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| On
August 10, 2005, President Bush signed into law the massive transportation
bill "Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity
Act - A Legacy For Users" (SAFETEA-LU), which authorizes $286.5 billion
in guaranteed funding over six years for federal highways and transit
programs. SAFETEA-LU marks a 30 percent increase in funding over
the $218 billion Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
(TEA-21) (PL No: 105-178) legislation that expired September
30, 2003. The long delayed reauthorization also includes $52.6 billion
in transit funding, up almost 46 percent from levels guaranteed
in TEA-21, and several provisions for clean buses. Negotiations
over the transportation reauthorization bill were stalled over disagreements
on funding and other provisions for almost 2 years resulting in
12 extensions before the legislators managed to find common ground
this year. Faced with the prospect of further extensions, the House
and Senate reached a compromise late in July and rushed to send
a bill to the President before the start of August recess. Significant
changes in the new law include a change in the rate of return for
‘donor’ states that will now see an increased rate of
return up to 92 percent in 2008 from the current rate of 90.5 percent.
Donor states are states contributing more taxes to the Highway
Trust Fund,
the principal source of funds for highway and transit programs,
than they receive in return as highway program dollars. This issue
was a major point of contention in deliberations over the bill in
the last two years with ‘donor” states hoping to see
the level of return rise to 95 percent. CONGESTION
MITIGATION AND AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CMAQ) Expanded
eligibility to include areas which are “maintenance” or in
“non-attainment” of the national air quality standard for PM2.5
(fine particulate matter), for funding. In December
2004, 208 counties were listed to be in non-attainment of the PM2.5
standard. The inclusion of PM2.5
“maintenance” or “non-attainment” areas means that
additional areas will now be eligible for CMAQ funding. In
addition, most counties in non-attainment of the PM2.5 standard
are also in non-attainment of the 8-hour ozone standard. This
creates a situation whereby areas are battling the twin problems
of particulate matter and ozone pollution while the available
CMAQ funds remain largely the same. CLEAN
FUELS GRANT PROGRAM The
new provisions in the program include changes in the funding mechanism
from formula based to discretionary grants. Federal match for projects
also increases from 80 percent to 90 percent. The Clean
Fuels Grant Program is a critical funding source for clean bus purchases,
and EESI will work with other clean bus stakeholders to ensure that
funds are appropriated for this program. CLEAN
SCHOOL BUS PROGRAM RESCISSION
OF UNOBLIGATED PROGRAM FUNDS |
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In an effort to advance the
first comprehensive energy policy in 13 years, Congress passed the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (H.R 6) which was then signed into law
by the President on August 8, 2005. The Energy bill which has been
several years in the making contains billions of dollars in tax incentives,
a Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and several provisions for increasing
cleaner transportation alternatives but does little to reduce oil consumption
in the transportation sector. For the first time ever, the energy bill requires the use of renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. The RFS sets a national usage requirement starting at 4 billion gallons in 2006 and increasing to 7.5 billion gallons in 2012. The RFS will provide a boost to the domestic renewable fuels market and help facilitate increased petroleum displacement in the transportation sector while providing environmental, energy security and economic benefits to communities. However,
the bill fails to address fuel economy in automobiles. In 2005,
oil imports hit record highs at 10.8 million barrels per day; the
transportation sector uses more than two-thirds of the oil consumed
in the United States. Efforts to strengthen fuel economy standards have
proven to be politically unpopular and repeatedly scuttled. As a
result efficiency has remained largely unaddressed while gasoline
prices continue to rise. The Administration recently unveiled a
proposal to increase fuel economy requirements in light trucks/SUVS
by a very small amount. ADVANCED
VEHICLES PILOT PROGRAM FUEL
CELL SCHOOL BUSES DEMONSTRATION CLEAN
SCHOOL BUS PROGRAM |
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| Senate to Consider Transportation Appropriations After Recess When Congress returns from recess in the beginning of September, it will turn its attention towards Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Transportation Appropriations Bill. The House has already approved FY 2006 transportation spending as part of the Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary and HUD Appropriations Bill (H.R 3058). Included in the House spending bill is $8.48 billion for transit programs. This marks an $836 million increase in funding over FY’05 levels. Amtrak passenger rail received a boost with the House voting overwhelmingly to keep funding for Amtrak. A floor amendment offered by Representatives Steven LaTourette (R-OH) and James Oberstar (D-MN) to increase funding for Amtrak to $1.176 billion passed easily by voice vote. Earlier, the House Appropriations Committee had voted to keep Amtrak funding at $550 million, a figure likely to have triggered the shut down of Amtrak. The Administration’s budget proposal proposed just $350 million for Amtrak, a cut of almost $1.2 billion. House members also voted to remove language in the bill that would have eliminated all long distance Amtrak routes. On the Senate side, the Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary and HUD Appropriations Bill passed out of full committee on July 21, 2005. The Senate will complete action on the bill in September. The Senate bill includes $8.2 billion for transit, which is $427 million over the Administration request of $7.78 billion and $562 million above FY’05 enacted levels. Amtrak is also funded at a level of $1.4 billion. The Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has indicated that the President is likely to veto a spending bill that contains funding for Amtrak unless there are provisions calling for significant restructuring. The Administration FY ‘06 request had nearly zeroed out funding for the nation’s passenger rail service and has repeatedly called for Amtrak reform. Also included in the Senate version is a requirement for $2.3 billion to be rescinded in 2006 from highway programs from core program funds including CMAQ which is a principal source of clean transportation funds. The rescission amount for FY 2005 for highway programs was $1.2 billion. In the past, states with poor air quality have used CMAQ funds disproportionately to comply with rescission directives. EESI will monitor the FY 2006 highway rescission and provide guidance to stakeholders on how to ensure fair treatment of CMAQ funds in the rescissions process. In
related news, the Senate agreed to an amendment offered by Senator
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to restore funding to the DOE Clean Cities program
in the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill (H.R.2419). The Senate
Appropriations Committee had earlier voted to slash funding for
the program by almost half to $6.5 million, but Senator Hatch who
is a strong supporter of the program offered a floor amendment to
restore funding to $10.6 million. The House voted to cut funding
for the program to $7 million; the Administration request is
for only $6.5 million. The Clean Cities program, with more than 80
Clean Cities Coalitions, is a vital effort to increase the deployment of
clean transportation across the country.
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| Gasoline Hybrid Buses Join Long Beach Fleet Long
Beach Transit Agency pressed into service 27 brand new gasoline-electric
hybrid buses in July 2005, marking yet another effort by the city
to clean up its transportation sector. The 40-foot buses, dubbed
“E-Power”, are manufactured by New Flyer Industries
and are equipped with ISE Corp.’s hybrid drivetrain. The buses
offer substantial emissions reductions, including particulate matter
emissions which are below measurable limits and lowered nitrogen
oxide emissions, which will help address some of the air pollution
problems the City of Long Beach struggles with. The
transit agency, which provides services to 27 million passengers
annually, plans to introduce 20 more hybrid buses by the end of
the summer with the option to purchase 20 each year for the next
four years. The buses were purchased at a cost of $550,000 each,
with funding from local, state and federal sources. Congresswoman
Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA) was instrumental in helping the
agency secure federal funding for the project. Other transit agencies
in California including Orange County Transportation Authority,
Gardena Municipal Bus Lines, Montebello Bus Lines and Norwalk Transit
will also be adding gasoline-electric hybrids to their fleets.
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| CARB Strikes Pollution Deal with Railroad Companies The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has entered into a pollution reduction agreement with Union Pacific Railroad and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railways, two of the largest railroad companies in the state. The agreement is expected to result in a 20 percent reduction in locomotive-related diesel particulate matter near rail yards. Elements of the plan include: 1) An agreement to phase out non-essential idling within six months and the installation of idle reduction devices within the next three years; 2) Repair locomotives with excessive smoke emissions; 3) Maximize the use of ultra-low sulfur diesel by January 1, 2007; 4) Conduct health risk assessments for 17 major rail yards and prepare a mitigation plan. However, the plan has met with skepticism from local air quality regulators, environmental groups and community leaders who contend it was drawn up without public debate. They argue that a provision in the plan allows railroad companies to walk away from clean up efforts if local regulatory agencies pass stricter controls. The agreement comes as California lawmakers are getting set to consider three bills to curtail railroad pollution. Critics also fear that the agreement may render the Los Angeles “No Net Increase” plan (see related story) to prevent port pollution less effective. Union Pacific and BNSF are the major railroads serving the port. CARB counters that the agreement offers California the opportunity to make emission cuts in the railroad sector which is largely regulated by federal agencies. Idling locomotives and other rail yard equipment contribute significantly to smog forming emissions in southern California, especially in San Bernardino county and Los Angeles. For
more information on the CARB Railroad agreement, see:
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| Fuel Cell Buses Debut in Beijing Beijing stepped up efforts to clean up transportation-related air pollution in the city with a plan to introduce three fuel cell buses. The buses which will be pressed into service in September 2005 were delivered to a DaimlerChrysler AG facility in China. The Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses are equipped with a 205 kW Ballard Power Systems’ fuel cell engine and are part of a fuel cell demonstration project in China to test the durability of fuel cell technology. The project which runs through October 2007 includes the following partners: 1) DaimlerChrysler AG, 2) the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), 3) Beijing Public Transport Corporation (BPTC), which is one of the largest transit authorities in the world operating around 17,000 buses, 4) British Petroleum (BP), the hydrogen supplier, and 5) Sinohytech, which will produce the hydrogen. The project will be monitored by Tsinghua University in Beijing and is funded in part by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The European Commission is also participating in the project to ensure integration with the European Union’s Fuel Cell Bus Project (CUTE) which involves 30 fuel cell demonstration projects in 10 European cities. More
information available at:
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San Diego recently added 103 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to its fleets at San Diego Transit and North County Transit District (NCTD). The buses are powered by Cummins Westport’s 8.3 liter C Gas Plus engines and offer lowered emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. NCTD which received a total of 56 new buses now operates 79 CNG buses which make up approximately 50 percent of the fleet. San Diego Transit also received 47 new compressed natural gas buses (CNG) in June 2005, the first new additions to its fleet in over 15 years. Manufactured by New Flyer Industries, the 40-foot CNG buses cost approximately $350,000 each. The purchase was facilitated by federal, state and local grants. More information available at: http://www.cumminswestport.com/corporate/newsdetail.php?id=278&return_to=press.php
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| Hybrid
Buses Coming to Transit
in
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| Japan Demonstrating Gas-to-Liquid Diesel Hybrid Bus Japanese
manufacturers Toyota Tsusho Corp., Showa Shell Sekiyu, JR Tokai Bus
Company, and Shell International Gas have partnered to demonstrate
the world’s first gas-to-liquid (GTL) diesel hybrid bus. The
bus will operate for two months transporting passengers to the 2005
World Exposition at Aichi as well as commuters in The
bus uses Shell International
Gas will provide the GTL Fuel made from natural gas by the Fischer-Tropsch
GTL cracking process. The
fuel is colorless, odorless and cleaner than conventional diesel
fuel. It is virtually free of sulfur and aromatics. |
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The Los Angeles Port Air Quality Task Force finally submitted its “No Net Increase” plan to curtail port-related emissions in the LA area to outgoing Mayor James Hahn on June 29. The 603-page report identifies 68 control measures to decrease air emissions from ships, harbor craft, rail operations, cargo terminal equipment and trucks operating in the Port and throughout the region. The report is the result of nine months of extensive analysis and deliberations by the 21-member task force appointed by the Mayor to find ways to decrease port pollution in the area. In recent years, the LA-Long Beach Port complex has emerged as the single largest air polluter in the region, producing nearly 20,000 tons of nitrogen oxides, and 1000 tons of particulates in 2001. The port complex, which is the largest in the country, has experienced a surge in economic trade resulting in soaring diesel emissions. The report states that since 2001 particulate matter emissions from the ports have increased 64 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by almost 42 percent. In the absence of pollution controls, port pollution is expected to rise significantly. Some of the major initiatives recommended by the task force include a proposal to replace older trucks at the port with cleaner models, introduce ultra-low sulfur diesel in ships, and install electric power sources for ships docked at the port or idling near shore. The plan is expected to result in significant health benefits including 2,200 fewer premature deaths by 2025 and billions in health care cost savings as a result of improved air quality. However, the plan is not without its critics. Industry officials have complained that the $10-15 billion price tag for implementation of the plan is not feasible. Environmentalists argue that the health cost savings projected at almost $20 billion makes the expenditure well worth the price. Critics also contend that the 20-year timeline of the plan will do little to reduce emissions in the short term. Regardless, the plan represents an important first step for the Los Angeles area effort to clean up port and goods-related emissions. More
information on the plan available at:
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Three separate independent analyses commissioned by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicate that even small increases in ozone pollution may raise the risk of mortality. The studies, which were conducted by researchers at the New York University School of Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health and the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, represent the first attempt by the EPA to quantify the risk posed by ozone to public health. One set of researchers used data from 14 US cities, 13 Canadian cities, and 21 European cities. Another study used the data from the Morbidity and Mortality Air Pollution Study (NMMAPS) study of 95 cities together with European studies, while the third was smaller in scope, using data from seven US cities plus other worldwide data for various parts of the analysis. Although the three studies used different data sets and slightly different approaches, they were able to find “strong evidence of a short-term association between increases in ozone and mortality.” Two of the three studies found that small increases of 10 parts per billion in ozone resulted in increased mortality by 0.85 percent over the next couple of days following the increase. The results of the studies come as EPA is evaluating and preparing to possibly revise the national air quality standard for ozone. The current national 8-hour standard for ozone is 0.08 parts per million (ppm) but researchers, scientists and health professionals are concerned that the current standard does not adequately protect public heath. The new standard is due by December 2006. More
information on these three scientific analyses is available in the July
issue of Epidemiology
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| CARB
Public Hearing on Amendments to Fleet Rule The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will conduct a public meeting to consider adoption of amendments to the exhaust emission standards and test procedures for urban bus engines and vehicles and to the CARB Fleet Rule for transit agencies. The purpose of these amendments is to achieve emission reductions from the operations of transit agencies throughout the state, and to make changes in the regulations to specifically address transit vehicles used in the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). Also under consideration will be amendments related to regulations governing diesel particulate control measures for solid waste collection vehicles and regulations for school buses in SCAQMD. More
information is available at:
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| Biodiesel Utilization Workshop and Production Workshop 2005
A
Biodiesel Utilization and
Biodiesel Production Workshops will be held by the University of
Idaho in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture to share
information about biodiesel, its utilization and production. •
Share up-to-date information about the health and air quality of
biodiesel benefits and
other diesel fleets School board members, school administrators, those involved with fuel purchasing, operating and maintaining bus fleets, parents, or others concerned with children’s exposure to hazardous air pollutants are especially invited to register for these workshops. Scholarships available to school district personnel to encourage attendance. More
information is available at:
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Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) 5th National Meeting October 19-21, 2005 WestStart
CALSTART and the For
more information, please see:
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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 Shefali Ranganathan at sranganathan@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. If there are issues we are missing and you think we should cover, please let us know. | |
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T he 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. |
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