Officials in Ann Arbor, MI, have asked the city’s staff to develop an ordinance that would limit idling by diesel engines in the city.

The request came in the form of a resolution proposed by council members Margie Teall and Marcia Higgins and passed unanimously by the City Council July 6. Ann Arbor sits along Interstate 94 just west of Detroit.

Teall said she was not sure yet what the limits on idling would be, referring questions to Ann Arbor environmental officials, who were not available for comment. However, the resolution pointed to existing idling restrictions in a number of cities and states – including California, New York, New Jersey, St. Louis, Philadelphia and others – as examples.

The ordinance would also have some exemptions to the restrictions, though Teall said those were yet to be decided on.

“There will be some exceptions, I believe, that we talked about,” she said, “refrigerated trucks and things like that.”

For now, the city’s staff will begin work on developing the specifics of a proposed ordinance. Some work was done on a proposal last fall, but much remains to be nailed down.

“The city administrator will direct staff to develop the ordinance,” Teall said. “We have an environmental coordinator who will be working on it with other people.”

No date has been set for a vote on a final ordinance.

- by Mark H. Reddig, associate editor

Mark Reddig can be reached at mark_reddig@landlinemag.com.