National City Council May Restrict Diesel Truck Use Near Schools

By Ed Joyce / Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published April 17, 2007 at 12:26 PM PDT

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

The City Council of National City votes on an ordinance Tuesday night that would restrict the operation of diesel trucks. Residents want to keep the exhaust away from schools and homes. KPBS reporter

The City Council of National City votes on an ordinance Tuesday night that would restrict the operation of diesel trucks. Residents want to keep the exhaust away from schools and homes. KPBS reporter Ed Joyce has more.

A truck driving school in National City uses streets near an elementary school for training. Parents complained about the diesel exhaust. The city council votes on an ordinance tonight that would keep diesel trucks from idling or doing practice maneuvers within 100 feet of a school or residence. Tony LoPresti is with the Environmental Health Coalition.

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LoPresti : These trucks that they were using to do, at the truck driving school, releases diesel exhaust, and diesel exhaust is a known contaminant that contains carcinogens, it's strongly linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses. The people that live in the homes as well as the children and the teachers at the school are exhibiting extremely high levels of respiratory illness.

If adopted by the city council the ordinance would become law in 30 days.

Ed Joyce, KPBS News.

Ed Joyce

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Ed Joyce was the environment reporter and afternoon news anchor for KPBS-FM. Before joining KPBS, he worked as an editor/columnist with Copley News Service in San Diego. Ed has an extensive background in newspaper, radio, web and TV journalism. After graduating with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington in Seattle, Ed began a career in broadcast journalism. His work has included stints in public broadcasting, commercial broadcasting and education -- working as an affiliate professor of communication and reporter at the University of Idaho and Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. During the past 20 years he has worked in radio, TV and print as a news reporter, anchor, writer, editor and producer. Along the way he has won numerous awards for general news reporting, newswriting, feature and issue reporting and breaking news reporting from The Associated Press, The Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Press Club and other organizations. During the mid-1990s, while working for Oregon Public Broadcasting, he was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, including a feature report on the memorial service for 14 U.S. Forest Service "hotshots" who died fighting a wildfire in Colorado (the crew was based in a central Oregon town). He’s also filed reports with Marketplace, KQED’s California Report and Climate Watch and with national and regional networks throughout the United States. At KPBS, Ed continues his contributions to National Public Radio and other national and regional news organizations. He has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and San Diego Press Club for his environmental reporting at KPBS-FM-TV and for producing and anchoring radio newscasts. In 2007 he was selected a National Press Foundation fellow for Understanding Violent Weather II program. The seminars were held at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. In 2008 he spoke at a UC San Diego conference on U.S. National Security as part of the school’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Ed led a discussion with the 18 foreign government officials and academics about the political debate over climate change. In 2010, Ed was elected to a three-year term on the board of the San Diego Press Club.

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