In the United States and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, more than 11 million and 200,000 diesel vehicles respectively help build our roads and buildings and transport our goods and citizens. However, the fine particle pollution (PM 2.5) from diesel emissions shortens the lives of an estimated 21,000 people nationwide and 2 million worldwide every year. The cancer risk from diesel exhaust is 3 times higher than the total cancer risk from all other 181 air toxins tracked by the EPA combined. The asthma rate in certain schools in Massachusetts exceeds 20 percent and diesel pollution contributes greatly to lung cancer, heart disease, bronchitis, strokes, diabetes and other respiratory complications of Commonwealth residents.

In partnership with the national Diesel Clean-up Campaign, an initiative of over 500 organizations from all 50 states, the Massachusetts Diesel Coalition advocates that Massachusetts residents and officials support federal, state and local measures to significantly reduce diesel pollution in keeping with the following principles:

1. Plans should be designed to minimize risk to public health.
2. Plans should consider options to reduce diesel pollution from all sources.    
3. Plans should utilize the best pollution controls and management practices to guarantee the greatest possible reduction in diesel emissions. 
4. Plans to reduce diesel pollution should target particulate matter, as its components have serious health and global warming impacts. 
5. Plans to reduce diesel particulate matter should not significantly increase other air pollutants.
6. Plans should require that, to the maximum extent feasible, each sector contributing to diesel pollution share in the expense and effort of reducing this pollution. 
7. Plans should target reducing exposure to sensitive subpopulations.
8. Plans should ensure that adequate pollution monitors exist to create an accurate inventory and to provide on-going tracking of emissions. 
9. Plans should support engagement of all levels of government to pursue maximum diesel pollution reductions.

The Diesel Clean-up Campaign is committed to the following specific goals:  To reduce direct diesel fine particulate matter emissions 40 percent by the year 2012, 55 percent by 2015, and 70 percent by 2020. Achieving these goals would save tens of thousands of lives between now and 2030, improve health and well-being by reducing ailments such as heart and asthma attacks, and help mitigate global warming.

Coalition Members 

Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE)

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 448 AFL-CIO

American Lung Association in Massachusetts 

Asthma Regional Council

Bikes Not Bombs

Boston Climate Action Network

Boston Coalition for Justice in Bhopal

Boston Healthy Homes and School Collaborative 

Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District

Chelsea Board of Health

Chelsea Collaborative/Chelsea Green Space & Recreation Committee

Children's Hospital Boston Community Asthma Initiative

Clean Water Fund & Clean Water Action Alliance of Massachusetts (CWA)

Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)

Consulting for Health, Air, Nature & a Greener Environment (C.H.A.N.G.E.)

Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition

Environmental Defense

Environment Massachusetts

Environment Northeast (ENE)

Fairmont Fellows

Five Streets Neighborhood Association

Greater Four Corners Action Center

Greater Lawrence Family Health Center

Green Decade Cambridge

Green Medford

Groundwork Lawrence

Groundwork Somerville, Inc

Health Resources in Action

Hyde Square Task Force

Lawrence Board of Health

Lawrence Mayor’s Health Task Force

LivableStreets Alliance

Lowell Alliance

Lower Roxbury Coalition

Massachusetts Asthma Advocacy Partnership (MAAP)

Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN)

Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH - East Boston)

North End Outreach Network (NEON)

Nuestras Raíces

Pioneer Valley, AFL-CIO

Pioneer Valley Asthma Coalition (PVAC)

Pioneer Valley Community Environmental Health Coalition (PVCEHC)

Regional Environmental Council of Central MA

Republicans for Environmental Protection of MA

Self Help Inc, Avon

Somerville Climate Action

The Construction Institute (TCI)

Viet-American Initiative for Development (Viet-Aid)

Western Mass COSH

Western MA Jobs with Justice

Youth of MA Organizing for a Reformed Economy (YMORE)