New York Gov. David Paterson’s proposal last month to divert truck traffic throughout the state to significantly longer routes will waste fuel, add to the cost of consumer goods and increase carbon dioxide emissions, the New York State Motor Truck Association says.
NYSMTA Acting President Kendra Adams says the association “has serious concerns regarding the impact this regulation would have on the New York economy. If enacted, the regulation would force trucks to drive more miles to reach their destinations. This will result in increased fuel consumption at a time when trucking companies are doing everything they can to conserve fuel for both budgetary and environmental reasons.”
The New York group provided the example of a truck delivering materials from Syracuse to Corning Glass in Corning. Today, that truck travels 200 miles to make one round trip. If enacted, the draft regulation would require the same truck to travel 292 miles. Assuming one truck can make two round trips a day, five days per week, the increased mileage would result in an additional cost of $127,254 per year.
In addition, when diesel fuel burns, it releases 22.2 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, NYSMTA says. In a single Syracuse-to-Corning round trip, the 92 extra miles would burn another 18.4 gallons of fuel and release 408 more pounds of carbon dioxide.
