Air Board Chairman Issues Statement on $1.7 Million in Stimulus Funds for Air Quality Improvements

SACRAMENTO, CA – Air Resources Board Chairman Mary Nichols issued a statement on today’s announcement by the Obama Administration that it is providing each of the 50 states with $1.7 million to retrofit diesel school buses as part of the overall federal stimulus program.

"The state and its school children thank the Obama Administration for sending this funding our way to clean up older, dirty diesel school buses," said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols. "We are fast tracking this process so that within just a few short weeks this money will allow mechanics to install particulate filters on buses at dozens of school districts throughout the state, providing jobs and protecting children's lungs at the same time."

The $1.7 million in stimulus funds will help retrofit approximately 100 California school buses with verified retrofit devices to reduce pollution by 0.3 tons of particulate matter per year. ARB plans to get the funding in the hands of local school districts within a month of receiving the funding. To date, ARB has helped fund the cleanup of 3,000 under its clean school bus program, with plans to retrofit an additional 3,000 in the coming years. These funds would create as many as 20 jobs and, through the life of the project, would cumulatively reduce diesel particulate matter emissions by 1.5 tons.

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain health based air quality standards.

$5.5 Million in Grant Monies Available from Lower-Emissions School Bus Program

The Air Resources Board announced on Dec. 15th $5.5 million first-round grant monies from the Lower-Emission School Bus Program to schools within air districts for replacement and retrofit projects. These grants will affect 123 buses in 41 school districts throughout California, cutting toxic diesel particulate matter and smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions.

"School bus emissions are a serious health concern for children," said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols. "These incentive funds will quickly get the dirtiest buses off the road."

To date, the program has received 172 applications totaling more than $21 million in replacement projects, and 705 applications totaling $13.3 million in retrofit projects. Overall, ARB has received $35.8 million in applications to date.

ARB has also approved applications for the replacement of the remaining pre-1977 buses in these air districts totaling approximately $1.4 million.

Proposition 1B, approved by California voters in November 2006, provided almost $200 million in funding for the ARB’s Lower-Emission School Bus Program. These funds were allocated by the ARB in March 2008, allowing air districts to replace or retrofit some of the oldest, highest polluting diesel school buses.

These current revisions to the program’s guidelines allowed the local air districts to elect the ARB to implement the program in 16 local air districts.

Since the program was established in 2000, over $100 million has been provided to replace 600 of the oldest school buses in the state and retrofit an additional 3,800 buses. With the additional Proposition 1B funds, it is anticipated that a 1,000 school buses will be replaced with new, cleaner buses and 3,500 in-use school buses will be retrofitted with diesel particulate filters, thereby reducing children’s exposure to diesel exhaust emissions.

Nitrogen oxides and diesel particulate matter are toxic, associated with cancer and can also exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory ailments. Children living in communities with higher concentrations of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter had decreased lung development and may have permanent adverse effects into adulthood.

For more information see:
http://www.blogger.com/www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/schoolbus/2008lesbpgrants.htm

Common Sense: Turn Off the Bus!

A news blurb is from the DieselNet June 2007 newsletter:

"Characterization of Fine Particle and Gaseous Emissions during School Bus Idling", a study by J.S. Kinsley of the US EPA and co-authors concludes that shutting down and restarting school bus engines, as opposed to continuous idling, can reduce emissions. Indeed, it is reassuring when scientific research, armed with sophisticated test equipment and methodology, produces the same conclusions as our logic and common sense.

See the Source:
Characterization of Fine Particle and Gaseous Emissions during School Bus Idling

Find out:
How to reduce fine particle pollution using emissions control technology from CleanAIR Systems.

emissions control
particle pollution

The Facts on School Buses and Diesel Emissions

• 24 million children are exposed to diesel fumes each day as they ride the bus to school
  
  
• Diesel exhaust includes fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons
  
  
• Diesel emissions are classified by the EPA as “likely carcinogen”
  
  
• 70 percent of cancer risk from air pollution is attributed to diesel emissions
  
  
• Children are more affected by diesel exhaust than adults
  
  
• There are approximately 390,000 diesel school buses on the road every day in the USA
  
  
• Children are affect more by diesel exhaust when sitting at the rear of the bus where diesel emissions accumulate
  
  
• Retrofitting older buses with emissions control technology can cut emissions by 85%
  

See the Source:
EPA Clean School Bus USA
Northeast Diesel Collaborative
National Resources Defense Council

Find out:
How to decrease diesel emissions using diesel particulate filters and diesel oxidation converters.

diesel pollution
particulate matter

EPA awards $94,876 grant to American Lung Association for Chicago Clean School Bus project

CHICAGO (Feb. 15, 2007) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has awarded a $94,876 grant to the American Lung Association for a project to cut diesel emissions from school buses in the Chicago metropolitan area.

EPA said the grant will be used to retrofit 43 buses in school districts in Green Oaks, Mundelein, Grayslake and Ingleside with equipment that will reduce diesel emissions.

"Breathing diesel exhaust is not good for anyone, especially children with asthma," said Regional Administrator Mary A. Gade. "EPA is working with the American Lung Association to upgrade buses so students can breathe cleaner air and live healthier lives."

The grant is part of EPA's Clean School Bus USA program. The goal of the program is to reduce children's exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses. School buses are the safest way for children to get to school. However, pollution from the diesel vehicles has health implications for everyone, especially children.

Launched in April 2003, Clean School Bus USA brings together partners from business, education, transportation and public health organizations to eliminate unnecessary school bus idling, to retrofit buses and to replace the oldest buses with new, less polluting buses.

Diesel emissions contain large amounts of nitrogen oxides and fine particles (soot). Nitrogen oxides are precursors of ozone (smog), which is a lung irritant, and fine particles can aggravate respiratory and heart diseases. Fine particles can also impact lung function and structure.

See the Source:
Clean School Bus USA

Find out:
How diesel emissions can be reduced using diesel oxidation catalysts