Propane School Buses Piloted First in State by Gloucester County Public Schools
The first propane school bus fleet in Virginia was unveiled today in Gloucester County during a ceremony celebrated by Congressman Robert Wittman, Delegate Harvey Morgan and the Department of Environmental Quality.
Five diesel-powered school buses were replaced with propone school buses in Gloucester County during a ceremony on Monday, Oct. 26, 2009, at Page Middle School in Gloucester County to celebrate the school district’s commitment to environmental sustainability, energy independence, and economic security.
“Using propane-powered school buses is a step in the right direction to significantly decrease vehicle emissions and improve the air quality for our students,” said Roger Kelly, director of Transportation for Gloucester County Public Schools. “We are excited to be involved in this clean school bus initiative.”
Congressman Robert Wittman, Delegate Harvey Morgan and Gloucester County Public Schools representatives spoke at the ceremony and described the economic, public safety and environmental benefits of the new bus fleet including:
- Gloucester County Public estimates they will save $1.50/gallon in fuel costs and more in maintenance costs due to the cleaner engine and prolonged oil change intervals.
- Propane buses produce approximately 18 percent less greenhouse gases than conventional diesel and gasoline vehicles.
- Propane tanks have the lowest flammability range of all alternative fuels, making propane an exceptionally safe fuel.
- Most of the propane consumed in the United States is produced domestically, so using propane vehicles instead of conventionally fueled vehicles reduces the country’s dependence on foreign oil which increases energy security.
“We are pleased and impressed with the forward thinking and actions of the Gloucester County School Board and administration,” said Chelsea Jenkins, director of Virginia Clean Cities. “The propane school buses are providing opportunities for students and the community to observe and learn first-hand about alternative transportation technologies.”
“Because of DEQ's leadership, five Gloucester County school buses will be powered by propane which produce even less pollution than gasoline or diesel engines,” said William C. Early, acting regional administrator, EPA mid-Atlantic region. “We commend the Commonwealth and Virginia Clean Cities in undertaking another innovative project to reduce air pollution.”
The Virginia Clean Diesel Program is supported by the EPA and administered by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association (MARAMA). Virginia Clean Cities worked with Gloucester County Public Schools for more than a year to develop the project, and was contracted by MARAMA to assist with project management.
MARAMA manages the Mid-Atlantic Diesel Collaborative a voluntary multi-state, public/private effort to reduce emission from the existing diesel fleet. “Even though national regulations are cleaning up new diesel engines, there are still millions of old, dirty diesel engines that would stay in use for years to come. Early replacement by cleaner diesel engines or diesel alternatives such as the propane buses is a great way to reduce pollution,” said Susan S.G. Wierman, MARAMA’s Executive Director.
A $221,355 grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act EPA National Clean Diesel Program funded half of the project and Gloucester County Public Schools funded the remaining amount. To learn more about this project and alternative fuels visit www.hrccc.org.
EPA Report: Clean Diesel Program Protects Health and the Environment, Saves Communities up to $1.4 Billion
Health benefits, operating costs make clean diesel a cost-effective program to protect human health and the environment
WASHINGTON – The U.S. EPA released a report to Congress detailing the health, environmental and economic benefits of the agency’s Diesel Emission Reduction Program. The program, funded at $50 million last year, allowed EPA to fund the purchase or retrofitting of 14,000 diesel-powered vehicles and pieces of equipment, preventing respiratory illnesses and saving money in communities nationwide.
The resulting benefits from the program include:
- reducing 46,000 tons of nitrogen oxide, a key contributor to elevated smog levels, and 2,200 tons of particulate matter over the lifetime of diesel vehicles
- conserving 3.2.million gallons of fuel annually under the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program, which saves operators $8 million annually
- generating public health benefits between $500 million to $1.4 billion
EPA is currently implementing stringent regulatory standards for new diesel engines. Because diesel engines remain in use for decades, it is also important to address the existing fleet. Under the diesel emissions reduction program, which comprises both national grant competitions and direct state allocations, EPA provides support for retrofits, repairs, replacements, idle reduction, cleaner fuels, innovative financing for clean technologies under the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program, and other strategies. Although Congress funded the diesel emission reduction program for existing fleets for the first time in FY2008, EPA had awarded smaller, sector-specific clean diesel grants for the past several years.
On top of the FY2008 funding, competitions for FY2009 clean diesel funding grants totaling more than $60 million are now in progress.
In addition to its budget funding, EPA recently awarded $300 million in clean diesel funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
More information on clean diesel grants and funding:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel/grantfund.htm
More information on the SmartWay program: http://www.epa.gov/smartway
EPA awards $16.1 million in Recovery Act funds to projects in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland to reduce diesel emissions and create jobs
PHILADELPHIA (July 15, 2009) - - In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, reduce diesel emissions and protect human health and the environment for people in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mid-Atlantic regional office has awarded $16.1 million to seven significant projects to reduce diesel pollution. These clean diesel projects will create jobs while protecting air quality.
“We are proud of the diverse scope of the projects and many partners that we are able to support with $16.1 million in diesel grant funds to help reduce harmful diesel emissions. Each one of these projects is important because of its technology, geography, and the sector it addresses,” said William C. Early, acting regional administrator for the mid-Atlantic region.
The funds are provided under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009 National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Under this funding competition, EPA’s mid-Atlantic region received 40 grant applications requesting $159 million to help fund clean diesel emissions projects. The awards announced today were chosen to both maximize economic impact and emissions reductions.
Recovery Act funds will go towards the following projects:
2009 Mid-Atlantic Diesel Reduction Campaign A $4.3 million grant to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association (MARAMA) will fund a wide range of diesel projects in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, including replacing transit buses and off-road engines, retrofitting dump trucks, replacing cement trucks and repowering boats.
Allegheny County Diesel Project A $3.49 million grant to Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County Health Department will fund the replacement of transit buses with diesel hybrids and repowering others; retrofitting dump trucks with diesel particulate filters; repowering switch locomotive; repowering engines and upgrading engines and adding diesel particulate filters.
Mother Slug Locomotive Repower A $1.5 million grant to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will fund re-powering pre-1973 locomotives with a four-axle locomotive powered with an engine approaching Tier 3 emission standards (Mother) and a four-axle platform consisting of four traction motors without an engine (Slug).
Maryland School Bus Grant Program A $1 million grant to Maryland Department of the Environment will fund school bus retrofits.
Port of Baltimore Clean Diesel A $3.5 million grant to the Maryland Port Administration and Maryland Environmental Service will fund retrofitting, repowering and replacing cargo handling equipment, drayage trucks, locomotives and harbor craft operating at the Port of Baltimore.
Chesapeake Bay Marine Engine Repower A $1.3 million grant to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will fund retrofitting for two education vessels, seven watermen workboats, and one tug boat operating out of Maryland and Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Virginia Diesel Emissions Reduction Initiative A $1 million grant to Virginia Clean Cities to will fund retrofitting transit buses with diesel particulate filters in Hampton Roads; replacing a refuse vehicle with a hybrid version in Chesterfield County; replacing school buses with propane powered school buses at Spotsylvania Public Schools; and replacing refuse, dump, and fire trucks, and ambulances in the City of Chesapeake.
In addition to helping to create and retain jobs, the clean diesel projects would reduce premature deaths, asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments, lost work days, and many other adverse health impacts every year.
The Recovery Act allotted the National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC) a total of $300 million, of which the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation. The Recovery Act also included $20 million for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants.
In addition, under the Act’s State Clean Diesel Grant program, a total of $88.2 million has been provided to States for clean diesel projects through a noncompetitive allocation process.
President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009 and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at Recovery.gov.
For information on EPA’s implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, visit: http://www.epa.gov/recovery
For information about EPA’s clean diesel initiatives, visit: http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel
CONTACT:
Bonnie Smith, smith.bonnie@epa.gov, 215-814-5543
EPA Region 3 Releases Anti-Idle Resource
The Mid-Atlantic Region has numerous anti-idling laws and regulations. EPA Region 3 recently catalogued state anti-idling rules into one consolidated list. Click here for the list.
Idle Reduction Resources Released
Did you know that idling a vehicle for two minutes uses about the same amount of gas as driving one mile? Idling also produces harmful pollutants that can cause health issues, especially in children. Numerous school districts have established ant-idling or idle reduction policies for vehicles operating on school grounds. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has created an Idle Reduction Fact Sheet for Schools that includes information and a draft policy for reducing idling.
The Idle Reduction Fact Sheet for Schools and the Draft School Idle Reduction Policy are available online.
Call for Participation
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