Legislation would keep snowplows on the road

A bill introduced in Congress by U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, the Protecting Lifesaving Operations during Winter Storms Act (PLOWS Act), would exempt snowplows used by state and local government agencies from federal diesel emission regulations as other emergency vehicles are. The County Road Association of Michigan (CRA) highlighted the issue because of the frequency of emission regulation devices malfunctioning and causing snowplows to slow to a crawl, creating dangerous conditions on the roads. At its November meeting, Michigan’s State Transportation Commission (STC) adopted a resolution supporting the legislation introduced by Bergman, who represents the Upper Peninsula and a portion of northern Lower Michigan. On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Luke Bush, a Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) garage supervisor who oversees winter maintenance truck mechanics, explains the problem. In a second segment, John Peracchio, the STC member who advocated for the resolution, explains why this drew his attention.