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| In
June 2005, a 22-member EPA Clean Air Science Advisory Committee
recommended that the EPA strengthen the federal fine
particulate matter standard (PM 2.5) because of growing
scientific evidence related to the negative health impacts of fine
particulate matter. The
panel's recommendations included a new annual standard for PM 2.5
between 13 and 14 µg/m3 from the current 15 µg/m3,
and a strengthened 24-hour standard between 30 and 35 µg/m3. Under
the Clean Air Act, EPA is required to review and revise standards
for criteria pollutants every five years. The
current fine PM standards were set in 1997. Under
a consent decree with environmental groups, the EPA had until
December 2005 to determine if these standards need revision, with a
final decision due on September 27, 2006. In
December 2004, EPA designated 225 counties (partially or
entirely) in 20 states to be in non-attainment of the PM 2.5 standard.
On
January 17, 2006, the EPA published the proposed rule in the Federal
Register with the opportunity to comment on the rules until April 17,
2006. Once
the rule is finalized, EPA will work to identify states in violation
of the new standard with designations being issued by 2010.
States would then have to comply with the new standards by
2015. For
more information on this proposed rule, please see: |
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On
December 20,  |
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| Governor Pataki’s Budget Aims To Reduce Dependence on Oil New
York State Governor George E. Pataki announced a series of measures
in his 2006 Executive Budget which will help the state reduce its
dependence on foreign oil.
The measures include tax credits for hybrids, competitive
grants for the production of flexible fuel plug-in hybrid vehicles,
funds for advanced vehicle research and development, production tax
credits for renewable fuel producers and resources to construct a
pilot cellulosic ethanol production facility in the state.
The
budget proposal offers a $2000 income tax credit to help defray the
incremental costs of purchasing a hybrid-electric vehicle.
The tax incentive coupled with the federal income tax credit
for hybrids in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L 109-58) is likely to spur the hybrid vehicle
market in the state. In
an effort to boost the use of renewable fuels such as ethanol and
biodiesel, the Governor has proposed several measures.
The state Department of Transportation will begin informing
flexible fuel vehicle owners of their vehicles’ capability to be
fueled with ethanol. The
DOT will also provide information on the location of E-85 fueling
stations. On the
production side, the budget offers a 20 cent per gallon tax credit
to renewable fuels producers.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA) will make available $20 million for the construction of a
pilot cellulosic ethanol plant.
In addition, NYSERDA will provide $5 million in competitive
cost-sharing grants to install or convert pumps to distribute
ethanol or biodiesel.
The Governor also plans to work with retail fuel suppliers to develop legislation allowing stations to dispense renewable fuels regardless of contractual agreements with gasoline fuel providers. This effort is designed to address a little known but large barrier to the widespread use of biofuels. In many cases, retail service stations enter into an agreement with a fuel provider requiring them to use a specific brand of fuel. As a consequence, if the brand does not offer a renewable fuel, the retailer is prevented from dispensing renewable fuel from another source. Currently, most major brands of fuel do not offer a renewable fuel choice so service stations are unable to provide customers with an ethanol or biodiesel option at the pump. The budget proposal also seeks to eliminate state taxes on biofuels such as E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline) and B20 (20 percent biodiesel, 80 percent petroleum diesel). For
more information on Governor Pataki’s Executive Budget see:
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The
Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), the city of The
New Flyer buses will be equipped with GM-Allison’s parallel hybrid
drivetrain. RFTA
will operate the hybrids on a biodiesel blend helping to minimize
its environmental impact in the For
more information on these buses, see:
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The
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has announced plans to
test biodiesel in its fleet of maintenance vehicles. This
winter TDOT will institute a pilot program to use B20, a blend of 20
percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel, in According
to
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| Hydraulic
Hybrid Buses Coming to Instead
of using a battery pack and electric motor, hydraulic hybrids use an
accumulator, which stores energy from an internal combustion engine
as highly compressed nitrogen gas. In
addition, hydraulic hybrids recover kinetic energy typically lost in
braking. They can then
deliver this energy to the wheels when the vehicle accelerates,
making them ideal for stop-and-go driving.
The
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The
Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (Translink) is ordering
73 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses for its transit system. The
40-foot buses powered by Cummins Westport’s C Gas Plus engine,
were purchased at the cost of CA$ 30 million.
They will be built by New Flyer Inc. and
are set to arrive in mid- 2006. In
addition, For
more information on this demonstration project, please visit:
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The
California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently adopted a set of
regulations designed to control emissions from onshore cargo
handling equipment and auxiliary diesel engines on cargo ships. The
new CARB measures, which are the first in the nation, mark an
important step in CARB
will limit particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)
emissions from cargo-handling equipment such as trucks and forklifts
in ports and rail yards by requiring retrofit of existing vehicles
with Best Available Control Technology (BACT) or replacement.
In addition, beginning in 2007, newly purchased, leased or
rented vehicles will have to be very low emission. This measure is
predicted to reduce particulate matter emissions by 690 tons and
nitrogen oxide emissions by 19,000 tons by 2020. The
second regulation is designed to limit emissions of particulates,
nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides from auxiliary diesel engines and
diesel-electric engines aboard ocean-going vessels in For
more information on this CARB measure, please see:
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A
recent study in the journal Circulation
may cast light on the specific mechanism by which diesel exhaust
impairs the human body’s blood vessels. While
the respiratory impacts of diesel exhaust are well studied, the
mechanism by which diesel exhaust negatively impacts the
cardiovascular system remains unclear. Researchers at the In
related news, researchers at the New York University School of
Medicine have found that air pollution in combination with a fatty
diet may result in clogged arteries.
The study published in the December issue of the Journal
of the American Medical Association examined the effects of
diesel exhaust on arteries in mice. Six
months into the study, the mice with a fatty diet breathing clean
air had plaque build up covering 26 percent of their artery walls,
while mice with a fatty diet breathing polluted air had plaque
covering 42 percent of their artery walls. Plaque
build up was significantly lower (13 percent) in mice breathing
clean air and on a healthy diet. While
the results are preliminary, they point towards a synergistic effect
between high fat diets and exposure to air pollution.
The
abstract of the
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| The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regions 9 and 10 are currently
soliciting proposals to fund projects demonstrating new, innovative
or experimental applications or approaches to reducing diesel
emissions as part of the West Coast Collaborative. Approximately
$3,000,000 is available
in funding and will be awarded in the form of cooperative agreements
or grants. The EPA
anticipates awarding approximately 6 to 12 grants ranging in size
from $50,000 up to $500,000. Proposals to fund
projects under this announcement must fall under at least one of the
following six categories to be considered for funding:
1.
Trucking The deadline for
submission of proposals is March 23, 2006.
The EPA will host a teleconference on February 6, 3006 at
1 pm PST to answer questions. The call-in number is
1-866-299-3188, passcode 2023439636#.
Awards are expected
to be made in September 2006. For more details on
how to apply for this grant, please see:
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| Currently, more than 120 buses
are in operation which are 30 years or
older, with the oldest ones running in the Kern, San Joaquin Valley
Unified, and For more information
on the Lower-Emission School Bus Program, please see:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/schoolbus/schoolbus.htm
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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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Advancing
the Choice with Your Next Heavy Duty Vehicle Thursday,
February 9, 2006, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Western Riverside County Clean Cities Coalition’s (WRCCCC) will host a one-day
conference and expo focused on air quality, alternative fuels,
alternative fuel vehicles and technology. The
event will showcase the innovative programs, policies and
technologies now being implemented in cities and companies in the
Inland Empire,
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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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