Project to Reduce School Bus Exhaust Emissions Is Helping Children Breathe Easier

PSEG, NJDEP Collaborating on Program Retrofitting 46 School Buses with Low-Emissions Technology

NEWARK, N.J., Oct. 28 -- More than 400 Newark school children will have a healthier ride to school as a result of an innovative program to reduce their exposure to harmful diesel exhaust emissions being spearheaded by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG). The program to retrofit up to 46 school buses with emissions reducing technology was announced today by NJDEP Commissioner Bradley E. Campbell, and PSEG Power President Frank Cassidy at the Clinton Avenue School in Newark, one of 19 schools that will be served by the low-emissions buses.

Modifications to the diesel-powered school buses will dramatically reduce emissions and the exposure of children to fine particulates and other pollutants. Diesel exhaust contains significant amounts of fine particulates which pose a health risk because they can lodge in the lungs, cause lung damage, and aggravate conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. Children are among groups more at risk to this type of air pollution because their respiratory systems are still developing and they have a faster breathing rate. Childhood asthma especially in urban neighborhoods is a growing public health concern.

PSEG is providing half of the funding -- $100,000 -- required to retrofit the 46 buses owned and operated by Camptown Bus Lines. MJ Bradley Associates of Concord, MA developed and is managing the retrofit project. Environmental Services Worldwide (ESW) is providing the emissions reduction technology and Environmental Systems Products (ESP) is the provider of remote emissions measuring technology that will monitor and document the emissions reductions. The retrofit will be done in two phases. Work on approximately 14 buses has been completed and the remainder will be done by the end of the year.

Cassidy said, "We are especially proud of this project because it will directly and immediately improve the lives of children. We commend Commissioner Campbell, NJDEP, and the others involved in this partnership. We hope it stands as a model that will be replicated in other communities and that more and more children will be able to benefit."

PSEG, Cassidy noted, continues to advocate for new, more stringent national power plant emissions reductions requirements. "However, we also know that the effort to achieve clean air goals will only be successful with the right combination of local and regional, as well as national strategies that include energy, transportation, and other sectors of the economy. This project will significantly reduce exposure of children to a source of emissions they face on a daily basis. It is an excellent example of a cooperative action that could make a real difference in the health of the children involved."

Campbell said, "We are pleased that companies like PSEG and Camptown Bus Lines have voluntarily stepped up to the plate to achieve cleaner air for our school children. "On average, children spend an hour-and-a-half each weekday riding on school buses. That amounts to more than 300 hours every year that Newark children will be breathing cleaner air."

NJ State Assemblyman John F. McKeon (D-27) said at the announcement event that he has introduced legislation to establish a statewide school bus retrofit program. "There are significant health hazards that have been scientifically associated with emissions of diesel particulates, McKeon said. I commend PSEG and Commissioner Campbell in recognizing the need to safeguard our children from the harmful risks of airborne particulate matter." McKeon is chair of the Assembly's Environment and Solid Waste Committee.

The retrofits include installation of diesel particulate reactors designed to reduce particulate matter emissions by 50% or greater, and crankcase ventilation filters to reduce oil drips and aerosol emissions.

One of the unique aspects of this project is that each bus is being emissions-tested prior to installing the new technology and emissions reductions after the retrofits will be measured using remote sensing equipment to measure particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons emissions. In addition, some of the buses will be fitted with onboard portable emissions testing systems that will provide second-by-second emissions profiles during operation. The remote sensing technology has been used traditionally to analyze light duty motor vehicle emissions. However, ESP, its manufacturer, has successfully used remote sensing devices on more than 400 diesel-powered transit buses in Boston, and Staten Island Ferry boats in New York. The Newark school bus project is its latest application. ESP is headquartered in East Granby Connecticut.

PSEG is a diversified energy holding company with more than $28 billion in assets and 2003 revenues of $11.1 billion. Its primary subsidiaries are PSEG Power, one of the nation's largest independent power producers with more than 14,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity in operation, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey's oldest and largest energy distribution utility company, and PSEG Energy Holdings, a holding company for other unregulated businesses. PSEG has its headquarters in Newark, NJ.