The
National Clean Bus Network
January
2004 Clean Bus Update
Environmental
and Energy Study Institute Carol
Werner, Executive Director
Clean
Bus Highlights
- TEA-21
Reauthorization Developments
- Clean
Bus Policy Recommendations Put Forth
- SunLine
Transit Agency Completes Six Month Demonstration of Fuel
Cell Powered Bus
- Congressional
Briefing Links Public Transit to Health, the Environment and
Energy Security
- Antares
Group Organizes Hybrid Bus Workshop
- Transportation
Planning Can Support State/Local GHG Reduction Plans
- Click
here for Adobe Acrobat Version
TEA-21
Reauthorization Developments
Members
of Congress returned from winter break on Tuesday, January 20
with Omnibus Appropriations, the Energy Bill and TEA-21
reauthorization to consider in the short term. Congress has
until February 29 to send to the President a TEA-21
reauthorization bill, or to pass a second extension of current
law lasting until after the 2004 elections. The House
Transportation and Infrastructure committee has not marked up
its version of a reauthorization bill, though a committee
staffer has said Chairman Don Young (R-AK) tentatively expects
the mark up to occur before the President’s Day Recess, which
starts February 16. The Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee completed its mark up of the highway and highway
safety portions of the bill on November 12, but now awaits
action from the Finance Committee for the revenue portions of
the bill and from the Banking Committee for the transit title.
The Finance and Banking Committees are both scheduled to mark up
their bills Wednesday, January 28. Senate Majority Leader Bill
Frist (R-TN) says he has reserved February 2 through February 14
for consideration of the bill.
**Alert:
Recently released draft language of the Senate Banking committee
mark-up bill does not reauthorize the Clean Fuels Formula Grant
Program (49 USC 5308, which provides federal funds for the
purchase of buses using cleaner fuels and advanced vehicle
technologies, alternative fuel refueling infrastructure, and
storage facilities for cleaner buses). Members of the committee
responsible for reauthorizing this program include Richard
Shelby (R-AL, Chair),
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD, Ranking
Member), Robert Bennett (R-UT), Wayne Allard (R-CO),
Michael Enzi (R-WY), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Rick Santorum (R-PA),
Jim Bunning (R-KY), Michael Crapo (R-ID), John Sununu (R-NH),
Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Lincoln Chaffee (R-RI), Chistopher Dodd
(D-CT), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Charles Schumer
(D-NY), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Zell Miller (D-GA), Thomas Carper
(D-DE), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Jon Corzine (D-NJ).
Clean
Bus Policy Recommendations Put Forth
The
Environmental and Energy Study Institute through input from
clean bus stakeholders has produced a set of policy
recommendations for the reauthorization of the Clean Fuels
Formula Grant Program (49 USC 5308), a federal program to
support the deployment of cleaner fuels and more efficient
propulsion systems in transit buses. The program, established
under TEA-21 and authorized at an annual funding level of $100
million for six years, was never implemented by Congressional
appropriators. It provides federal funds to transit operators
for the purchase of low-emission buses and related equipment,
construction of alternative fuel refueling facilities,
modification of storage facilities to accommodate clean fuel
vehicles, and assist in the utilization of biodiesel fuel.
Almost 90 percent of transit buses use diesel or gasoline, which
produce emissions that have been linked to greater risk of lung
cancer, premature death, heart disease and asthma. This year’s
debate over reauthorization of TEA-21 provides Congress the
opportunity to modify the program to correct some of the issues
that prevented its implementation and to make additional
improvements.
Access
the recommendations online at
http://www.eesi.org/publications/Fact%20Sheets/Clean%20Fuels%20Policy%20Recs.htm.
More
information about the Clean Fuels Formula Grant Program is
available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tea21/factsheets/clnfuel.htm
WestStart-CALSTART,
a consortium linking private and public sector groups to develop
advanced transportation technologies, has proposed a National
Fuel Cell Bus Technology Initiative to develop,
deploy and commercialize fuel cell and hydrogen-powered drive
systems for transit technologies. The program would seek $25
million in Highway Trust Fund revenue for six years and
re-direct the Advanced Vehicle Technologies Program (49 USC
5506, which funds development of advanced heavy-duty vehicle
technologies) to focus specifically on fuel cell bus technology.
For
the WestStart/CALSTART recommendation, go to http://www.eesi.org/publications/fact%20sheets/westart-calstart%20nfcbti.pdf
SunLine
Transit Agency Completes Six-Month Demonstration of Fuel Cell
Powered Bus
SunLine
Transit Agency, located in Thousand Palms, California,
completed on February 24, 2003 a successful six-month
demonstration of fuel cell bus operation in revenue service.
Supported by the Department of Energy, Thor Industries, ISE
Research and others, the project set out to prove that a fuel
cell bus could be developed, integrated and operated safely in
revenue service with comparable or better performance than a
standard transit bus. The vehicle began revenue service in
Thousand Palms on November 6, 2002 and completed its service
period February 24, 2003. A demonstration of pre-commercial fuel
cell bus technology, the vehicle was available for service 71
percent of the test period and operated with an energy
equivalent fuel economy 2.4 times higher than a similar CNG bus.
Building on lessons learned from this demonstration, a second
generation of fuel cell transit buses will be deployed this year
to three transit agencies in California, including SunLine.
Transit bus demonstrations are favorable for developing and
introducing new heavy-duty vehicle propulsion technologies
because they are centrally operated, maintained and subsidized
with public funds. Zero-emission transit buses can significantly
improve public health by eliminating harmful diesel particulate
emissions.
View
an evaluation of the demonstration project online at http://www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/fuelcells/pdfs/sunline_report.pdf
Congressional
Briefing Links Public Transit to Health, Environment and The
Economy
The
Environmental and Energy Study Institute, with support from the
American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS),
presented a Congressional briefing Thursday,
January 15, 2004 that addressed the role of public transit in
public health, energy consumption, and the economy. Sarah Kline,
Minority Staff of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
Committee, opened the briefing with an overview of the
committee’s efforts to increase transit investment through
TEA-21 reauthorization. Dr. Robert Shapiro followed with a
presentation of the results of a study he co-published in 2002
which found that on a per-person-per-mile basis, public transit
is demonstrably more energy efficient and less polluting than
private automobiles. Dr. Lawrence Frank has done significant
analysis connecting urban form and travel patterns, and
discussed the findings of his Atlanta and Seattle projects that
show that public transit systems support healthier communities.
These communities tend to breathe cleaner air, walk more (and
therefore suffer decreased incidence of obesity), and benefit
economically from mixed-use retail and business development.
Gerald Roper, the President and CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber
of Commerce and Director of the National Business Coalition for
Rapid Transit (NBCRT), emphasized that transit supports thriving
downtown communities. He discussed an NBCRT report that found
that transit reduces congestion costs suffered by workers,
economically revitalizes communities and creates jobs. EESI is
currently drafting a briefing summary that will be made
available to the Clean Bus Network.
In
the meantime, speaker presentations and the briefing notice are
available online at http://www.eesi.org/briefings/2004/Clean%20Bus/1.15.04%20Public%20Transit/1.15.04%20Public%20Transit.htm
Antares
Group Organizes Hybrid Bus Workshop
The
Antares Group, Inc facilitated a workshop on hybrid-electric
buses in late October 2003. EESI participated in this workshop
by presenting information regarding clean bus-related policies
and funding sources available at the federal level. The workshop
was designed to familiarize bus operators, fleet managers, local
officials and others with the operational characteristics of
hybrid-electric buses, and featured buses presented by New
Flyer/Allison Transmission and Orion/BAE Systems. Working to
introduce emerging environmentally friendly technologies into
the marketplace, the Antares Group is a private engineering and
consulting firm based in Landover,
Maryland.
Presentations
made at the Antares Group Hybrid Bus Workshop are available
online by visiting http://www.antaresgroupinc.com/hybrid_bus_workshop.htm
Transportation
Planning Can Support State/Local GHG Reduction Plans
A
study commissioned by the Department of Transportation (DOT)
finds that state and local governments are implementing an
impressive number of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction plans, some
of which integrate transportation polices and strategies that
support these reductions and complement efforts in other areas.
In Seattle,
Washington, for example, both King County and the City of
Seattle have targeted the transportation sector with policies
that achieve greenhouse gas reductions by reducing automobile
use and promoting clean public transit and carpools. While these
efforts reduce GHGs, they also reduce hazardous vehicle
emissions, fuel consumption, and congestion. The study performed
by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center evaluated
seven case studies in the United States and Canada and found
that while non-transportation entities are leading the
implementation of GHG reduction plans, the involvement of state
departments of transportation, metropolitan planning
organizations and other transportation planning entities can
support these plans and achieve multiple societal goals.
Access
the study online through the DOT
Center for Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting at http://climate.volpe.dot.gov/papers.html
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. 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.
