Making the Grade

School bus emissions testing results in air quality
improvements, but at what price?

By Julie Metea | Contributing Editor

As nationwide diesel school buses become cleaner through federal and state environmental mandates, many may wonder if there's a future in emissions testing. Those who think not should keep an eye over their shoulders.

When it comes to diesel school bus emission testing, data and facts are driving a variety of proactive campaigns. Governments, school districts and community activists are wielding their test equipment and results to drive change - from cleaning up a community to standardizing industry-wide engine products.

While many in the transportation industry scratch their heads when it comes to recognizing the power of emission testing, others are utilizing these tools to effectively regulate, legislate and advocate their causes.

Using Emissions Testing to Drive Community Change

Seventeen-year-old Illai Kenney has always taken a school bus to class, and she never liked the soot or smell of Atlanta 's public school buses. Determined to clean up her neighborhood, the high school student formed Georgia 's chapter of Kids Against Pollution and joined a team of students, parents and other non-profit groups to test the emissions from school bus fleets.

"It was an experiment that mattered. Why should inner city students ride the bus and risk their health? There are a lot of kids with asthma. We wanted to draw attention to the problem," said Felicia Davis, who became president of Atlanta 's Kids Against Pollution chapter at the urging of her daughter Illai.

The student experiment drew a lot of attention. The Weather Channel aired a national cable TV report about the project. And the end test results - which showed high levels of particle matter - were part of the information used to raise more than $1.4 million in government grants and matching funds. The money was enough to "retrofit" Atlanta Public School's entire bus fleet, which benefits nearly 20,000 Atlanta-area students who ride school buses.

"It's going beautifully. We now have devices to decrease pollution outside and inside the buses," said Harold Walker, director of the Atlanta Public School transportation department. The bus retrofits are still being installed, he added, and the district will test the buses to make sure the pollution solution is up to par.

Similar clean school bus campaigns are cropping up in other states through the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. In the North Carolina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Gaston County Schools are partners in a community study to measure and document the benefits of cleaner school buses.

Through testing, they're characterizing the air quality inside standard school buses compared to buses that the school systems had begun retrofitting with pollution control technologies and cleaner fuels. The outcome aims to show which combination of controls and clean fuels will result in the greatest measurable improvements in air quality. The findings are expected to be released by mid-year, and it could prompt local action to update the fleets.

Iowa began its Bus Emissions Education Program (BEEP), the first of its kind in the nation, during the 2001-2002 school year to offer emissions testing free-of-charge to the state's school districts through Mirenco Inc. Terry Voy, the former Iowa state director of pupil transportation and currently the executive director of the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association, said Mirenco was unable to secure long-term funding to keep the program free for the state's fleet of 5,000 school buses, but it is still available to school districts on a per-pay basis (only about 20 of the state's approximately 370 school districts are participating).

The program's Web site, www.beeponline.org, says school bus soot was reduced 27 percent since 2001.

"What we learned from it is that the testing does alert districts to the potential problems, or that a problem does exist in the engine exhaust system," he said. "When you have high emitters of smoke and particulate matter there's some reason that is happening."

BEEP continues to petition for retrofit funding. Voy said $250,000-worth of diesel oxidations catalysts were recently purchased under a Clean School Bus USA grant, and the program recently received an additional $250,000 congressional grant for further emissions reduction projects.

Governmental Power of Emissions Testing

Federal and state governments have a variety of reasons for emissions testing. At the federal level, testing helps verify school bus retrofit products, and it has "leveled the field" of products from a variety of manufacturers. Consumers can view the results (by product and manufacturer) on the EPA's Web site, www.epa.gov/otaq, and it helps them shop for solutions to meeting federal regulations for cleaner fleets.

"We have cutting-edge labs for rigorous product testing. The equipment helps us make sure that we're getting real world results," said Lori Stewart, EPA's deputy director of Compliance and Innovative Solutions. Much of the testing is done in Ann Arbor , Mich., where the EPA is now updating its facility for future testing programs.

Another form of government emission testing is utilized for vehicle certification. Several states, including California , New Jersey and New York , have statues requiring school bus emission tests. Those not complying with emissions standards could face fines.

"Most people are doing a good job in getting a handle on the clean bus issue. It just depends on the region and the environment they in. There's no magic bullet (for determining emissions testing)," said Bill Tousley, Farmington (Mich.) Public School's transportation supervisor and NAPT's president-elect.

Testing the Manufacturers

While many manufacturers conduct product testing, they're ultimately providing emission solutions with standards set by outside parties. However, many know that outside emissions testing can result in consequences for companies. And the message among them is to "cover all bases."

"If you look at it historically, emission regulations just keep tightening over time. If you have clean air products under the current regulations, you may need to know how you stand for the next tightening of state and federal regulations," said Paul Warkentin, marketing representative for emissions control manufacturer Engelhard.

"There are all kinds of pressures to make fleets compliant. Everyone seems to be interested in clean school buses, because it's a kid's health issue," he added.

Amy Boerger, retrofit business leader at Fleetguard Emissions Solutions, agrees. "I don't see (emission) testing ending any time soon, especially because of the Clean Air Act." She also warns that companies who don't test or sell compliant products face litigation.

One example is the Clean Buses for Kids Program, which launched as part of a legal settlement in the case United States vs. Toyota Motor Corporation. The EPA brought on the case as an enforcement violation of the Clean Air Act.

Some customers are calling on manufacturers for advice on how to utilize emission testing to avoid consequences.

"An installer at a school district called me to ask if he should test our product every six months to avoid issues with motor safety inspectors," said Janice Kovala, a communications representative for Donaldson. With federally verified products, Kovala assured her customer that the product would stand any emission test. She also said the company keeps a close eye on regulations and factors future possibilities into product plans.

"We've installed 11,000 retrofits, and they've all passed. But there's a level of fear out there."