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Transit
 The
Northeast has one of the most extensive public transportation
networks in the United States. Two of the nation’s
largest transit systems, the Metropolitan Transit Authority
in New York City and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
in Boston, provide more than 8 million trips every day on buses,
trains, boats and para-transit networks to commuters and others
in the metro New York and Boston areas. In addition,
commuter bus services provide safe and reliable service that
connects people traveling from rural and suburban locations
to these and other urban centers in the Northeast. In
addition to providing a vital service to commuters, these services
reduce traffic congestion and air pollution from automobiles,
bringing public health and environmental benefits to everyone.
The Northeast states have 5 of the 13 commuter rail systems
in the United States, accounting for 68 percent of the nation’s
commuter rail traffic. Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor
connects cities and towns from Portland, Maine to Trenton,
New Jersey, and beyond, via passenger rail. Rail often
operates in densely populated urban areas where ozone levels
consistently exceed the national health standard. With
locomotives having useful lives of up to 40 years, programs
to control emissions from trains are especially important in
the Northeast.
Nationally, more than 95 percent of buses used for public
transportation are powered by diesel fuel. Partners
in the Northeast Diesel Collaborative (NEDC) have used the
latest technology to make impressive progress in reducing diesel
emissions from both the on-road and rail vehicles that service
our commuting needs:
- The entire transit bus fleets in Boston (980 buses) and
New York (4,749 buses) have been replaced with cleaner vehicles
or retrofitted with advanced emission control technology
and have switched to cleaner fuels
- A consortium of hospitals in Boston has retrofitted its
shuttle bus fleet
- All of Boston’s diesel tourist trolleys have installed
emission controls
The Northeast Diesel Collaborative intends to build on these
successful programs by:
- Replicating them in smaller cities
- Working with municipal and private fleet operators to install
advanced emission control technologies
- Working on new legislation, and offering workshops to build
awareness and support
To address emissions from passenger rail trains, there are
four key strategies:
- Electrification
- Advanced pollution controls on locomotives
- Switching to low sulfur fuel in advance of the June 2007
regulatory deadline
- Idle reduction (which also reduces fuel costs)
New technologies are emerging. The Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority (MBTA) is undertaking the first locomotive
retrofit project in the nation, testing a diesel oxidation
catalyst on one commuter train. The MBTA intends to retrofit
8-10 additional locomotives. In addition,
all 55 commuter locomotives are already using lower sulfur
diesel fuel.
Federal Regulations
Clean Diesel
Trucks and Buses Rule: The
Clean Diesel Trucks and Buses Rule sets more stringent emissions
standards for on-road diesel vehicles beginning with those
manufactured in 2007. The rules require clean diesel fuel with
a sulfur content capped at 15 parts per million and the use
of advanced emission control technology. Exhaust emissions
from these vehicles will decrease by more than 90 percent.
While cleaner fuel will reduce emissions from all diesel vehicles,
the new emission standards only affect newly manufactured on-road
diesel vehicles, so the full benefits of these regulations
will not be realized for years to come.
Emissions Standards
for Locomotives: More
stringent emissions standards for diesel locomotive engines
may start as early as 2011 under new rules being considered.
EPA is considering standards that could reduce particulate
matter and nitrogen oxides by 90 percent through the use of
advanced emission control technology and clean diesel fuel
with a sulfur content capped at 15 parts per million.
State and Local Regulations
New Jersey
Emissions and Idling Controls: A3182 and SCR113, signed in
September 2005, require emission controls on public transportation
vehicles and garbage trucks. The law also requires installation
of closed crankcase ventilation filters on school buses to
reduce in-cabin emissions, as well as a study of how tailpipe
emissions on school buses can affect the passenger compartment.
If tailpipe emissions are found to be significant, then tailpipe
emission controls will be required. The law also empowers
local police to enforce idling prohibitions.
Connecticut
Clean Diesel Plan: In response to Special
Act 05-07, signed into law in June 2005 by Governor M. Jodi
Rell, the state Department of Environmental Protection developed
a plan to reduce the impact of diesel emissions. The plan was
presented to state lawmakers in January 2006 and is awaiting
legislative approval. It seeks to reduce fine particulate matter
from diesel emissions from public transportation, school buses
and construction equipment. It also suggests using low sulfur
and bio-diesel blended home heating oil, addressing particulate
matter caused by wood burning, discouraging idling and creating
tax incentives to encourage replacement of old school and
transit buses with newer, less polluting models. The final
report has been posted on the web at
http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2712&Q=324650.
Six of the eight Northeast states have anti-idling regulations:
Reports
No Escape from Diesel Exhaust: How to Reduce Commuter Exposure (Clean Air Task Force 2007)
The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) investigated the levels of diesel particles during commutes in several cities. They found that regardless of how you get to work, there is no escape from exposure to diesel exhaust, and that pollution levels measured inside cars, buses, and trains during commutes were many times greater than levels in the outdoor air in these cities at that same time. The combined weight of scientific evidence from this new CATF diesel exposure study along with the existing medical studies supports the conclusion that exposure to diesel exhaust during commutes poses a serious public health risk that needs to be addressed.
To read report, click here.
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