EPA v. AUTUMN TRANSPORTATION

Case summary

On March 29, 2023, EPA and Autumn Transportation Inc. (Autumn Transportation) settled a Clean Air Act (CAA) enforcement action for alleged violations of a federally enforceable anti-idling regulation. Autumn Transportation is a school bus transportation company that owns and operates fleets of school buses in Connecticut. A state anti-idling regulation that is part of the Connecticut state implementation plan (SIP) prohibits motor vehicles for idling unnecessarily for longer than three minutes. Autumn Transportation violated this regulation by excessively idling school buses at one of the company's bus yards in Hartford. Under the settlement agreement, Autumn Transportation will adopt various measures to improve anti-idling compliance, including the tracking of school bus idling time by individual school bus drivers via a telematics system (which includes the use of bus tracking devices that collect GPS data); providing notification and training to all of Respondent's employees and contractors who operate Respondent's school buses; and walk-throughs every other week at Autumn Transportation's bus yards by company management to prevent idling while buses are parked there. Autumn Transportation will also pay a penalty of $24,225. Exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions like asthma and respiratory illnesses and can worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly. The Hartford facility is located within an area of environmental justice concern. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is supportive of EPA's action.

Defendants (1)

• Autumn Transportation Inc.Named in complaintNamed in settlement

Facilities (1)

• AUTUMN TRANSPORTATION INC.

  2909 MAIN STREET, HARTFORD, CT, 06120

  Registry ID: 110071251424

Statutes cited

• CAA 110 — Implementation Plan for National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards

Enforcement conclusions (1)

• AUTUMN TRANSPORTATIONentered 2023-03-29

  Primary law: CAA

  Federal penalty: $24,225

Timeline (3 milestones)

• 2023-03-29Complaint Filed/Proposed Order
• 2023-03-29Final Order Issued
• 2023-04-07Enforcement Action Data Entered