In the News

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Air Quality in conjunction with the West Virginia Department of Education, began offering Idle Free Zone signs to West Virginia schools at no cost to promote a West Virginia State Board of Education policy requiring the minimization of idling school bus engines. Thanks to a tremendous response, this project has been successful in placing signs in 53 of our 55 counties.  The policy applies to all vehicles on school property, including delivery and maintenance vehicles, as well as personal vehicles.

In an effort to get the word out not only to school personnel, but parents as well to turn off their engines, we are enlisting the help of Kanawha County students between the ages of 5 and 18 years old. We are asking entrants to create original artwork depicting a predefined air quality topic to be used in the 2009-2010 Idle Free Zone School Year Calendar. Thirteen drawings – one for the cover and one for each month – will be chosen to be in a school year calendar that will be distributed to participating schools and handed out at various outreach functions.

For contest rules and entry forms please click here.

Press Coverage in the Huntington News.

The nation’s busiest port complex, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, inaugurated the Clean Truck Program last month. The program, built by environmentalists, drivers, shippers, community leaders and the ports during two years of contentious debates and legal challenges, put an immediate ban on 2,000 of the region’s most polluting trucks in the hope of decreasing emissions of harmful pollutants that cause premature deaths, asthma, and lung and throat cancer.

The Program is a key component of the Clean Air Action Plan designed to slash overall emissions at the ports by 45% by 2012. Under the program’s first phase, trucks built before 1989 were banned. When fully implemented in 2012, only trucks meeting 2007 emissions standards will be allowed to enter the ports.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, whose district includes the Port of Los Angeles, stated, “No longer do we have to decide whether we can have good jobs or good health. Today, we can have both.”

To learn more about the program, click here.

The United Parcel Service (UPS) announced its first purchases of hydraulic hybrid vehicles (HHV), which promises dramatic fuel savings and environmental benefits. UPS was the only company in its industry asked to road-test the technology two years ago and now becomes the first delivery company to place an order for HHVs. This effort is part of a public-private partnership to increase the commercial availability and use of alternative fuel vehicles

The technology, originally developed in a federal laboratory of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), stores energy by compressing hydraulic fluid under pressure in a large chamber. A high-efficiency diesel engine is combined with a unique hydraulic propulsion system, replacing the conventional drivetrain and transmission. The vehicle uses hydraulic pumps and hydraulic storage tanks to capture and store energy, similar to what is done with electric motors and batteries in a hybrid electric vehicle. In this case, the diesel engine is used to periodically recharge pressure in the hydraulic propulsion system. Fuel economy is increased in three ways: vehicle braking energy is recovered that normally is wasted; the engine is operated more efficiently, and the engine can be shut off when stopped or decelerating.

UPS’s current “green fleet” totals more than 1,600 low-carbon vehicles, including all-electric, hybrid electric, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and propane-powered trucks. In addition to the hydraulic hybrid, UPS has road-tested hydrogen fuel cell delivery trucks. UPS began deploying alternative fuel vehicles in the 1930’s with a fleet of electric trucks in New York City.

To learn more, click here.

Drafts of two rulemakings designed to cut emissions from in-use heavy-duty diesel (HDD) trucks were released for public comment. Beginning in 2010, the proposal would require truck owners to install diesel exhaust filters on their vehicles, with almost all trucks upgraded by 2014. Engines older than the 2010 equivalent would be required to be turned over on a staggered schedule between 2012 and 2022. In addition, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase fuel economy, long-haul truckers would be required to install fuel-efficient tires and aerodynamic devices on their trailers. To help truck owners with compliance costs, California is making over $1 billion in funding opportunities available.
To learn more about these draft rulemakings or comment, click here and here.

Did you know that idling a vehicle for two minutes uses about the same amount of gas as driving one mile? Idling also produces harmful pollutants that can cause health issues, especially in children. Numerous school districts have established ant-idling or idle reduction policies for vehicles operating on school grounds. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has created an Idle Reduction Fact Sheet for Schools that includes information and a draft policy for reducing idling.

The Idle Reduction Fact Sheet for Schools and the Draft School Idle Reduction Policy are available online.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the National Biofuels Action Plan, this interagency plan details the joint efforts of federal agencies “to accelerate the development of a sustainable fuels industry.” Among the conclusions reached by USDA and DOE in the report is that “expanding biofuels usage to 36 billion gallons per year over 15 years on a sustainable basis will be a key component to America’s movement toward clean, affordable and secure energy solutions. Success will require a coordinated approach between public and private sectors to advance biofuel technologies and create market conditions that will enable their use.”

The report can be accessed here.

Are you experiencing the phenomenon known as “Pain at the Pump?” Are you interested in fuel-efficient diesel vehicles? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you will be interested in the 2009 Fuel Economy Guide by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Today’s diesel vehicles are clean, quiet, fun-to-drive, and fuel-efficient, which could help alleviate your pain at the pump. Diesel vehicles typically get 20 to 40 percent more miles to the gallon than a comparable gasoline engine. This guide will help consumers make well-informed choices when purchasing vehicles. Included in the 2009 fuel economy leaders are diesel vehicles certified to EPA’s tightest emissions standards.

Click here for more information. 

The EPA 2008 SmartWay Excellence Awards recognize groups for their superior efforts to reduce fuel use and lower carbon emissions from freight transport. EPA presented 27 awards to businesses and organizations. Awardees engaged in numerous activities to make transport smarter, from optimizing delivery routes to investing in trucks that qualify for the U.S. EPA SmartWay Certified mark (the cleanest, most fuel efficient available today) to reducing unnecessary idling and providing more flexible shipping and receiving practices.

SmartWay partners are collectively saving more than 595 million gallons of diesel fuel each year and slashing fuel costs by at least $2.5 billon annually. “The companies we recognize today have learned to do business the SmartWay, and will be leaders in their fields,” said Robert J. Meyers, principal deputy assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “SmartWay is smart not just for the firms who save on fuel costs, but for the American environment and economy.” 

For more information on the SmartWay program and award recipients, click here.

Members of the Next Great City Coalition gathered Tuesday outside City Hall to applaud advances made by Mayor Michael Nutter and his administration toward accomplishing the ten near-term sustainability goals outlined by the Coalition during the last Mayoral election. "Ten months into office, Mayor Nutter and his administration as well as the support of City Council members have helped us to accomplish five of our ten recommendations and have made progress on three more," said Christine Knapp, Outreach Director for PennFuture , the Coalition's lead organization.

Knapp also noted advances in tree planting, renewable energy purchase by the city and the retrofitting of city trucks to reduce diesel emissions. The City announced a program funded jointly by the EPA and monies from a City settlement with Sunoco to retrofit 88 diesel firetrucks to significantly reduce soot, smog pollutants and carbon monoxide emissions. This was part of the Next Great City's recommendation to reduce the incidence of asthma in Philadelphia.

Click here for more information about the event.

Event Press Coverage

• Green City Journal~ October 22, 2008

ARB released a searchable database for verified diesel emission control systems.  The database is searchable by device name (DECS name), engine family name, or a less specific search by engine model year, engine manufacturer, and displacement.  The database currently includes California certified 1992 and newer on-road engines, and 1996 and newer off-road engines.
Additional model years will continue to be added.  The database will be updated on a regular basis, and any corrections will be made as necessary.

The database can be accessed here.

The purpose of this advisory is to provide guidance to owners and operators of diesel vehicles and equipment on the importance of following good engine maintenance practices, in particular with engines that are equipped with retrofit devices. Installation of a retrofit device to control emissions does not in any way mean engine maintenance can be reduced or neglected. Rather, proper engine maintenance is a key part of staying in compliance with the Air Resources Board’s (ARB) in-use diesel fleet regulations and is critical to ensuring that a vehicle equipped with a retrofit device continues to operate without problems.

For more information click here.

Virginia Delegate Harvey Morgan will help celebrate the commitment made by four Middle Peninsula school districts to clean up the air and school bus diesel emissions at 1 p.m. on October 11, 2008 during the fourth annual Dragon Run Day at Thousand Trails Campground in Gloucester County.

For the full release click here.

ARB released a searchable database for verified diesel emission control systems.  The database is searchable by device name (DECS name), engine family name, or a less specific search by engine model year, engine manufacturer, and displacement.  The database currently includes California certified 1992 and newer on-road engines, and 1996 and newer off-road engines.
Additional model years will continue to be added.  The database will be updated on a regular basis, and any corrections will be made as necessary.

The database can be accessed here.

 The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) is now accepting applications for vehicle emission reduction projects and programs to be funded through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ).The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has authorized the BRTB to award up to $1 million in CMAQ funding to eligible applicants to develop and implement transportation programs and projects that will reduce the vehicle emissions that contribute to air pollution in the Baltimore region. This is the second time that the BRTB will select projects for CMAQ funding.

Local jurisdictions in the Baltimore region and public-private partnerships with local jurisdictions are eligible to apply. CMAQ grants will cover up to 80 percent of the total cost for a local jurisdiction project, and up to 50 percent of the total cost for a public-private partnership project. All matches for grant amounts must be made in cash. All projects selected must be new or currently undergoing development.

Types of eligible projects include such things as retrofits for school buses, transit buses and heavy duty diesel trucks, and clean fuel/hybrid transit buses and other vehicles. A complete program overview and application are available at http://www.baltometro.org/content/view/922/596/.

Applications must be received by 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. After a competitive review process, winning applicants will be notified in early 2009.

The CMAQ program, which is administered by the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, assists state and local governments in attaining federal air quality standards established by the Clean Air Act and its amendments.

The Baltimore region does not meet federal standards for ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter. Transportation is a major contributor to ozone pollution, which can make breathing difficult for anyone, especially children and the elderly.  Particulate pollution is even more serious, and has been implicated in heart as well as lung problems. 

On Tuesday, September 9, 2008, a U.S. District Court judge finalized a ruling refusing to halt the Port of Long Beach's landmark Clean Trucks Program. The Program will start improving the region's air quality by banning the oldest, most polluting trucks starting on October 1.

Click here for the full story exit

In an effort to reduce harmful emissions and noise, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will only purchase hybrid-electric powered buses in the future as the agency retires older diesel powered models. As a result, up to 500 hybrid-electric powered buses will be on the street by 2014. The MTA’s plans would convert 75 percent of its fleet to hybrids, which will use 20 percent less fuel and cut particulate emissions by up to 90 percent within six years. The State’s experience with the first 10 hybrids has been highly positive. The MTA said the new buses can go 6,000 miles between maintenance stops, while diesel buses need maintenance work every 3,300 miles. MTA Administrator Paul Wiedefeld said the hybrids cost about $580,000, compared with $385,000 for diesel buses, but with savings on fuel and operating costs, the hybrids make up the difference within two years. Maryland is also striving to increase the number of vehicles using alternative fuels or hybrid technology to 40 percent by 2010.  Today, 20 percent of all new vehicle purchases meet the federal alternative fuel standard and a total of 40 vehicles in the State’s fleet are hybrid.  By 2011, the goal is to have a total of 140 hybrids in the State fleet. 

With the help of a grant from EPA, the Virginia Port Authority purchased three low-emissions, hybrid yard locomotives for use at the Norfolk International Terminals. A road or yard switcher is the workhorse in the train-building process, they push heavy loads short distances at low speeds, make frequent stops, operate in forward and reverse and sit idle for long periods as they wait for railcars to be sorted. The new units will save an estimated $143,000 in annual fuel expenditures and have the ability to reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions by between 80 and 90 percent, both of these pollutants are direct contributors to bad air quality.

To learn more about hybrid switchers at the Virginia Port Authority, click here.

From NACAA's Washington Update 3/07/08

The Senate unanimously approved S. 2146, which will, if enacted, allow EPA to accept diesel emission reductions as Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) in civil settlements.
When Congress enacted the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act in 2005, authorizing approximately $50 million in funding for reductions of diesel emissions, the Miscellaneous Receipts Act prohibited EPA thereafter from receiving federal funds through SEPs for the same purpose. Sponsored by Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE), S. 2146 carves out an exception to the
Miscellaneous Receipts Act for diesel emissions reduction projects undertaken by defendants settling cases with EPA. The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality approved a similar bill, H.R. 3754, on February 13; the full House Committee markup has not yet been scheduled. The measure has strong bipartisan support.

For further information:
www.opencongress.org/bill/110-s2146/show

Click here for link to full story.

By Kathryn Phillips - Special to The Bee
The California Air Resources Board took a decisive step last week that will soon save lives throughout the state. It adopted a fair plan to begin distributing $1 billion in bond money to truckers and other freight haulers who are willing to help cut their toxic diesel air pollution.

Link to full announcement

Washington, D.C. - March 14, 2008) New tough emissions standards will slash pollution from locomotive and marine diesel engines by up to 90 percent, helping Americans to breathe cleaner air as soon as this year.

"Today EPA is fitting another important piece into the clean diesel puzzle by cleaning emissions from our trains and boats," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "As more and more goods flow through our ports and railways, EPA is cutting diesel emissions at their source – keeping our nation on track toward a clean, healthy, productive tomorrow." 

In-Cabin Particulate Matter Quantification and Reduction Strategies

Please click here for the Report's webpage.

Summary:

According to the NJDEP, there will be estimated 18,000 buses transporting children to and from school in 2009. It is estimated that approximately 800,000+ New Jersey children will be on those buses of which the majority have diesel engines. This results in an average of an hour and a half that each child is on a school bus each weekday. Diesel exhaust consists of a number of pollutants that are hazardous to human health, and increased exposure to these pollutants may occur on school buses as a result of exhaust emissions seeping into the cabin.

Most previous studies have shown that there are high levels of particulate matter inside a school bus compared to ambient air. It is suspected that most of the particulate matter within the cabin of a school bus originates from two major sources, the tailpipe and crankcase of the school bus, and enter the cabin through the door, windows, faulty seals, etc.

This study whose results are described here, was mandated by law (P.L. 2005, c.219). This legislation required that a closed crankcase ventilation system, that prevents emissions from escaping from the engine crankcase and entering the bus, be installed on all school buses in use at the time the legislation takes effect. Simultaneously, the NJDEP was tasked with developing and conducting a study to determine if emissions from the bus tailpipe are significantly affecting the air quality inside a school bus. The study is now complete and the results are presented here.

This project evaluated the relative contribution of emissions from both the school bus engine (i.e., crankcase) and the tailpipe to levels of fine and ultrafine particles inside the cabin of the bus.

Rowan University supervised the testing and analyzed the data provided from the tests conducted by Aberdeen Testing Center in Aberdeen, MD. An analysis of the health risks/benefits due to the reduction of PM completed by DSRT staff.  

SEPTA's Board approved the purchase this past fall of 400 new diesel-electric hybrid buses. The 400 additional buses along with SEPTA"S existing fleet of 32 diesel hybrid makes it one of the largest hybrid fleets in the country. The Ads were recently placed to SEPTA's hybrid bus fleet to bring attention to the hybrid buses and publicize transit's benefits to air quality. To read the full press release about the 400 bus purchase click here.

Private Fleets include but are not limited to long and short haul trucks, switcher locomotives and non-road construction equipment.  Non-road vehicles or construction equipment must be working on a surface transportation construction project (title 23) within an Ohio non-attainment or maintenance area to be eligible.

Click the link above for full program details.

SACRAMENTO, CA — The California Air Resources Board staff is proposing that $25 million in Proposition 1B Bond funding go to diesel emission reduction projects for the South Coast, Central Valley, San Francisco and San Diego air districts, mostly for truck retrofit and replacements.

These recommendations will be before the entire Board for approval at a January hearing in Sacramento.

ARB also announced that it plans to allocate more than 75 percent of the overall $1 billion in Bond 1B funding to be used toward reducing diesel pollution from trucks associated with goods movement around the state.

The remaining 24 percent of funding, $240 million, will be earmarked for diesel emission reductions from ships, harbor craft and locomotives.

"This strategy puts the lions share of the dollars where they're needed most: on trucks traveling from the state's ports and along our major transportation corridors," said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols. "Within months of passing a new regulation aimed at cleaning up port trucks we are following through with much-needed funding to help drivers retrofit and replace older, dirty engines."

If approved by the Board at its Jan. 24 hearing in Sacramento, ARB staff will begin allocating the funds immediately to the air districts.

ARB staff is basing its proposed distribution of funds to specific air district projects using three criteria: population, the contribution of emissions from goods movement sources, and the need for new emission reductions to meet federal health standards.

Staff also leaned heavily toward projects that would have benefits statewide. Thus, trucks traveling from the Los Angeles ports to the Inland Empire, highways 5 and 99 in the Central Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the San Diego border region will achieve emission benefits far beyond their home of origin.

Proposition 1B was the transportation bond put on the ballot by the Legislature and before the voters in November 2006. The 2007-08 Budget, signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in August, funds the initial $250 million of the $1 billion set aside for air quality improvement projects in Proposition 1B.

The Board is focused on funding projects that reduce emissions and health risk, incorporate simplicity and efficiency, ensure cost-effectiveness, and leverage other funding source. Go to www.arb.ca.gov for application criteria.

ARB has recently passed a series of measures that focus on reducing diesel emissions from trucks and ships, with more on the way in 2008. Much of these regulations require engine replacements and retrofits that 1B funding can help in terms of early compliance, such as the regulation aimed at cleaning up the state's 20,000 port, or "drayage" trucks. ARB estimates that this regulation alone will prevent 1,200 premature deaths from 2009 through 2020, with benefits being the most dramatic in the communities where port trucks are heavily concentrated.

Massachusetts bill would mandate pollution controls on state diesel vehicles

A bill on the move in the Massachusetts statehouse would require the state to equip its diesel vehicles with updated pollution controls. It also would set up a multi-million...

Please click on the link above to see the full article.

From NACAA's Washington Update 10/05/07
(October 4, 2007) – Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) introduced legislation to allow EPA to accept diesel emission reduction Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) as part of enforcement settlements. Under the proposed bill, such SEPs would have to protect human health and the
environment, be related to the underlying alleged violation, not constitute activities that the defendant would otherwise be legally required to perform and not provide funds for EPA staff or contractors to carry out the work of the agency. Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and George Voinovich (R-OH) have joined Carper as cosponsors of this bill.

Link to full announcement
Elizabeth, N.J. -- September 5, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency moved the nation’s supply chain closer to a cleaner, fuel-efficient and cost-effective future today as EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson announced a project to develop and test a new EPA-patented technology on large equipment used to move goods and products from ships to trucks.

Link to full announcement

(Washington, D.C. - Aug. 24, 2007)  The first group of SmartWay Grow & Go truckers to use renewable fuels will be recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency's top air official today at the Great American Trucking Show in the Dallas Convention Center. The agency will also showcase a new fleet of SmartWay-certified tractors and trailers that could reduce fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent.

Story Link:
http://www.airshare.info/index.cfm/news.2878.html

MECA Diesel Retrofit Website

Letter from Joseph Kubsh, MECA Executive Director regarding website.

Across the U.S., the number of diesel retrofit projects has been increasing over the past several years. State, local, and tribal governments are frequently the recipients of federal grant money to help implement these diesel retrofit projects. In addition, several states and localities have begun to implement their own diesel retrofit programs. The purpose of this memo is to make state air quality officials aware of the resources available to them on the MECA diesel retrofit web site (www.dieselretrofit.org) on diesel retrofit emission control technology.

Beginning in September, the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) will kick off a new webinar series on retrofit that will discuss air quality benefits, technology solutions, and funding sources. Check back here and at www.dieselforum.org for more details coming soon on dates, times and how to register. In the meantime, learn more about the enormous environmental benefits of diesel retrofit and reducing emissions from the existing diesel fleet in DTF's online Retrofit Toolkit.

Although AirShare was created as a tool specifically for air quality communicators, the majority of the site is accessible by the general public, including "AirShare Newsroom," "Quick Links," "Upcoming Events," "Search AirShare," and the air quality data displayed on the home page.

Recent examples of the typed of diesel related stories posted to the site include:

No-Idle Zones - It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air by Northwest Clean Air Agency http://www.airshare.info/index.cfm/2599

No-Idle Zones - It  by Northwest Clean Air Agency http://www.airshare.info/index.cfm/2598

Text below excerpted from New Jersey press release. Click here for full text from the release.

-- Citing dangerous diesel exhaust from trucks and buses as a dire public health threat, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson today announced tougher regulations to curb vehicle idling and a statewide education campaign to raise New Jerseyans’ awareness that “idling stinks.”

Text below excerpted from EPA's press release. Click here for full text from release.

In the coming months, students who ride buses in the West Chester Area School District will be breathing cleaner air.  Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an award to West Chester Area School District to reduce pollution in diesel-powered school buses.

Text below excerpted from EPA's press release. Click here for full text from release.

Federal partners and the World Shipping Council announced today their support of the United States' proposal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) seeking more stringent emission limits for ocean-going ships. The IMO is the primary international body governing the shipping industry on safety, security and environmental matters.

Text below excerpted from EPA's press release. Click here for full text from release.

Shut off those diesel school bus engines! That was the clear message delivered by Alan J. Steinberg, EPA Regional Administrator along with Congressman José E. Serrano today at a press conference held at Public School 48 in the Bronx. EPA studied school bus exhaust levels when the buses were parked but engines kept running and calculated the benefits from turning them off for various periods and then restarting them.  The study concluded that idling for more than three minutes generates more pollution than stopping and re-starting the engine – debunking a widely held belief of some drivers. Turning the engine off cuts carbon monoxide, fine particles, nitrogen oxide, and carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 4, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Dirty-School-Buses.html

For Release: (Washington, D.C. – Wednesday, May 30, 2007)

Contact: John Millett, (202) 564-4355 / millett.john@epa.gov

Harmful emissions from locomotives, most marine vessels, and land-based nonroad engines will be cut starting June 1 because of new standards for sulfur content in diesel fuel. Under a 2004 clean-air regulation established by EPA, refineries must reduce sulfur from current levels of about 3,000 parts per million in nonroad diesel fuel to a maximum of 500 ppm, with few exceptions. This is the latest step in EPA's campaign to clean up diesel fuel used in the United States. Last June, rules took effect requiring 80 percent of highway diesel to have an ultra-low sulfur level of 15 or fewer ppm. In 2010, sulfur levels in most nonroad diesel fuel will be reduced to the same ultra-low requirement, making it possible for engine manufacturers to use advanced emissions control systems that significantly reduce harmful pollutants. For locomotive and marine fuel, this step will occur in 2012.

More information on cleaning up diesel: http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel

More information on nonroad diesel equipment: http://www.epa.gov/nonroad-diesel

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"The Clean School Bus USA program awarded $570,000 to Brandywine School District in Wilmington, Del.  Brandywine plans to retrofit 67 of its school buses. The new pollution-control equipment to be installed will reduce the exposure of school children to diesel exhaust by substantially reducing soot and other pollutants emitted from school buses."