Oregon Governor Signs Truck Idling Bill

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber (D) has signed a measure that restricts truck idling while also preventing local governments from implementing their own anti-idling regulations.

The new law was signed on June 16, according to the Governor’s website. Under the measure, trucks would not be allowed to idle their engines for more than five minutes in a 60-minute period.

Approved by the Oregon House on June 2 and the Senate on May 31, the legislation grandfathers current local idling laws but prohibits new ones from being passed, in an attempt to provide truckers with consistency.

The bill also authorizes the state and local police to enforce the anti-idling regulation, rather than the state’s Department of Environmental Quality.