The
National Clean Bus Network
October
| November 2004 Clean Bus Update
Environmental
and Energy Study Institute Carol
Werner, Executive Director
122
C Street, NW Suite 630 Washington, DC 20001 P
202-628-1400 F 202-628-1825 www.eesi.org
Clean
Bus Highlights
EESI
Recognizes National Clean Bus Leaders
The
Environmental and Energy Study Institute recently recognized
seven organizations as national clean bus leaders for their
efforts to deploy cleaner buses.
Alameda-Contra
Costa Transit District
(Oakland, CA) was recognized for its leadership in investing
in and developing advanced technologies. AC Transit’s $20
million hydrogen fuel cell demonstration program promises to
be an important indicator for hydrogen’s integration into
the nation’s bus fleets and the transportation industry as
a whole. AC Transit’s commitment to the evaluative and
educational components of the demonstration program
illustrates the agency’s understanding of the factors that
lead to technological development and acceptance.
Durham
Public Schools
(Durham, NC) was recognized for its leadership in
establishing fleet-wide usage of biodiesel. During the
2003-2004 school year, Durham used more than 600,000 gallons
of B20 (a 20% biodiesel, 80% diesel blend) in its fleet of
325 buses. Durham received initial funding through the
federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement
Program (CMAQ) and has also received significant support
from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Durham’s use of biodiesel provides continued promise of a
new cash crop to North Carolina’s farmers who face an
uncertain future.
Jordan
School District
and Salt Lake Clean
Cities Coalition (Salt Lake City, UT) were
recognized for their leadership in promoting a cultural
awareness of alternative fuels and technologies. Working in
partnership, Jordan School District and Salt Lake Clean
Cities Coalition are striving to clean up Jordan ’s bus
fleet and integrate an innovative alternative fuels
curriculum into the district’s drivers’ education
programs. For the 2004-2005 school year, Jordan ’s
compressed natural gas (CNG) buses are expected to displace
approximately 33,000 gallons of petroleum and prevent nearly
250 tons of emissions.
King
County Metro Transit
(Seattle, WA) was recognized for its leadership in investing
in advanced technologies and emissions reduction strategies.
By year’s end, King County expects to fully integrate 213
hybrid-electric buses into full-time service. In their first
year of service, the hybrids are expected to save
approximately 750,000 gallons of petroleum and provide a
quieter, more efficient service. King County ’s use of
ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) continues to significantly
reduce particulate matter and other emissions, while
spurring the development of this important market.
Knoxville
Area Transit
(Knoxville, TN) was recognized for its leadership in
exploring innovative emissions reduction strategies. Special
recognition goes to Barry Greenberg, Knoxville Area Transit
(KAT)’s Director of Maintenance, who has provided many
innovative strategies for reducing the emissions of this
increasingly forward-thinking transit agency. In 19 months
KAT went from using no alternative fuels to using
alternative fuels in 80 percent of its fleet – a number
KAT hopes to increase to 95 or 100 percent. KAT’s
strategies include the use of propane, biodiesel (mixed on
site with additives to decrease NOx emissions), and
hybrid-electric technology. KAT’s onsite emissions testing
facility allows the agency to continually alter its use of
fuels to enable lower emissions.
The
Maine Department of
Environmental Protection was recognized for its
leadership in developing a statewide clean school bus
campaign. The campaign has coordinated efforts with student
transportation providers to establish commitments and
guidelines from school superintendents for better driving
practices with a particular focus on reducing idling. In the
first year of the program, schools implementing idle
reduction policies reduced idling of over ten minutes by
more than 50 percent – reducing emissions and providing a
healthier environment for students.
The
National Clean Bus Leadership Recognition Program was
initiated in 2003 by EESI to highlight the leadership of
local initiatives to bring cleaner buses to America ’s
communities and to remove America ’s dirtiest diesel buses
from our roadways. This program is part of EESI’s Clean
Bus Project, initiated with the goal of encouraging the
deployment of cleaner fuels and advanced vehicle
technologies by strengthening support for local, regional,
state, and national ‘clean bus’ initiatives that have
recognized the environmental and health impacts of
conventional diesel buses, and are working towards cleaner
transportation practices.
EESI
wishes to thank everyone for your nominations and
enthusiastic support of the program. Please keep an eye out
for a call for nominations during the second quarter of
2005.
Individual
case studies, press releases, contacts, and past leaders are
available on the National Clean Bus Leadership Recognition
Program’s website: http://www.eesi.org/programs/cleanbus/leadership/index.htm
Corporate
Tax Bill Includes Biodiesel, ULSD Production Credits
The
Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) corporate tax bill
signed October 22 by President Bush includes the Volumetric
Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) and credits for the
production of biodiesel and ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD).
VEETC will change existing law so that the credit will not
result in a loss of funds to the Highway Trust Fund, but
instead will be offset through Treasury funding. Effective
January 1, 2005 producers of biodiesel will receive a $.50
credit per gallon of fuel derived from non-virgin oils not
in mixture with diesel, and a $1.00 credit per gallon of
fuel derived from virgin oils not in mixture with diesel.
For biodiesel used in mixture the credit will be $.01 per
one percent of biodiesel. The credit will expire December
31, 2006. Also included in the bill is a $.05 per gallon
credit for the production of ULSD by small refiners. This
and credits to offset capital costs incurred by complying
with the upcoming diesel sulfur-level regulations should
significantly ease the transition to industry-wide adoption
of ULSD and cleaner burning engines. The biodiesel credit
should lower the price of biodiesel (B20 current average of
$2.40 a gallon) to be economically competitive with standard
diesel (current average of $2.20 a gallon)– which is
likely to spur much wider adoption of the fuel in transit
and school bus fleets across the United States.
Text
of the conference report is available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/hr4520/hr4520confreptlegtext.pdf
EPA
Releases Criteria Document for Particulate Matter
The
EPA has released its final science review document of clean
air standards for particulate matter (PM). The document, Air
Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter, is a
comprehensive analysis of scientific material regarding the
health effects of PM produced since the National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM were revised in 1997. EPA
is required by a consent decree to make a preliminary
decision regarding new PM standards by March 31, 2005 and a
final determination by December 20, 2005.
The
criteria document is available at http://cfpub2.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=87903
UCLA
Report Card Gives Southern
California Poor Marks, Cites Diesel Threat
The
University of California, Los Angeles Institute of the
Environment, recently released its 2004 Southern California
Environmental Report Card, giving generally poor marks to
the state of Southern California’s environment and the
agencies charged with protecting it. Critical in the 2004
report are examinations of traffic and air pollutant
exposure. The report cited significant traffic congestion
and gave poor grades for investments in and management of
transit, as well as the lack of congestion pricing. The
report found that residents of Southern California
experience significant ambient exposure to air pollutants,
but found that highest exposure occurs while in close
proximity to diesel school and transit buses with low
tailpipes. As part of the study, black carbon concentrations
(largely particulate matter) were measured inside a
passenger “chase” car while following a variety of
vehicles through Los Angeles. Researchers found that
following a diesel school or transit bus with a low tailpipe
exposed the car’s occupants to 18 times the concentration
of black carbon of a gasoline passenger car.
The
report is available at http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/publications/rc04.pdf
Study
Links Diesel Exhaust, Heart Disease
An
ongoing study by University of Southern California
researchers has found that artery wall thickness increases
with exposure to air pollution, namely particulate matter. A
thickening of artery walls leads to narrow arterial openings
and diminished blood flow – a precursor to cardiovascular
disease. Results were derived from two clinical studies of
800 individuals over 40 years of age. Researchers found that
women, the elderly, and those taking cholesterol-lowering
drugs were most susceptible.
An
overview of the findings is available at http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/story.php?id=10746
School
Siting Key to Children’s Health
A
report recently released by the Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory and the California EPA’s Office of
Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has found that school
children attending schools in high traffic areas of
California’s East Bay have a 7% higher incidence of asthma
and bronchitis than those attending school in low traffic
neighborhoods. Researchers used monitoring equipment to
measure levels of common vehicle emissions, and paired their
findings with health questionnaires sent home with students.
The study likened many students’ exposure at school to
being in the middle of a busy freeway and has laid the
groundwork for efforts to more accurately assess students’
ambient exposure to air pollution.
The
report is available at http://eetd.lbl.gov/ied/pdf/LBNL-55586.pdf
Zero-Emission
Bus Demonstration Program Underway
Santa
Clara California’s Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
and the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) have
embarked on a three year $18.5 million hydrogen fuel cell
demonstration project. The Zero-Emission Bus
Demonstration Program is part of the California Fuel Cell
Partnership and will incorporate three 40-foot hydrogen fuel
cell buses manufactured by San Francisco-based Gillig
Corporation with fuel cell engines supplied by Ballard Power
Systems, Inc into revenue service in January 2005. The
buses were delivered to VTA earlier this year and are
currently being road-tested after undergoing modifications
to improve their reliability. The program also
incorporates a liquid hydrogen fueling station,
modifications of facilities to allow for proper maintenance
of the new buses and to ensure the safe handling of the
hydrogen. Included in the modifications are two bus
maintenance bays with hydrogen detection and safety systems.
The program includes training of VTA and SamTrans staff on
the use of the new technology. Finally there will be
an evaluation of the demonstration by the Federal Transit
Administration and the Department of Energy with a final
report due to the California Air Resources Board by July 31,
2007.
Contact
Kurt Evans at kurt.evans@vta.org
or 408-321-5556 for more information.
A
profile of the program is available at http://www.vta.org/projects/ZEBs.html
California
Air Resources Board Holds Final Workshop for Revised Public
Fleet Rule
The
California Air Resources Board (CARB) held its fourth and
final workshop October 8th to discuss the proposed rule to
limit emissions from public and utility fleets in the state.
The rule would achieve emissions reductions by requiring
these fleets to retrofit their vehicles with “Best
Available Control Technology” or “BACT.” New filters
and engines are continuously added to the list of BACT, but
biodiesel is not recognized in California
as an alternative fuel; therefore this rule may require
public fleets using it to switch back to using conventional
diesel.
Comment period for the proposed rule - during which EESI and
many others submitted comments raising concerns and offering
recommendations regarding CARB’s treatment of biodiesel -
ended October 26th. Determination of the proposed rule is
expected to occur at a January 2005 board hearing.
The
October 8th workshop presentation is available at http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/bus/wrkshpresentransit102004.pdf
Biodiesel
Grant Program Seeks Applications
National
Clean Cities, Inc. has received approximately $200,000 in
funding from the United Soybean Board and the United States
Department of Energy Clean Cities Program to assist terminal
operators, distributors, fleets, and others in introducing
biodiesel into their vehicles to reduce the country's
dependence on foreign oil and decrease harmful emissions.
All applications must be submitted jointly by a local Clean
Cities Coalition and a corresponding Qualified State Soybean
Board. Applications must be received by December 6.
Applications
and program guidelines are available at http://www.nationalcleancities.org/BiodieselGrant.asp
Zinc-Air
Hybrid Buses in Final Development Phase
The
Electric Vehicle Division of Arotech Corporation has
successfully run its prototype zinc-air hybrid-electric bus
with fuel cells utilizing commercially available zinc –
instead of a custom blend previously required by the
technology. The successful trial is a significant step
towards commercialization in the final development phase of
the prototype. Although the Arotech zinc-air technology
boasts a substantially higher energy density than other
leading battery types, the prototype employs ultracapacitors
powered by regenerative braking to compensate for its
relatively lower power density.
More
information on the technology is available at http://www.electric-fuel.com/ev/index.shtml
New
Clean Diesel System Promises Reduced Emissions
The
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory
recently announced that it has developed a system that
converts diesel to a 30% hydrogen mixture that in turn
powers a fuel cell. The system is the result of six years of
research and a $25 million effort by the Office of Naval
Research and fuel cell supplier SOFCo-EFS and produces twice
the energy output of burning diesel, with no emissions of
sulfur or nitrous oxides. The system is likely to prove
attractive to the Navy as it will reduce the heat signature
of ships and is designed to utilize the type of high-sulfur
content diesel (up to 45,000 parts per million – as
compared to 500 ppm for standard on-road diesel) that the
Navy currently employs and is available around the world.
The
story is available at http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=207437
Truck
Stop Electrification Facilities Open in Three Southeastern
States
With
the opening of three truck stop electrification facilities
along Interstate 85 in North Carolina, South Carolina, and
Georgia, truckers can now enjoy a quieter, healthier
night’s sleep. Truckers now can connect to a hookup that
provides climate control, a satellite television connection,
electrical outlets, and a computer module with wireless
internet – instead of idling their engines. The three
stops combined will provide over 150 electrified spaces for
an estimated fuel savings of 800,000 gallons annually and
the prevention of tons of emissions each year. Truckers pay
about $1.50 an hour for the service – as compared to the
national average of $2.20 a gallon (1 gallon/hour of idling)
for diesel. The combined $3.5 million project was funded
through a $1.5 million State Technologies Advancement
Collaborative (STAC) grant from the Department of Energy,
with the differential provided by IdleAire Technologies
Corporation, supplier of the technology. State agency
participants include the North Carolina Division of Air
Quality, the South Carolina Energy Office, the South
Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, and
the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority.
It
is estimated that a single trucker idles for approximately
1,800 hours annually, at a fuel cost of $4,000.
Industry-wide, idling trucks burn an estimated billion
gallons of fuel each year, at a cost in upwards of $2
billion. That adds up to 5,000 tons of particulate matter,
180,000 tons of nitrogen oxide, and 11 million tons of
carbon dioxide emissions.
More
information on idling is available at http://www.epa.gov/smartway/idling.htm
More
information on electrification is available on IdleAire’s
website: http://www.idleaire.com/
Port
Agreement Lays Track for Freight Rail Shuttle
The
Port of Oakland has announced a partnership with Northwest
Container Services and the City of Shafter that will yield a
rail shuttle connecting the port and the Central Valley
city. Dubbed “a BART train for freight,” the project
promises to create an efficient, cleaner alternative to
truck service. Port officials expect the project to lure
business away from the busy Southern California ports of Los
Angeles and Long Beach that rely heavily on the trucking of
freight. The project is designed to improve the flow of
commerce, notably perishable goods, and will reduce the
heavy diesel pollution from trucks in West Oakland
neighborhoods. An integral component of the project will be
the development of the California Integrated Logistics
Center (CILC) in Shafter that will integrate an intermodal
rail freight facility designed to facilitate the transfer of
goods to and from the rail shuttle.
Additional
information on the agreement is available at http://www.portofoakland.com/newsroom/pressrel/pressrel_168.asp
California
Air Resources Board Off-Road Equipment Rule Workshops
The
California Air Resources Board (CARB) is starting work on a
diesel particulate matter (PM) control measure for in-use
off-road diesel-fueled engines greater than 25 horsepower
(off-road equipment rule). The off-road equipment rule will
be designed to reduce diesel PM emissions from construction,
mining, airport ground support, logging, and industrial
equipment such as forklifts. The rule will not cover
equipment used in agricultural operations, cargo handling
equipment used at ports and intermodal rail facilities, or
equipment already covered by another rule or agreement. The
first workshops to discuss the off-road equipment rule will
be held November 16, 2004 in Sacramento and November 17,
2004 in El Monte.
For
more information, please see the workshop notice at http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ordiesel/msc0416.pdf
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 if we haven’t heard 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 EESI 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. If there are issues we are missing and you
think we should cover, please let us know.
