Bus idling standards to be set

Schoolchildren could breathe cleaner air under a bill that passed the House Friday.

HB146, sonsored by Rep. Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake, was substituted to require the state school board, with the Air Quality board and local school districts, to come up with idling reduction standards and start a program to retrofit buses to burn cleaner.

Reducing engine idling could save $100,000 a year in fuel costs, Johnson said, and cut back on health risks associated with pollution.

The House has prioritized $100,000 for the bill.