Musings: New distribution hub needs quiet, green vans

I have fond memories of being a Long Island teenager hanging out at the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa. When I heard it will be replaced by an Amazon warehouse, I felt sad — but also concerned about the consequences for our community. Without strong policy support to require the use of cleaner, quieter trucks, Amazon's arrival in Massapequa will bring dangerous levels of noise and air pollution to Long Island.

Suffolk County, where I live, already receives failing grades from the American Lung Association for ozone pollution, which is known to cause asthma attacks and increase the risk of chronic lung disease. According to the Clean Air Task Force, diesel pollution in Suffolk County alone is responsible for more than 40 premature deaths and $470 million in health costs every year.

That's where electric trucks come in. Running on batteries instead of diesel means delivering packages without delivering smog and a lot of noise. Eliminating one of the main causes of outdoor air pollution gives us fewer "code red" air quality days and more time outside in the summer with our kids.

Electric trucks aren't just better for community members — they're good for business, too. According to analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation, electric delivery vans save so much money on fuel and maintenance that they pay for themselves after just three to five years on the road. That's why Amazon has already committed to deploying 100,000 electric delivery vans across the country by 2030.

Residents can't rely on Amazon's word alone that they'll allocate enough electric vans to this new facility. The state has plenty of options on the table to support cleaner trucks, ranging from existing incentive systems like the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program to proposed legislation like the Clean Deliveries Act, which would require fulfillment centers to take common-sense, incremental steps to reduce tailpipe pollution.

I love Long Island. I have a baby on the way, and I'm looking forward to raising my family here. But I want to live in a community where I don't have to worry about whether the trucks idling across the street from the playground will have consequences for my kid's health. We already have the technology to make diesel pollution in neighborhoods a nonissue. Now all we need is the political will to make that vision a reality.

Jessica Enzmann, Bay Shore