The House Committee on Energy and Commerce announced on May 27 a hearing to examine legislation aimed at modernizing the Clean Air Act’s mobile source requirements. The hearing, titled “Rules of the Road: Examining Legislation to Modernize the Clean Air Act’s Mobile Source Requirements,” is scheduled for June 3 at 2:00 PM ET in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Chairman Brett Guthrie and Subcommittee Chairman Gary Palmer said, “The Clean Air Act regulates not just the cars we drive but also the trucks and trains that transport and deliver food, consumer products, and even the energy needed for our daily lives. Actions by the Biden-Harris Administration and states like California have taken away consumer choices and driven up costs to advance a radical environmental agenda instead of focusing on responsible environmental policies that complement lower costs and innovation. This hearing will provide the opportunity to examine how burdensome regulations that have led to higher costs and unnecessary red tape can be addressed while continuing to protect the air we breathe.”
Fred Ferguson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Bus Association (ABA), testified before the subcommittee regarding challenges faced by interstate motorcoach operators due to varying local anti-idling enforcement regimes. Ferguson said, “Today’s hearing appropriately examines how Congress can modernize mobile-source provisions under the Clean Air Act while balancing environmental goals with operational realities, technological feasibility, interstate commerce, and public safety obligations. That conversation is urgently needed because interstate motorcoach operators across the country are increasingly being targeted by an expanding patchwork of local anti-idling enforcement regimes, aggressive fine structures, bounty-style citizen complaint programs, and litigation tied to local idling restrictions.” He added that these measures have evolved into broader operational threats for passenger transportation.
Ferguson highlighted that New York City serves as a primary example where private motorcoach operators face escalating fines linked to routine operational activities necessary for passenger safety and accessibility. He described similar trends emerging in other jurisdictions such as Washington D.C., Massachusetts, and additional municipalities considering comparable frameworks. Ferguson explained that “the bipartisan Bus Idling Act represents a practical and balanced example of the effort to modernize Clean Air Act mobile-source provisions,” emphasizing it does not eliminate anti-idling laws or weaken national air quality goals but aims to establish reasonable federal guardrails for operational idling periods.
The proposed legislation would prevent states or localities from enforcing engine idling restrictions on over-the-road buses for periods under fifteen minutes—a threshold consistent with Environmental Protection Agency guidance—and prohibit bounty-style enforcement mechanisms tied to bus idling violations. Ferguson said this would create consistency while preserving existing environmental frameworks established under federal law.
Concluding his testimony, Ferguson said, “The Bus Idling Act is a measured, bipartisan solution that recognizes operational realities without compromising the nation’s environmental objectives. It protects passengers. It supports interstate commerce. It promotes regulatory consistency. It preserves one of the nation’s cleanest and most efficient forms of mass transportation. And it ensures that environmental policy remains practical, balanced, and compatible with federal transportation safety requirements.”
