SAN FRANCISCO -- The controversy over possible carcinogenic effects of diesel exhaust took a new twist on February 13 when environmentalists filed a 60-day "Proposition 65" notice against a dozen school bus manufacturers, dealer/distributors and contractors operating in California. It was the second action against school transporters by environmentalists in less than a week.

California school transporters have begun to fight back against charges by environmentalists that riding in a school bus increases the likelihood of developing lung cancer.

By Larry Laxson

It seems every day brings some new scare, hyped supposedly in the public interest. Frightening parents about the safety of their children is the most popular tactic nowadays to advance agendas that can't pass muster on their own merits.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- School districts in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino would be limited to purchasing new CNG buses unless they prove that the cost of CNG over diesel would negatively impact their budget, under a proposed rule by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The ruling flies in the face of CARB's decision to allow $12.5 million of Gov. Gray Davis' $50-million budget for the purchase of OEM low-sulfur "green" diesel school bus engines, and another $12.5 million to retrofit old buses with low-emission diesel technology. CARB allotted the remaining $25 million to the purchase of new natural gas buses.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gray Davis approved a $50 million allocation plan to help solve the possible hazard that school bus emissions pose to children's health. Diesel buses have been targeted as part of the problem, but the efforts of at least one engine manufacturer have turned a problem into a solution.