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| Several
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CALSTART
recently announced the winners of the 2005 Blue Sky Awards which focus on marketplace actions including efforts to deploy new vehicles or
vehicle technologies, implementation of sustainable transportation
options, as well as significant technology breakthroughs that affect
the market place. This
year's winners include FedEx
Express and Environmental Defense, Mayor Greg Nickels, More
information on the Blue Sky Awards available at: |
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| EPA Awards More Than $1 Million in Clean Diesel Grants The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
recently awarded more than one million dollars to ten projects
across the country aiming to reduce emissions from non-road sources
through the use of alternative fuels, engine replacement, and
retrofit technologies. Projects
were funded in For
more information on EPA grant awardees and projects, please visit:
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| New York Forges Ahead With Biofuels Use New York State has instituted a series of initiatives to promote the use of biofuels. Governor George E. Pataki recently issued an executive order requiring all state agencies and public authorities to use biofuels in their vehicles and to heat their facilities. In addition, the state has announced a set of incentives to promote the construction of bio-refineries. The order issued on November 20, requires that by
2007, two percent of fuels used in state fleets be biodiesel with an
increase to 10 percent in 2012.
In addition, state agencies and public authorities will be
required to ensure that at least 5 percent of heating oil used in
State buildings be biodiesel by 2012.
State agencies currently consume more than 48 million gallons
of diesel and 55 million gallons of heating oil each year.
The state also is seeking to broaden the use of ethanol and
has directed the Governor’s Clean Fueled Vehicle Council to
develop and implement measures to increase the number and
accessibility of ethanol fueling stations throughout The
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
will aid in the state’s effort to increase biofuels production
with the introduction of an incentive package to promote the
construction of bio-refineries.
The program will make available grants of up to $100,000 for
the planning, design and construction of bio-refining facilities. The
program is funded at $500,000. In
addition, the Governor’s office has directed the State Department
of Agriculture to work with farmers to identify suitable locations
to farm soybeans and other feed stocks for biofuels production.
Within the next year, three ethanol plants, including the For more information on Governor Pataki’s
Executive Order see:
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| FTA Invites Comments on SAFETEA-LU Implementation In
addition, the notice provides information on the Clean Fuels Grant
Program, an important source of funding for clean bus projects.
SAFETEA-LU changed the designation of the Clean Fuels Grant
Program from a formula-based program in TEA-21 to a discretionary
grant program. SAFETEA-LU
authorizes a total of $188.5 million from fiscal year 2006 – 2009.
However, approximately $78 million of these funds have
already been earmarked by Congress in SAFETEA-LU for 16 projects
located in California,
Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, Nevada, New York,
Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas.
These earmarks are subject to annual appropriations. Certain
aspects of the Clean Fuels Grant Program warrant closer public
attention. First,
failure to write regulations for the program implementation and the eagerness
to use the funds for Congressional earmarks resulted in Congress never appropriating
funds for this program as authorized
by TEA-21. Every
Department of Transportation appropriations act since the enactment
of TEA-21 has expressly provided that this funding be made available
to projects in the Bus and Bus Related Facilities program under the
Capital Investment Grants program. Failure to directly appropriate
funds under the program stymies efforts to deploy cleaner buses, the principal intent
of the program. The
argument is often made that states looking to deploy cleaner buses
have utilized the Bus and Bus Related Facilities Program and the
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program to fund
purchases. However,
there is critical need for a dedicated
program and resources to facilitate the wider deployment of
alternative fuels and advanced technologies in bus fleets across the
country. EESI
is a strong supporter of the Clean Fuels Grant Program and will work
with stakeholders to continue to build Congressional and agency support for
its direct appropriations and implementations.
Second, given that the
program is now discretionary in nature and not formula-based, it is essential to ensure
that the projects funded meet the program objective to improve air
quality in areas with pollution problems.
Transparency in project selection is imperative for a fair process.
Currently projects are earmarked leaving little room for a
competitive, open process. The
Clean Fuels Grant Program should provide equal opportunities for
fleets across the country to compete for grants to fund clean bus
purchases. EESI will be submitting comments with respect to the Clean Fuels Grant Program. If you would like to include comments, please contact Shefali Ranganathan at 202-662-1883 or email your comments to sranganathan@eesi.org The
FTA Federal Notice can be viewed at:
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| Orange County Transit Agency Investing in Natural Gas Buses OCTA,
a nominee for EESI’s Clean Bus Leadership Recognition in 2005, has
employed a variety of clean bus technologies to reduce emissions
from its fleet of over 560 buses.
The agency operates 232 liquefied natural gas (LNG) buses,
helping to reduce diesel consumption by a little over 3.3 million
gallons per year. In addition, OCTA has used particulate
filters in existing diesel buses and has tested two
gasoline-electric hybrids.
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A Philadelphia-based gas and electric utility will soon be home to a prototype hybrid truck testing project. PECO was recently awarded an $83,600 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities State Energy Program (SEP) to offset the cost of a heavy duty, hybrid utility truck. The truck, which PECO will receive in spring 2006, is manufactured by International Truck and Engine Corporation and Eaton Corporation. The diesel-electric hybrid truck will have the ability to supply 25 kilowatts of electricity -- enough power for more than a dozen homes -- while crews investigate an outage. This feature will help reduce outage times. In addition, fuel consumption and emissions are expected to be lower for the hybrid truck when compared to a conventional diesel vehicle. The demonstration is part of a national pilot program to test hybrid trucks. Earlier this year, Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd), PECO’s sister utility inMore
information on the hybrid truck deployment is available at:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051027/phth051a.html?.v=1
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A
diverse, bipartisan group of Senate and House members are leading
efforts to decrease dependence on foreign oil through legislation
designed to boost efficiency in the transportation sector and
increase the use of alternative fuels. On
November 16, 2005, the “Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American
Security Act of 2005” (S.2025),
sponsored by Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) and co-sponsored by
Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Lugar
(R-IN), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Norm Coleman (R-MN),
Barack Obama (D-IL), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Bill Nelson
(D-FL) and Ken Salazar (D-CO), was
introduced in the Senate. Representative
Jack Kingston (R-GA) and 25 co-sponsors introduced similar
legislation, ‘‘Fuel Choices for American Security Act of
2005’’ (H.R 4409), in the House. The
House bill contains some differences such as a provision which would
allow for the duty free import of ethanol, a tax credit for the
installation of idle reduction devices in heavy-duty vehicles, and a
requirement that Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary develop an
action plan to meet the goal of supplying 10 percent of the
nation’s transportation from non-oil sources by 2015, and 20
percent by 2025. The
Senate bill has been referred to the Finance
Committee while the House bill has been sent to Energy
and Commerce Committee, Science
Committee, Ways
and Means Committee,
Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee and Government
Reform Committee for further
action. To
view the text of the House bill, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/ (Bill No. S. 2025)
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| The
State Technologies Advancement Collaborative (STAC) recently
announced an $840,000 grant for Advanced Energy’s Hybrid Electric
School Bus Project under its Energy Efficiency, Research,
Demonstration, Deployment, and Rebuild America Projects Grant
Program. The program
supports joint energy research, development, demonstration and
deployment of technologies. A
total of 11 projects focusing on building and industrial
technologies, distributed energy, research and education were
awarded grants valued at $11.5 million. The
three-year hybrid electric school bus project will help fund the
purchase of approximately 20 hybrid electric school buses,
demonstrate these vehicles in school districts across the country,
gather and disseminate operational data as well as conduct an
economic feasibility study. Participants
in this project include Advanced Energy, New York State Energy
Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), North Carolina
Department of Public Education, North Carolina Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, Florida Department of Education,
South Carolina Department of Education, New York Power Authority,
and school districts in Flexible
fuel plug-in hybrids offer the potential to decrease dependence on
oil in the transportation sector while improving air quality.
EESI is actively engaged with Austin Energy in the National
Plug-in Partner Campaign to help build a market for gas-optional
plug-in hybrids. The
national campaign will help demonstrate to automobile manufacturers
that a market for flexible-fuel Plug-in Hybrid vehicles (PHEVs)
exists today. For more
information on this campaign and how you can become a National
Plug-in Partner, please visit EESI’s
website at http://www.eesi.org/programs/cleanbus/PHEVS/plugin.index.htm For
more information on the STAC grantees, see: For
more information on the Hybrid Electric School Bus Project, please
see:
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School buses in More
information on the retrofit project available at:
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| The
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of
establishing a new Diesel
School Bus Retrofit Grant Program to provide school districts with
funds to retrofit existing school buses with pollution reduction
devices or strategies approved by the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and to offset additional costs of using
ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. The
Ohio EPA issued draft rules and held a public hearing on December 6,
2005 to solicit input on the program.
More information on the
Ohio School Bus Grant Program available at:
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| 2006
TRB 85th Annual Meeting
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2006
National Biodiesel Conference and Expo February
5-8, 2006 Following
a record year for biodiesel production, the National Biodiesel Board
will host its annual conference in For
more details and to register, please see:
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Clean Heavy
Duty Vehicle Conference 2006:
Clean
Technologies and Fuels - Are We There Yet? February
22-24, 2006 For
more information on the program, registering, sponsorship and
exhibits, visit:
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| EESI’s
National Clean Bus Project is eager to learn about your clean bus
fleet. If you are in the process of procurement, or if you already
operate buses that produce fewer emissions and consume less fuel
than conventional diesel buses, let us know if we haven’t heard
– and told -- your story! Provide (1) the name of your
organization and primary contact person; (2) type of bus engine,
fuel, and other emission control devices used; (3) number of buses;
(4) funding sources; (5) costs and benefits; (6) and lessons
learned. We’ll post this information on our website and include it
in future editions of the Clean Bus Update! Send this information to
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The National Clean Bus Update is sponsored by the State Energy Office, North Carolina Department of Administration and the U.S Department of Energy, with State Energy Program funds, in cooperation with North Carolina State University Industrial Extension Service. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of either the State Energy Office, North Carolina Department of Administration, or the U.S Department of Energy. |
| The
National Clean Bus Update is a monthly periodical providing an
overview of current program and policy activities related to the
deployment of low-polluting, energy-efficient buses in the |
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The Environmental and Energy Study Institute is a non-profit organization established in 1984 by a bipartisan, bicameral group of members of Congress to provide timely information on energy and environmental policy issues to policymakers and stakeholders and develop innovative policy solutions that set us on a cleaner, more secure and sustainable energy path . EESI's valuable work in energy, climate change, agriculture, transportation and smart growth is made possible through financial support from people like you. Your tax deductible contribution will help EESI develop innovative policy solutions for a cleaner, safer, healthier world. For more information, go to our website or contact Shefali Ranganathan at sranganathan@eesi.org or call 202-662-1883.
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| To unsubscribe from the Clean Bus Update click HERE. If your address changes please let us know so that we may keep our records updated. If there are others who should receive the Update, please send their contact information. | |
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