Citing dangerous diesel exhaust from trucks and buses as a dire public health threat, Department of Environmental Protection has toughened regulations to curb vehicle idling and a statewide education campaign to raise New Jerseyans’ awareness that “idling stinks.” DEP Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson said, “Unnecessary idling not only wastes fuel, but it also contributes to a number of health problems including asthma and heart disease. These rules will significantly reduce the amount of harmful soot in the air we breathe.” The DEP’s newly revised idling regulations, which became effective July 2, eliminate most of the exemptions that allowed diesel vehicles to idle for longer than three minutes. The rules are expected to decrease diesel emissions by 100 tons per year. Also, diesel-vehicle drivers can no longer idle for 30 minutes at their place of business at the beginning of the day, nor can they idle for 15 minutes following a three-hour engine shutdown except in very cold temperatures. However, the new regulations provide some special exemptions for in-service emergency vehicles such as police, fire and military vehicles. Violators are subject to a penalty of $250 to $1,000 per day for each vehicle. After April 30, 2010, truck operators are prohibited from idling their vehicles overnight. New technologies such as truck-stop electrification and alternate power units provide heating, cooling and other amenities without a running engine.