The settlement also requires Academy Express to conduct additional driver trainings and add emission reduction technologies to the buses to help prevent future illegal idling. Photo: Shutterstock
May 11, 2026 (Boston, MA) – After more than six years of litigation, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) has settled its case against Academy Express to stop the bus company from unlawfully idling and spewing toxic tailpipe pollution into Greater Boston communities. Following a six-day trial in January in federal court in Boston, Judge William G. Young ruled in favor of CLF. He found that Academy engaged in a “pattern and practice” of illegal idling over many years and allowed CLF and Academy to attempt to reach a settlement before issuing a written opinion. If the federal court, as expected, approves the agreement, Academy will pay a $5.6 million penalty — the largest settlement payment in a Clean Air Act citizen enforcement suit in Massachusetts history, and the second largest nationally.
“This multimillion-dollar settlement is a significant win for clean air and the communities that have been forced to live with Academy’s pollution,” said Heather Govern, vice president for clean air and water at CLF. “The federal court’s rulings and the subsequent settlement demonstrate that Academy and others will face significant consequences if they ignore the laws aimed at protecting our health and the environment.”
The settlement requires Academy Express to pay $3 million to the Allston Brighton Health Collaborative and Boston Food Forest Coalition to implement air quality improvement projects. The settlement also requires Academy Express to conduct additional driver trainings and add emission reduction technologies to the buses to help prevent future illegal idling.
Tailpipe pollution can cause lung damage, worsen respiratory conditions like asthma and bronchitis, and has been linked to heart disease, cancer, and premature death. Children are particularly vulnerable to this toxic pollution. Vehicle emissions are linked to thousands of deaths in the Northeast every year.
Academy Express operates long-distance and shuttle bus service throughout New England, with stops in Boston, Newton, and Cambridge, and bus lots in Braintree, Massachusetts, and Bridgeport, Connecticut. CLF sued the company in 2020, documenting more than 140 instances of Academy vehicles idling over the legal limit in populated residential areas, including near schools and parks. Prior to trial, the court required Academy to produce records that revealed thousands of instances of illegal idling.
CLF has pursued this case for more than six years. After initially being told CLF’s members didn’t have grounds to sue, CLF won a landmark decision at the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in February 2025. The decision made clear that people are harmed by breathing polluted air and set strong precedent for community members near an air pollution source to enforce the Clean Air Act and stop illegal air pollution. In July 2025, the district court judge allowed CLF’s case to move forward to trial. It was also the first Clean Air Act lawsuit that went to trial and the plaintiffs won without requiring experts.
The lawsuit was part of CLF’s anti-idling campaign. Since 2019, CLF has filed nine cases against transportation companies across New England that pollute the air we breathe in violation of anti-idling laws. Seven of those cases resulted in payments to community environmental organizations totaling $5.7 million and an additional $5 million to electric vehicle transition.
The settlement can be read here.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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