267 in 2021 and nearly 49,000 last year. In January through March of this year, the city has collected more than 23,000 complaints. At that pace, the Citizens Air Complaint Program is on track to receive more than 90,000 complaints this year.
With few exceptions, the program targets trucks and buses in New York City. Citizens cannot file a complaint against a passenger car. Trucks are defined to include any vehicle that is designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property. Exceptions include running a refrigeration unit, ice cream trucks, and a truck actively using a lift gate to load or unload products. LL
