Columbia University Facilities and Operations hosted the 2023 Clean Air Northeastern Partners Meeting at Columbia’s Lenfest Center for the Arts from October 17-18, bringing together representatives from the construction, transit, municipal, freight, and ports sectors to discuss reducing diesel emissions.
The two-day event featured panel discussions with government agencies including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Energy, NYC Department of Transportation, as well as community leaders and non-profit representatives on topics including equitable transportation, reducing transportation emissions, emerging technologies, and community engagement. Hany Ayoub, deputy vice president of Columbia’s Manhattanville Development Group, provided welcoming remarks for the two-day conference.
Clean Air Northeast is a regionally coordinated initiative led by the U.S. EPA as part of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act aimed to reduce diesel emissions, improve public health, and promote clean diesel technology. The initiative brings together the collective resources and expertise of several state environmental agencies, EPA regional offices, and private sector companies to address the existing fleet of diesel-powered vehicles and equipment in the municipal, transit, ports/authorities, construction, and freight sectors.
