Our lawsuit seeks to stop this dangerous practice, protect residents’ right to clean air, and make Academy Express pay a penalty for the damage they’ve caused. Photo: Shutterstock
January 12, 2026 (Boston, MA) – Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) delivered opening arguments January 12 in federal court in its case against Academy Express to stop the bus company from unlawfully idling and spewing toxic tailpipe pollution into surrounding communities.
“Academy’s idling in these locations is a dangerous practice as buses emit pollutants that are harmful to human health and the environment,” Heather Govern, Vice President for Clean Air and Water at CLF, told Judge William G. Young during her opening statement. “And aside from the health impacts, no one likes to breathe the exhaust coming out of tailpipes.”
Documentation shows that Academy Express vehicles idled beyond the five-minute legal limit and in violation of the Clean Air Act repeatedly over the past 11 years, sending toxic tailpipe pollution into nearby parks, schools, and homes. Vehicle pollution has been linked to asthma, cancer, heart disease, and thousands of deaths annually in the Northeast. Children are particularly vulnerable. Our lawsuit seeks to stop this dangerous practice, protect residents’ right to clean air, and make Academy Express pay a penalty for the damage they’ve caused.
Academy Express operates long-distance and shuttle bus service throughout New England, with stops in Boston, Newton, and Cambridge. CLF has been fighting since 2020 to stop Academy Express’ illegal idling.
CLF has pursued this case for five years through major setbacks. After initially being told CLF’s members didn’t have grounds to bring this lawsuit, CLF won a 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that agreed pollution harms any person who is nearby, which gives a plaintiff the right to enforce air pollution laws. This decision set a strong precedent for future efforts to shut down illegal air pollution. In July, a judge allowed CLF’s case to move forward after denying Academy’s attempt to throw out the lawsuit.
The trial in Conservation Law Foundation v. Academy Express is expected to last two to three weeks.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
###