The
National Clean Bus Network
February
2004 Clean Bus Update
Environmental
and Energy Study Institute Carol
Werner, Executive Director
Clean
Bus Highlights
- Senate
Completes First Round of Reauthorization, House Passes
4-month Extension
- Benefits
of Hydrogen are Great, but Very far Away, According to NAS
study
- New
York
State Solicits Proposals for Clean Bus Projects: Due April
7, 2004
- Clean
Cities Coordinators Expand Toolkit to Displace Petroleum
- Illinois
Addresses Children’s Health With Clean School Bus Campaign
- SmartWay
Transit Partnership Targets Diesel Emissions From Truck and
Rail Freight
- Soot
is Major Contributor to Climate Change, According to NASA
Study
- Study
Confirms Link Between Fossil Fuel Particles and Climate
Change
- Submit
your clean bus story!
Senate
Completes First Round of Reauthorization, House Passes 4-month
Extension
After
two weeks of debate that faced initial stalls and vocal concern
over budget impacts, on Feb 12 the Senate passed S. 1072 (Safe,
Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of
2004 / SAFETEA) to fund highway, highway safety and transit
programs at $318 billion over six years. The measure to
reauthorize TEA-21 (Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century, the previous 6-year surface transportation bill) passed
76-21, a veto-proof majority. Advisors to the President,
including Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, warned
Senators during their debate to lower the cost of the bill
within range of the President’s $256 billion proposal or risk
a veto. While the President’s bill provides a 21 percent
funding increase over TEA-21, the Senate bill increases
transportation funding by 40 percent, drawing some of its
additional revenues from the general fund by closing corporate
loopholes. Most funding for the highway bill comes from the
federal gas tax. The Senate bill provides $255 billion for
highways and $55.6 billion for transit. It also increases
funding for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality
Improvement Program (CMAQ) to $13.4 billion, an increase of more
than 60 percent over the TEA-21 level.
All
eyes now turn to the House of Representatives which passed a
second extension of TEA-21 on Feb 11. The extension bill, which
must be passed by the Senate and signed by the President,
extends current law to June
30, 2004. House lawmakers who until now have been struggling to
find ways to fund their $375 proposal (without raising the gas
tax or selling bonds) now confront the need to reduce the size
of their bill in light of new veto threats from the
budget-concerned White House. Committee leaders are expected to
debate a revision of their proposal at a full committee markup
Mar 3.
Benefits
of Hydrogen are far Away, according to NAS Study
A
transition to a hydrogen energy economy over the next 50 years
is likely to significantly reduce air emissions and expand
domestic energy sources, but major technological and
infrastructure barriers will make any reduction in oil inputs or
carbon dioxide emissions minor in the next 25 years, says a new
report by the National Research Council and the National Academy
of Sciences’ National Academy of Engineering. Commissioned by
the US Department of Energy, the report sees coal, nuclear power
and renewable energy as major domestic sources of hydrogen and
discourages reliance on natural gas. It encourages the research
and development of hybrid-electric drive systems and
displacement fuels (like bio-based fuels or domestically
abundant fossil and synthetic fuels) to reduce oil imports and
carbon dioxide emissions in the near term while DOE pursues more
exploratory research in hydrogen power systems and
infrastructure.
New
York State
Solicits Proposals for Clean Bus Projects: Due April 7, 2004
Projects
to deploy cleaner buses (fueled by natural gas, propane,
methanol, hydrogen, biodiesel, or ethanol or powered by battery
electric or hybrid-electric drive systems) and to install
supporting infrastructure are eligible for funding under Round
VII of the New York State Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
Clean-Fueled Bus Program. This solicitation makes available
$4.25 million in funds on a competitive basis to cover 100% of
the incremental costs of these expenses. Fuel costs are not
eligible for funding. Proposals receiving priority should use
strategies to maximize emissions reductions per incremental
dollar invested; use funds in regions that do not comply with
federal air quality standards; displace petroleum; boost the
economy; use creative financing; and be part of a history of
clean bus deployment projects. Proposals must be submitted
before 3pm
on April 7, 2004.
For
more information and to download an application, visit http://www.nyserda.org/833pon.html
Clean
Cities Coordinators Expand Toolkit to Displace Petroleum
Hybrid-electric
vehicles, idle-reduction technologies, fuel blends and fuel
economy are part of the expanded portfolio adopted by Clean
Cities coordinators at a national meeting held February 9 in Washington,
DC. The Clean Cities Program was established with the passage of
the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-486) to create markets
for alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles that reduce
the nation’s dependence on petroleum. Its focus has
traditionally supported the deployment of domestically abundant
displacement fuels. This new action modifies that strategy to
encourage petroleum displacement measures from the demand-side
as well as from the supply-side. There are more than 80
locally-based Clean Cities coalitions across the country working
to reduce petroleum consumption which helps to reduce vehicle
emissions, improve public health and protect the environment.
Learn
more about the Clean Cities Program by visiting http://www.ccities.doe.gov
Illinois
Addresses Children’s Health, Promotes Biodiesel With Clean
School Bus Campaign
Under
a new program to reduce diesel emissions from school buses, Gov.
Rod Blagojevich announced in October 2003 that the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will provide funding for
the purchase of after-treatment filters, cleaner engines and
cleaner fuel to reduce the impacts of diesel emissions on
children’s health and promote the use of biodiesel. Children
are more susceptible to lung disease and premature death caused
by diesel exhaust, and are exposed to higher concentrations of
diesel exhaust while riding in diesel-powered school buses.
Oxidation catalysts, particulate filters, cleaner diesel engines
meeting the federal EPA’s MY2007 engine emission standards,
and natural gas and propane-powered engines are eligible
purchases under this new program. Also eligible is the
incremental cost of B20 (20 percent biodiesel fuel mixture) and
low-sulfur diesel fuel through June 2006. The State of Illinois
is also a growing user of biodiesel, a renewable, biodegradable
fuel derived from oil seeds/waste oils that supports the
domestic agricultural sector and reduces greenhouse gas
emissions.
Using
funding from an Illinois EPA enforcement case, the initial round
of grants will go to school districts in 24 counties located in
West and Central
Illinois (a map of eligible counties is available at http://www.epa.state.il.us/air/cleanbus/map.html).
Future funding will depend upon resources from a commercial
sponsorship (Adopt-A-Bus) program and from the federal
government. McLean County School District, the first to use
funds to deploy cleaner buses under the new program, has been
using B20 since July 2003 and will retrofit 93 of its fleet of
97 school buses with oxidation catalysts. The Administration’s
federal budget for FY 2005 requests $60 million in additional
funding, providing a total of $65 million for retrofit and
replacement of diesel school buses under the National Clean
School Bus USA Program administered by the federal EPA. (This
budget must now be acted upon by the Congress)
More
information about the Illinois Clean School Bus Program is
available online at http://www.epa.state.il.us/air/cleanbus/
SmartWay
Transit Partnership Targets Diesel Emissions From Truck and Rail
Freight
On
Feb 9 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled its new
SmartWay Transport Partnership, a voluntary program aimed at
increasing energy efficiency and energy security while reducing
air pollution and greenhouse gases in the freight industry.
The program will encourage freight and rail carriers to estimate
and monitor their fleet emissions, partner suppliers with
SmartWay-certified carriers, deploy idle-free freight corridors,
and increase the use of rail to transport freight. According to
the EPA, ground freight is the source of 20 percent of carbon
dioxide, 40 percent of nitrogen oxide, and 31 percent of
particulate matter emissions from transportation sources.
"America has
always counted on the freight industry to deliver the goods –
in joining this Partnership, you will deliver them in a new,
smarter way," EPA Administrator Michael Leavitt told the
American Trucking Association's Annual Leadership Conference.
More
information available via the EPA.
Soot
is Major Contributor to Climate Change, According to NASA Study
Soot
may be responsible for up to 25 percent of the observed global
warming over the last century, according to a new NASA study.
In higher latitudes, NASA research has shown that soot located
on the surface of snow and ice decreases the amount of sunlight
that is reflected, thereby forcing snow and ice to absorb heat
and subsequently melt at accelerated rates. “This provides a
positive feedback (i.e. warming); as glaciers and ice sheets
melt, they tend to get even dirtier," said Dr. James Hansen
of NASA.
More
information available via NASA.
Study
Confirms Link Between Fossil Fuel Particles and Climate Change
Scientists
from the University
of Michigan have reported evidence of a link between the
emission of fossil fuel particles and climate change.
Known as the ‘indirect aerosol effect,’ the accumulation of
fossil fuel particles in the atmosphere affects the reflectivity
of clouds, thereby producing a cooling effect on the climate.
To study this effect, the scientists compared cloud reflectivity
at a high aerosol site in Oklahoma and a low aerosol site in
Alaska, concluding that there was a direct link, and that they
could model the effects. "This study is important for
two reasons," said Joyce Penner of the University of
Michigan’s Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space
Sciences. “First, it provides evidence that there is some
cooling of the climate due to anthropogenic aerosols. Second,
the simulation model we used has been shown to be a valuable
tool in determining more directly the impact of aerosols on the
climate.”
More
information available via ScienceDaily.
Submit
Your Clean Bus Story!
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!
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 Ray Minjares at rminjares@eesi.org
or call 202-662-1883. More information can be
mailed to 122 C St, NW Suite 630 Washington, DC 20001.
The
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 United
States. Topics include technology developments, clean vehicle
deployment, energy consumption, the environment, government
policy, and public health. The National Clean Bus Network is an
informal coalition of public and private sector organizations
working to increase the use of cleaner bus technologies and
fuels. The National Clean Bus
Network is a free resource to all clean bus
stakeholders. Please feel free to email Ray
Minjares at rminjares@eesi.org with questions,
comments or suggestions. You may also visit our website at www.eesi.org.
