The Clean Bus Update is a monthly periodical that provides an overview of current program and policy activities related to the deployment of low-polluting, energy efficient buses. Topics include advanced vehicle technology issues, alternative fuels, clean air, petroleum dependence, global warming 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. Email rminjares@eesi.org or visit the www.eesi.org  for more info.

TOPICS

TEA-21 Reauthorization on a Fast Track

CMAQ A Significant Funding Source for Clean Bus Deployment

Capitol Hill Events Explore Bus Rapid Transit

Washington , DC Natural Gas Buses Demonstrate Fewer Emissions

NREL Releases Annual Advanced Vehicle Testing Update

Clean Bus Leaders Receive National Partner Awards at Annual Clean Cities Conference

EPA Invites Applications for Clean School Bus Grants

TEA-21 Reauthorization on a Fast Track

The month of July is being eyed by both the House and Senate as the key month to move for passage of a bill to reauthorize the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Stalling movement on both sides of the hill are proposals to increase funding for highways and transit. A proposal put forth by leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee calls for raising the federal gas tax, among other measures, but the Bush Administration and House leadership stiffly oppose this idea. On the Senate side a funding proposal put forth by Finance Committee members Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) calls for a bonding scheme to raise funds for surface transportation investment while putting transit projects at risk of losing guaranteed funding. Transit supporters have battled strongly against this measure. The funding debate continues to be a dividing issue and an obstacle for moving reauthorization quickly. House and Senate committees are expected to use as a guideline the reauthorization proposal put forth by the Bush Administration, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003 (SAFETEA) which would provide $247 billion for highway and transit programs over six years. Details of the proposal are available online at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reauthorization/safetea.htm. SAFETEA proposes to eliminate the Clean Fuels Formula Grant Program which was designed to pay for up to 80 percent of a clean bus project. It also proposes to eliminate the bus discretionary program, change the federal/local funding ratio for new starts projects from 80:20 to 50:50, and make bus rapid transit eligible for new starts funding. It would support research and development of advanced vehicle technologies by establishing a Multimodal Research Program to receive a total $100 million in Highway Trust Fund money over six years. An analysis of the SAFETEA provisions affecting clean bus issues can be found on the EESI website at http://www.eesi.org.

CMAQ A Significant Funding Source for Clean Bus Deployment

One of the largest sources of federal dollars to address the public health effects of transportation is the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program. Established by the Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and reauthorized under TEA-21, the goal of CMAQ is to fund projects and programs in non-attainment areas working to improve their air quality. CMAQ funds made available under TEA-21 averaged $1.35 billion over six years, a 50 percent increase over money made available under ISTEA. CMAQ funding is focused primarily on Transportation Control Measures (TCMs) whose purpose is to decrease emissions from motor vehicles. Any city, county, transit authority, state DOT or private or nonprofit entity (sponsored by a lead public agency) can propose a CMAQ project. According to the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP), states spent $9 billion in CMAQ money over the last ten years, sending $4 billion on transit-oriented projects and $3 billion on traffic flow improvement projects. Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are responsible for developing a consensus list of projects, but states decide where most CMAQ money is distributed. The Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) and other groups have argued for the suballocation of CMAQ money to the local level. A one-page fact sheet on CMAQ and the suballocation issue is available at the AMPO website or by going to http://www.ampo.org/policy/pdfs/CMAQ-revisedversion4feb27.pdf

Fleet conversions to use less-polluting alternative fuels are among the many eligible projects paid for by CMAQ. A review of the Federal Highway Administration's database of CMAQ projects by the National Academy of Sciences shows that states funded projects to purchase new transit vehicles. However, more than three times as much went toward the purchase of conventional fuel transit vehicles as opposed to alternative-fuel vehicles. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute published a study in 2001 of alternative fuel vehicle projects funded under CMAQ and found that over the previous ten years, $200 million went towards these projects. The report is available online at http://www.eesi.org/publications/EESI%20CMAQ%20Final%20Report.doc

According to STPP, states have been underutilizing available CMAQ funds. Records show that over the ten years of the program, only 81 percent of CMAQ funds apportioned to the states have been obligated. In contrast, states obligated 93.6 percent of funds apportioned by the National Highway System (NHS) Program to fund the construction of roads for single-occupancy vehicles. Click here to learn more: http://www.transact.org/library/decoder/ObligationLimit.pdf

CMAQ money can become a more important funding source for clean bus deployment. The number of proposals submitted for such projects and the support they receive from state and MPO officials, however can vary by state. More importantly, the CMAQ program must be reauthorized this year and funded at appropriate levels to continue to serve as a significant and accessible funding source for local communities.

Capitol Hill Events Explore Bus Rapid Transit

EESI held a congressional briefing June 23rd on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and its potential to expand investment in public transportation. The Department of Transportation in its SAFETEA proposal for TEA-21 reauthorization suggests non-fixed guideway systems (under which BRT systems would be categorized) be made eligible for funding under the Major Capital Investment (New Starts) Program. Fixed guideway systems like light- and heavy-rail are currently the only project types eligible for this funding. Bill Vincent of the Breakthrough Technologies Institute provided an introduction to BRT systems, followed by Sam Zimmerman of DMJM + HARRIS who provided an overview of a project he recently completed involving 26 case studies of BRT systems worldwide. His report will be made available shortly by the Transportation Cooperative Research Program (Project #A-23). Access the TCRP website at http://www.tcrponline.org. Barbara Sisson with the Department of Research, Demonstration and Innovation at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) expressed the administration's support for BRT, while Patrick Mullane with the office of Congressman Thomas Petri (WI-6th) shared some of his experiences visiting BRT systems in Europe . Speaking for the City of Los Angeles , Rex Gephart shared some of the city's projects and plans for the future of BRT. Presentations made by the speakers are available online by visiting the EESI website http://www.eesi.org and clicking on the Recent Briefings box.

The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee responsible for the transit title of the TEA-21 reauthorization bill held a hearing the following day on BRT. On hand to discuss the Bush Administration's proposal was Jennifer Dorn, Administrator of FTA. Following her were panelists covering a wide range of fields involved in the study and deployment of BRT in the United States .

More information on the Senate hearing is available at: http://www.senate.gov/%7Ebanking/03_06hrg/062403/index.htm

Washington , DC Natural Gas Buses Demonstrate Fewer Emissions

As part of its evaluation of emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles using cleaner fuels and advanced technologies, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released a summary of its evaluation of the compressed natural gas (CNG) bus fleet operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington , D.C. The evaluation concluded that CNG engines fitted with an oxidation catalyst produce 53 percent less nitrogen oxides, 85 percent less total particulate matter and 89 percent less carbon monoxide when compared to a similar bus using a standard diesel engine fueled with ultra-low sulfur diesel and fitted with an oxidation catalyst. Next up, project managers will evaluate Exhaust Gas Recirculation, an advanced diesel engine technology designed to reduce diesel emissions further. This will be compared to CNG buses in the WMATA transit fleet. 

A fact sheet on the project and its findings is available at http://www.afdc.doe.gov/pdfs/33280.pdf

NREL Releases Annual Advanced Vehicle Testing Update

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released the third version of its annual alternative fuel vehicle developments update. According to the report, the transportation sector accounted for 27.6 percent of total energy consumption in the United States , higher than any previous year. Heavy-duty vehicles were egregious emitters of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter from on-road mobile sources, producing 62 percent of PM10 and 53 percent of nitrogen oxides. Major engine manufacturers currently offer 22 heavy-duty alternative fuel vehicle models, the significant percentage of which is natural gas-powered with a smaller percentage of liquid petroleum gas (propane) engines represented. According to the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition about 11.4 percent of transit buses were powered by natural gas at the beginning of 2002. Regarding fuel accessbility, the NREL report states that propane fuel is the most accessible alternative fuel with about 3,400 fueling facilities nationwide. Domestic production of propane is also very high compared to petroleum fuels. The report notes biodiesel as a growing alternative fuel option. More than 100 fleets across the country use this domestically produced fuel currently supported by EPACT credits and state tax incentives. Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oil and used frying grease and can be used directly in diesel engines with little or no modification. Biodiesel produces significant reductions in greenhouse gas, particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions and requires little to no investment in supporting infrastructure. Annual production capacity is currently around 15 million gallons. Finally, the report notes growing interest and development of hybrid-propulsion and fuel cell technologies for heavy-duty vehicles. MTA New York City Transit has been demonstrating a hybrid-electric bus model since 1998 and will receive at the end of 2003 delivery of 125 OrionVII/BAE 40-ft hybrid-electric buses. Though fuel cell buses are not expected to be commercially available until 2010, development and demonstration by the Federal Transit Administration and the state of California are becoming increasingly active. It is expected that by the end of 2005 up to seven fuel cell buses will be in active service at three transit agencies in California . The European Union began deployment in May of a fleet of 30 fuel cell buses across ten cities, the world's largest fuel cell bus deployment to date.

The NREL report is accessible at http://www.afdc.doe.gov/pdfs/33433.pdf

Clean Bus Leaders Receive National Partner Awards at Annual Clean Cities Conference

The Ninth Annual Clean Cities Conference held May 18-21 this year in Palm Springs , CA inducted into the Clean Cities Hall of Fame three clean bus leaders for their efforts to deploy alternative fuels. Valley Metro Transit serving the region of Phoenix , Arizona was recognized for its operation of one of the largest natural gas fleets in the country. Using both liquid and compressed natural gas, about 70 percent of the bus fleet uses this inherently cleaner-burning fuel. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority was recognized for its operation of 164 natural gas buses and its plans to put into service by 2007 a total of 564 cleaner buses. The agency is retrofitting 618 buses with particulate filters, and renovating three garages to accommodate and fuel more natural gas buses. The Clark County School District serving the region of Las Vegas , Nevada was the third bus service provider recognized for its clean bus leadership. More than 1,100 buses in the Clark County School District fleet use biodiesel produced from waste taken from local hotel casinos. The school district has already integrated biodiesel into its maintenance fleet.

More information on the Clean Cities Award Recipients is available at http://www.ccities.doe.gov/pdfs/03partner_awards.pdf

An EESI fact sheet on Clean Bus Leaders is available at http://www.eesi.org/programs/cleanbus/leaders_2003.htm

EPA Invites Applications for Clean School Bus Grants

EPA is now accepting applications for its $5 million Clean School Bus USA grant program. The program will fund demonstration projects that document ways to reduce pollution from school buses through the use of EPA-verified pollution reduction technologies. EPA hopes to fund a range of programs from across the country representing urban, rural, large, and small school districts. Projects may include conversion to natural gas, propane, biodiesel and hybrid-electric engines, so long as the engine is EPA certified.

Grant applications will be accepted from schools, school districts, and from certain types of organizations and agencies (including schools; school districts; school transportation associations; other educational institutions; non-profit organizations; and state, local, multi-state, or tribal governmental agencies) proposing to establish a subgrant program. Applications are due by August 1, 2003 .

For more information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/air/grants_funding.html#trans

The Clean Bus Update was written by Ray Minjares and edited by Naomi Friedman . For questions or comments about this newsletter or any of the topics it covers, please email rminjares@eesi.org.