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Municipal
 The
Northeast is one of the most densely populated regions in the
United States and is home to two of the most populous metropolitan
areas in the country – New York and Boston. Although
other sectors contribute much of
the region’s diesel emissions, towns
and cities have fleets of motor vehicles that emit particulate
matter (PM) emissions locally. Local governments that encourage
emissions reductions from companies operating within their
borders can also achieve significant reductions by addressing
emissions from their own fleet of school buses, garbage trucks,
and public works vehicles.
While school
buses are one of the safest and most effective
ways to transport children to and from school, like all diesel
vehicles, they emit pollution that is dangerous to breathe.
There are over 93,000 school buses in the eight state region,
many are pre-1990 model year, and emit five times the nitrogen
oxides (NOx) and six times the PM of 2005 model year buses.
Already, more than 4,000 diesel school buses across the region
are already being equipped with emissions control technology
such as particulate matter filters and diesel oxidation catalysts.
All eight states in the Northeast have programs to reduce school
bus idling. The Asthma Regional Council has developed a toolkit to
help school communities, environmental officials, and others
make informed decisions about ways to reduce harmful diesel
emissions from school buses.
In New York City, where emissions problems are the most severe,
the New York City Sanitation Department has equipped 252 trucks
with advanced emission control technology. The city of Boston
has installed advanced emissions controls on the diesel Trolleys
operating in the city and is fueling its entire fleet of diesel
vehicles with a blend of biodiesel and ultra-low sulfur diesel.
In addition, the city recently initiated a new procurement
policy requiring new purchases to be a hybrid or alternative
fuel vehicle if available in the vehicle class.
The Northeast Diesel Collaborative intends to build on these
successful programs by, for example, replicating them in smaller
cities, developing partnerships with municipal and private
fleet operators to install advanced emission control technologies,
working on new legislation, and offering workshops to build
awareness and support.
State and Local Regulations
New Jersey
- A3182 and SCR113,
signed in September 2005, requires emission controls on transit
vehicles and garbage trucks. It also requires installation
of closed crankcase ventilation (CCV) filters on school buses
plus a study of how tailpipe emissions on school buses impact
the passenger compartment. If tailpipe emissions are found
to be significant, then tailpipe emission controls (i.e.,
DOC, DPF) will be required. The law also empowers local police
to enforce idling prohibitions.
- Ballot Initiative passed
November 8, 2005, allows use of funding generated from a
state Corporate Business Tax to reimburse fleet owners for
100 percent of their retrofit costs over the next 10 years.
New York
- Rockland
County
signed in February 2006 Local Law No. 3 which requires the
use of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and best available retrofit
technology on the county's on-road diesel fuel-powered motor
vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than
8,500 pounds.
New York City Local
Laws
New York City has passed several progressive Local Laws that
reduce diesel emissions from vehicles operating in the city
including:
- Local Law 38, 2005 – Relates to the city’s
purchase of cleaner motor vehicles
- Local Law 39, 2005 – Reduces diesel emissions
from the city’s diesel-powered motor vehicles
- Local Law 40, 2005 – Reduces diesel emissions
from vehicles that handle solid waste and recyclable materials.
- Local Law 41, 2005 – Reduces the emissions
of pollutants from sight-seeing buses
- Local Law 42, 2005 – Reduces emissions
of pollutants from vehicles that transport children to and
from school.
Connecticut
Special Act 05-07
On June 24, 2005, Governor Rell signed Special Act 05-07 requiring
DEP to develop a diesel mitigation plan for submission to the
General Assembly by January 15, 2006. Special Act 05-07 directs
the DEP to develop a clean diesel mitigation strategy that
will reduce fine particulate matter diesel emissions in the
state. In an effort to gain broad-based participation in the
development of this plan from the business, environmental,
educational, and governmental communities, the DEP has sponsored
a series of stakeholder forums to provide information and solicit
ideas and suggestions for the plan. A final report was submitted
to the General Assembly in January 2006 and can be found online
at: http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/air/diesel/docs/ctcleandieselplanfinal.pdf.
Six of the eight Northeast states have anti-idling regulations:
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Reports & Resources
NEDC Diesel Emissions Reduction Toolkit for Colleges/Universities, Hospitals, and Municipalities
The Northeast Diesel Collaborative developed the Diesel Emissions Reduction Toolkit to provide stakeholders access to one-stop-shopping for resources to implement clean diesel strategies. To recommend additional resources for the Toolkit, please contact: hatic.halida@epa.gov.
EPA Region 2: RARE Grant – Study of Emissions from Idling and Restart of School Buses
With funding from an EPA Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) grant, Region 2 and the EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) studied school bus exhaust emission levels during idling and restart scenarios. The study found that the emission pulse measured after the school bus is restarted contains less carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants than if the school bus idled continuously over a 10-minute period. The analysis indicated that continuous idling for more than three minutes emitted more fine particle (soot) emissions than at restart.
For a Summary of the results, click here »
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