Members of the Duma have been concerned of late about air pollution in big Russian cities. They put an offer on the table to substitute petroleum with environmentally clean fuel, raise taxes on old cars and forbid import of second-hand cars to reduce smog and dirty air.

According to the committee chairman, Vladimir Grachev, 60 percent of the Russian population lives in high level air pollution. Deputies of the State Duma see two main reasons for ecological crises in big cities: strong run-out of vehicles and the low quality petroleum produced in Russia.

Deputies have offered to toughen legislation governing oil refineries and to make operation of environmentally unfriendly vehicles expensive.