News Developments Updated Feb. 21, 2006 Engine Manufacturers Question CHICAGO -- The South Coast Air Quality Management District, a strong advocate of removing diesel-powered buses and trucks from California roads, is scheduled to release a critical report on toxic emissions but before that occurs, major revisions are needed according to the Engine Manufacturers Association. The association states "major revisions are needed to improve the accuracy and usefulness" of the AQMD's Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study (MATES II). "Our main concern is that the public will be misled," said EMA executive director Glenn Keller. "The methods used in the draft MATES II report incorrectly estimate cancer risks and describe them as 'average risks' to the public. That's simply not true." The EMA, which represents worldwide manufacturers of internal combustion engines, including Caterpillar, Cummins, GMC and International, claims scientific researchers have identified significant uncertainties and errors in the way AQMD staff determined the health risks of toxic air contaminants in the report. In particular, EMA cited inaccurate estimates of diesel particulates, noting the calculation is based on "outdated and incomplete data from the early 80s." The association also states the risk levels are not real-life exposure levels. Source: School Transportation News, February 2000. Supreme Court to Rule on
SCAQMD Ruling on Clean Diesel WASHINGTON, DC -- It isn't often that the U.S. Supreme Court decides a case that directly impacts the school bus industry. But on April 28 - coincidently the same day a coalition of school bus interests was meeting with congressional delegations in the same city - the court handed down a decision that, although not directly impacting pupil transportation, has the potential of affecting pupil transportation broadly and deeply, albeit temporarily. The 8-1 ruling came in Engine Manufacturers Association and Western States Petroleum Association v. South Coast Air Quality Management District et a l., Supreme Court case No. 02-1343). The case involved rulings by two lower courts that found in favor of the South Coast Air Quality Management District in California . The SQAMD had issued clean fleet rules in the summer of 2000, requiring fleet operators of school buses, transit buses, trash trucks, airport shuttles and taxis, street sweepers and heavy-duty utility trucks, to buy clean-fueled models when they replace vehicles or add to their fleets of 15 or more vehicles. AQMD does not consider diesel, even low sulfur diesel, as a clean fuel. The fleet rules resulted in a ban on the sale of diesel powered vehicles throughout the 5 county AQMD region. "The fleet rules apply to fleets of 15 vehicles or more, smaller fleets are exempt," said a spokesman for the AQMD. "For fleets subject to the rules it requires fleet operator, when replacing an old vehicle, to buy alternative fuel model. Alternative fuel is defined as a natural gas vehicle or one that has equivalent emission to natural gas specifically with respect to particulate matter, toxicity and NOx. "Regarding the clean diesel question," he continued, "initially diesel engine mfg tried to make the case that diesel is a lot cleaner that it used to be and should be allowed under rules. But the policy of our governing board is to set the bar at natural gas vehicle. Today, although diesel engines have become a lot cleaner through use of particulate traps, diesel engines still do not have the same low level of emissions. That's why diesel vehicles have not qualified as compliant vehicles." AQMD's decision followed completion of the agency's Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study which showed that 80 percent of the cancer risk from air pollution for all residents, not just children on school buses, is due to diesel exhaust. School buses were lumped in charter and public transit buses, garbage trucks, street sweepers and airport shuttles. Authored by Justice Antonin Scalia , the court ruled that SCAQMD may have overstepped its authority in imposing its own anti-smog rules for fleet vehicles. Justices said regulators did not have the right to impose rules requiring private fleets to use engines that burn clean fuel and produce low emissions. While limiting its findings to private diesel-powered fleets, the Supreme Court ordered the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to rule on whether the AQMD can regulate public fleets. So how does this ruling, which limits regulation of privately-owned fleets affect, school buses, you ask? Clearly, district owned fleets do not come under the latest Supreme Court ruling, but what about privately owned school bus fleets contracted to public school districts? "We believe the decision by the Supreme Court still allows the AQMD to regulate private contractor fleets contracted by public agencies," said an AQMD spokesman. The agency is expected to discuss, vote on and formalize its views on this question by mid summer. In the meantime, the Supreme Court remanded to the District Court in Los Angeles to further adjudicate the question of whether the AQMD has the authority to regulate public fleets, such as those owned by school districts. Whatever the lower court rules may turn out to be a moot issue in a couple of years. As currently written, the 2007 EPA emission standards mandate a lower diesel emission level than CNG, currently the AQMD's preferred alternate fuel. In fact the diesel emissions standards for NOx and particulate matter will be lower by half. By 2010 EPA expects a 98 percent reduction of emissions from diesel compared to today.
SCAQMD Proposes Replacemt of
DIAMOND BAR, Calif. -- The South Coast Air Quality Management District, the air pollution control agency for much of Southern California, has proposed a rule requiring government agencies and their contractors, including school bus operators, to make a gradual shift to "clean burning" fuels. All fleets of 15 or more vehicles operated by public agencies or private businesses to transport passengers and cargo under contract to a government agency would be required, beginning in 2002. Clean-burning fuel includes compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), liquefied natural gas, methanol, electric batteries and gasoline. AQMD's Proposed Rule 1190 - Clean On-Road Vehicles for Government and Airport Operations will be brought before the district governing board in February and a public workshop on the matter is scheduled to take place Feb. 19. Source: School Transportation News, January 2000. Caterpillar Launches Diesel Awareness Campaign MOSSVILLE, Ill. - Tired of, and even threatened by, the critics of diesel-fueled engines, Caterpillar has launched the Diesel Engine Campaign Association to represent the industry and educate the public on the merits of today's low-emission diesel-powered products. "Our industry must step up and present a unified front," said Bill Mayo, general manager of Caterpillar's Truck Engine Division. "If we don't, we may be regulated out of business and the public may lose diesel as a viable power source in the future." Part one of that strategy is the launch of an industry-wide campaign to communicate the environmental friendliness and economic benefits of the diesel engine. It is expected to be in place by mid-year. Much of that effort focuses on the emission improvements made in recent years and further reductions in carbon dioxide and particulates that are expected to follow in the future. Caterpillar notes diesel engines now emit one-third less carbon dioxide than gasoline engines. Also, NOx emissions have been reduced by 70 percent and diesel emissions will be reduced by an additional 50 percent over the next decade, according to the company. Those improvements are often lost on the community, says the company. "When someone sees an out-moded, smelly, poorly maintained bus or truck, it's easy to assume all diesel products represent an environmental threat," said Cat's Marsha Baker who has been named to head the campaign. The economic implications of diesel are significant, according to Baker. Without diesel-powered transportation products, fully 77 percent of America's communities would not have access to goods necessary for everyday living. Eliminating diesel as a viable power source would collapse America economy, she said. She noted that trucking companies purchased more than 262,000 Class 8 trucks in 1999 -- surpassing the previous record, set in 1998, of nearly 210,000 vehicles. Source: School Transportation News, March 2000. Montebello USD to Use New Diesel LOS ANGELES -- The Montebello Unified School District will now utilize a newly developed technology from Krupp-Bilstein of America which reduces the toxicity of diesel engine exhaust. The Bilstein Industrial Engine Flush System circulates environmentally safe detergents within the fuel injection system, oil passages, oil galleys, and crank case area of a diesel engine, and through a series of "wash, soak, and rinse" cycles and ultra-fine filtration, evacuates sludge, particular matter, contaimants, and soot. These foregn elements can burn off during combustion, fume out the exhaust, and circulate into the air. Soot was determined to be a cancer-causing carcinogen by the California Air Resources Board in 1998. The California Highway Patrol was ordered to issue citations to heavily polluting diesel vehicles by spot-checking vehicle opacity. Opacity is the percentage of light obstructed from passage through an exhaust smoke plume as measured by a test developed by the Socity of Automotive Engineers. School buses, along with other buses in public transit services, have not been heavily fined by the CHP. It was determined that of all diesel vehicles, buses of all types contribute less than two percent of soot and other pollutants into the atmosphere. To help kick off the program, State Farm Insurance Company has made arrangements with the MotorLife Corp., the company supplying the school district with the system, to supply the equipment at no charge to the school district. Source: School Transportation News, May 2001. SACRAMENTO (November 2003) - A new $450,000 study for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) conducted by researchers at UCLA and UC Riverside, found that pollution levels and air quality inside school buses might be unhealthy. Released in mid-October, this is the latest in a string of studies suggesting high pollutant concentrations inside school buses. The Children's School Bus Exposure Study was conducted to determine the range of children's exposures to diesel vehicle-related pollutants and other vehicle pollutants during the commute to school. Due to the small number of vehicles studied, and the wide variety of factors that impact results and conclusions, researchers repeatedly cautioned that results should not be generalized to all school buses. Researchers cautioned the study was "not designed to provide generalized comparisons between various bus types or fuels." During the tests five conventional school buses, a diesel bus outfitted with a particulate trap, and a school bus powered by CNG - the buses were manufactured from 1975 to 2002 - were driven on Los Angeles Unified School District bus routes. The routes included freeway driving, and urban, and rural/suburban routes; no children were onboard during the tests, and the tests were conducted during normal commute times. Measurements were made inside the bus at both the front and back of the vehicle, with windows partially open and closed. An inert tracer gas, sulfur hexafluoride, was added to each bus's exhaust to measure intrusion into the passenger compartment. The tracer gas was not incorporated into the particulate matter emissions, but sufficient concentrations were added from an onboard tank so as to make the tracer detectable on all buses. According to the study, "Research has shown that concentrations of vehicle-related pollutants on and near roadways can be up to ten times higher than those measured at the nearest ambient monitor." This observation applies equally to buses as well as cars. Researchers found that traffic density is critical to exposure. The study found "compelling data" that exposures during commutes are significantly elevated and need to be reduced. "The influence of other traffic exhaust emissions is a key determinant of expose," said the study. "With the window open, DRP (diesel vehicle-related pollutant) concentrations were two to three times higher on the primary urban route compared to the suburban or rural route." Idling during loading and unloading was not found to be a significant source of exposure. The study was conducted more than a year ago, well before California's recent adoption of an anti-idling measure. Researchers calculated that a child's lifetime cancer risk due to diesel particulate matter increased approximately 4 percent or an increase of 30 per million-lifetime risk. The risk was based assuming commutes by uncontrolled diesel school bus two hours per day for 13 years as a child progresses through the K-12 system. The study noted that "car travel is more dangerous than buses," and that school buses are "safest vehicle per passenger mile to get to school according to the Transportation Research Board." Representatives of the pupil transportation industry quickly responded to the CARB study. A joint press release from NASDPTS, NAPT and the NSTA cautioned that potential health risks of diesel emissions are dwarfed by a more immediate danger of walking, bicycling or riding to school with a parent or friend rather than by taking a yellow school bus. Parents should not "overreact by taking children off school buses because the ARB predicted a small theoretical health risk from riding a school bus over many years," said Charles Gauthier, executive director of NASDPTS. "The greatest risk is a current and factual one; 800 children are killed every year because they didn't ride school buses." "Overall this is a good report," Gauthier said. "Not surprisingly, the key thing in the ARB report is that on their own they have recognized that even though there may be a potential of health risk for children that ride school buses for 10-12 years, that increase in health risk is more than offset by the known safety risks if you take the kids off school buses." He continued, "This is a document we can use to obtain state, local and federal funds to replace older buses with newer technology. We will not fight it," he said. CARB recommendations to reduce emission exposure in and around school buses: · Replace conventional buses with alternate fueled or particulate trap equipped
buses to reduce exposures; Source: School Transportation News, November, 2003
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A federal appeals court rejected attempts May 3 by some engine makers and fuel refiners to squelch the Environmental Protection Agency's 2007 emissions requirements for diesel trucks and buses, adding yet another chapter to the long-running debate over diesel fuel and school buses. Cummins, Inc., led the suit alleging the EPA acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" in mandating its latest emission standards. The National Petroleum Refiners' Association (NPRA) objected to the EPA's deadlines, saying that substantial reductions in the sulfur content of diesel fuel should occur in a "reasonable timeframe." The court discarded the claims, however, dealing an across-the-board rejection to petitioners' complaints. The standards, which were issued in the final weeks of the Clinton administration and supported by the Bush administration, require diesel engines to cut particulates and nitrogen oxides by more than 90 percent. It also mandates a 97% reduction in the sulfur of diesel fuel. The new fuel will go into use in mid-2006, and manufacturers are expected to begin rolling out new models next year to burn the new diesel in 2004. Engine manufacturers argued the technology is not available to meet the more stringent tailpipe emission requirements by 2007, when they will begin to be phased in. The NPRA said the fuel requirements would lead to shortages. The ruling was praised by unlikely bedfellows - environmentalists, auto manufacturers and diesel engine maker International Truck and Engine Corp. Environmentalists view the tougher bus tailpipe rules as key to tackling a major source of dirty air. Auto manufacturers want refiners to produce more low-sulfur fuel, which is necessary for meeting auto emission standards in diesel cars they hope to sell. International, which signed on to the government's case as an Intervenor, already is EPA-certified for meeting the 2007 standards in school buses with its Green Diesel Technology. Studies determining the health impact of school bus diesel emissions have reached contradictory conclusions. While diesel manufacturers have fended off the attacks, they've been focused on meeting tough emission standards that go into effect in October. Originally slated for 2004, these requirements were moved to 2002 after a comprise between the EPA and engine makers stemming from a 1998 lawsuit over the issue of NOx emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines. Once the 2002 standards are met, manufacturers now, thanks to the court's ruling, will have to focus on the 2007 standards. The case, filed in the District of Columbia Circuit, can be read at http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/Fed-Ct/Circuit/dc/opinions/01-1052a.html. Source: School Transportation News, May 2002. EPA
Proposes New 2007 Diesel WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With less than a month left in the Clinton Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency today announced a plan to combine cleaner diesel fuel and more stringent diesel engine emission requirements for trucks and buses. The plan will take effect in 2007. "Vehicles will be 95 percent cleaner than today's trucks and buses," said EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner. "By addressing diesel fuel and engines together as a single system, this action will produce the clean-air equivalent of eliminating air pollution from 13 million of today's trucks (and buses.)" The unprecedented action is the Administration's first formal acknowledgement of so-called green diesel. Green diesel contains significantly lower amounts of sulphur, a key ingredient of diesel emissions. Starting in 2006, the rule requires the sulfur content of diesel fuel be lowered to 15 ppm from 500 ppm - a reduction of 97 percent. EPA predicts that once the program is fully implemented it will reduce particulate matter by 90 percent and eliminate more than 2.6 million tons of smog-causing nitrogen oxide emissions. "These are unprecedented requirements that anticipate unprecedented technological innovation for the diesel industry," said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, an industry trade group. "Today's heavy-duty diesel engines emit only one-eighth the levels of nitrogen oxides and particulates compared to an engine built in 1988. These new requirements come on top of further reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions that will take place in the 2002-2004 time frame," he said. Because the diesel industry has an annual output of $85 billion a year to the U.S. economy, these new standards promise a significant impact. The rule requires advances in catalyst and exhaust filter systems, as well as improved cracking methods by oil refiners. Click here to access the EPA proposal. Source: School Transportation News, December 2000. Court
Denies EPA Appeal WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. District Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. rejected the Environmental Protection Agency's new limits on ozone and particulate matter, meaning the impact of the agency's emission standards on diesel engine builders is likely to be minimal. On May 14, a three-judge panel called parts of the EPA's 1997 smog regulations "arbitrary and capricious" and sent them back for further review. The agency's new ozone measurement would have changed the existing ozone standard to 0.085 parts per million from the present 0.12 ppm. It also proposed a standard for measuring particulate matter smaller than 10 microns in diameter which the court also threw out. The EPA can appeal the decision but regardless of what action takes place as a result, it will likely not affect diesel engine builders until 2003. New implementation plans are scheduled to be enacted in 2003 at which time there may be an effect on diesel engine builders. Source: School Transportation News, June 1999. CARB
Study: Low Sulfur Diesel Produced SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A transit bus equipped with a particulate filter running on low sulfur diesel fuel produced lower emissions than a compressed natural gas bus, according to a study released April 18 by the California Air Resources Board. The particulate-filtered bus released lower amounts of particulate matter (PM) and toxic organic compounds, but produced an increase in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emitted as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) compared to the CNG bus, CARB said. However, while the study, which also examined a low sulfur fuel bus without a diesel particulate filter (DPF), said both CNG and DPF buses are "significantly superior" to conventional diesel buses, "no single technology is clearly superior to the others." "Both technologies are proven and offer a verified benefit for reduction of total PM mass emissions," the report said. CARB studied emissions from a CNG 40-passenger transit bus; a diesel 40-passenger transit bus running on low-sulfur ECD-1 Arco diesel fuel; and the same diesel bus retrofitted with a Johnson Matthey Continuously Regenerating Technology DPF and running on ECD-1. The DPF bus performed better in eight of 11 emission categories tested. The CNG bus only recorded lower levels of NOx, NO2 and CO2. Furthermore, the report said the mutagenicity findings suggest that "CNG PM is not inert and may pose a toxic risk." Mutagenicity is the measure of mutations in an organism and evidence of substance's potential toxicity. The report cautioned, however, that the mutagenic numbers cannot be used directly to determine cancer risk by inhalation. The CNG NOx emissions were approximately a third lower than diesel vehicle emissions, but, the report said, the "modest" increase in NO2 emissions in DPFs was offset by the significant beneficial reductions in PM and non-methane hydrocarbon. According to CARB, the data also suggested levels of some toxic pollutants, such as benzene, in CNG exhaust "require further study and may warrant additional control." The CNG bus, however, was not equipped with a particulate filter or other after-treatment equipment, such as an oxidation catalyst. The agency plans to conduct additional tests with the CNG bus refitted with an oxidation catalyst and a new CNG bus equipped with an installed oxidation catalyst. Results are expected in mid-2002. Officials from the CNG and low sulfur fuel camps both reacted positively to the study, though for obvious different reasons. "CARB's research suggests the possibility of significant adverse health impact from widespread use of natural gas vehicles," said Dr. William B. Bunn, Vice President, health, safety and productivity of International Truck and Engine Corporation, which manufacture's a low sulfur fuel-compatible bus engine. "Assertions that natural gas exhaust is not toxic are not credible. In fact, as this new study corroborates, low-emitting diesel exhaust may include fewer pollutants than natural gas exhaust." CNG officials took a different tack, saying the research shows that yesterday's natural gas technology compares with tomorrow's diesel technology. "This comparison might be valid if the natural gas engine producers were not already equipping engines with pollution controls, but the fact is-they are," said Michael Eaves, chairman of the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition. "The natural gas industry is committed to being the cleanest transportation fuel, and we are working continually to improve our engines so that all Californians can benefit." Source: School Transportation News, May 2002. Minnesota's School Buses will Run on Soybeans MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- A bill requiring diesel fuel sold in the state to contain a 2 percent blend of soy or vegetable oil became law without the governor's signature March 11, making Minnesota the first state to mandate biodiesel in its fuel. Gov. Jesse Ventura (I) said he supported the pursuit of renewable fuels, but disagreed with the idea of any government mandate, thus he allowed the bill to go forward without signing it. Ventura also warned of increased inflation as it is estimated a 2 percent biodiesel blend will add 2 cents to the price of a gallon of diesel fuel. Trucking industry officials opposed the bill, arguing that additional costs could be as high as 44 cents a gallon when other factors are taken into consideration. But Denny Coughlin, director of maintenance for Minneapolis Public Schools, said biodiesel will have little effect. "I don't expect that we will know the difference," Coughlin said. "However, biodiesel is not real friendly in extremely cold weather. My biggest concern is cold weather, but with only a 2 percent requirement for all internal combustion engines, it shouldn't be too bad." Biodiesel is made from vegetable oils such as soybeans, or animal tallow such as grease. Soybeans are an important state crop and the legislation is intended more as a boon for soybean farmers, who've seen a slumping market in recent years, than for environmental reasons. Early in the school year, the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association ran a series of radio advertisements promoting biodiesel's environmental benefits, while alleging that school bus riders are being subjected to harmful diesel emissions. The ads cited a since-debunked Natural Resources Defense Council report that said diesel fumes inside school buses where hazardous to children's health. "They were trying to scare the public, and parents in particular, into using more of their product through an ad campaign that misleads and misinforms," said Julie Bernick, the president of the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association. The biodiesel law does not become effective until June 30, 2005, but will take effect earlier if 8 million gallons of soy-based biodiesel are produced annually in Minnesota or if the state or federal government provides a 2-cent per gallon tax credit for 2 percent biodiesel blends. Source: School Transportation News, May 2002.
California Board May Dump Diesel for Good SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Caifornia Air Resources Board will vote in March whether to repeal the current diesel-bus option and require state transit agencies to buy only natural gas and other alternate-fuel buses, venturing yet again into the sticky issue of diesel vs. natural gas. The question is similar to one that Southern California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD ) answered last year by forcing schools to purchase alternative-fueled vehicles, typically natural gas, when adding or replacing buses. Many in the school transportation industry argued for the agency to preserve the choice of clean diesel (so-called "Green Diesel") or natural gas busses. But the agency decided, largely based on a now-debunked National Resources Defense Council report that said diesel exhaust was a cancer risk for children, to require natural gas. The California Air Resources Board almost followed suit last year. The board considered banning diesel buses in favor of cleaner-burning natural gas – and ultimately hydrogen fuel cells – but, unlike SCAQMD, lobbying from transit operators and engine manufacturers persuaded the board to give transit agencies the choice of which bus type to purchase. Some operators complained that converting to natural gas only to have to convert later to hydrogen was a waste of money. Natural-gas buses cost $40,000 more than a $280,000 diesel bus. Others argued that cleaner-burning diesel fuel and more efficient diesel engines could be developed that would reduce harmful emissions. A compromised was reached wherein the board allowed diesel buses to live, but required agencies to create plans outlining how they eventually will curb diesel pollution. The compromise has come to be known as the "Bay Area Exemption," as the San Francisco-Oakland vicinity is among the few regions where transit agencies have not elected to dump diesel and utilize cleaner-burning fuels. Five of six transit agencies in San Diego and 11 of 18 in the Los Angeles area moved to alternative-fuel buses. Progress has been much slower, and the source of much consternation for the board, in the Bay Area, however, where 13 of 15 transit agencies still use diesel buses. Among Bay Area agencies, only Sonoma County Transit and Union City Transit embraced the non-diesel buses. The Bay Area bus fleet is 88 percent diesel, whereas Los Angeles is 50 percent. Particularly frustrating for the board is that some agencies have failed to submit the required plans in reducing diesel emissions, which health officials claim is the worst source of air pollution. And now manufacturers say producing cleaner-burning diesel buses by the 2007 state requirement is not feasible, as research and development to satisfy stringent California rules are not cost effective while federal rules are more lax. Source: School Transportation News, March 2002. California
Air Resources Board
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gray Davis approved a $50 million allocation plan to help solve the possible hazard that school bus emissions pose to children's health. Diesel buses have been targeted as part of the problem, but the efforts of at least one engine manufacturer have turned a problem into a solution. Plan Amends Earlier Proposal On December 7, the California Air Resources Board recognized "green diesel" as part of the clean air solution, allowing $12.5 million of the $50-million budget for the purchase of OEM low-sulfur "green" diesel school bus engines, and another $12.5 million to retrofit old buses with low emission diesel technology. The remaining $25 million is allocated to the purchase of new natural gas buses. The final plan amends the Board's earlier proposal that excluded the new diesel technology from the spending program aimed at protecting children from cancer-causing emissions. Under the plan proposed in September, only natural gas buses that cost $25,000 more than their new diesel alternatives were to be subsidized. The decision is a victory for the health of all Californians, especially children, said Tom Trueblood, manager of public affairs for International Truck and Engine Corp. Two Categories Created In it's final guidelines; the Board has created two categories for OEM school buses. Natural gas buses must be certified to ARB's optional, reduced-emission NOx standards (2.5 g/bhp-hr or lower) and a PM emission level of 0.03 g/bhp-hr; and low sulfur diesel buses will be required to meet 3 grams of NOx and a 0.01 g/bhp-hr PM level. International is on target to bring to market in mid-2001 a new school bus fueled by ultra-low sulfur fuel, and equipped with a catalyzed particulate trap and a special low-NOx engine calibration certified to meet the latter, Trueblood told the Board. Although green diesel technology does not meet ARB's optional, reduced-emission NOx standards, the Board called its inclusion "an intermediate step in the introduction of lower-emission diesel engine technology," and attributed its decision to recent advances in diesel technology, plus economic benefits. Ruling Maintains Balance We made our decision based on several points," said Jerry Martin, spokesman for CARB. "One is the lack of infrastructure in many parts of the state. In those same areas where there is heavy snowfall and mountainous roads, CNG doesn't have the power of diesel. Third, is cost! What seems to escape some people is that school boards and school bus companies don't have public funding and the federal backing that public transit has. Even with this program, where 75% of the purchases will be subsidized, the school board or bus company has to come up with the remaining 25%." Because clean diesel buses are much cheaper than their CNG alternatives, school districts can retire more older buses by replacing them with OEM's using the new diesel technology. Martin added that though CARB would like to see the cleanest emissions vehicles on the road, "we try to maintain a balance. There are only a few companies that make school buses. International happens to be somewhat cleaner than its competitors on NOx and cleaner than even CNG on PM. ARB is the only government agency in the U.S. to identify PM as a toxic air contaminate. We are keenly aware of the health threat from diesel. But there have been some questions about CNG particulate as well. A definitive answer as to any health risks from CNG particulate may still be years off," Martin concluded. Back to Business The issue has been the focus of lobbying and demonstrations by natural gas and clean diesel proponents. International officials, in efforts to be included in ARB's spending plan, demonstrated green diesel technology at locations around California. Natural gas advocates, who wanted only alternative fuel buses to be eligible for funding, hoped to dissuade the ARB's decision before a final ruling was made by enlisting school children to don gas masks. Now that the Board has made its final ruling, school districts have options and advocates of both sides can attend to other matters of consequence Source: School Transportation News, January 2001. Comparison
of Modern Diesel with CNG |
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