Chairman Envisions $50 Million School Bus Cleanup Program
22 June 2000
Chairman Envisions $50 Million School Bus Cleanup Program
DIAMOND BAR, Calif. - South Coast Air Quality Management District Chairman William A. Burke today proposed that the California Air Resources Board and AQMD establish a joint project in the Southland to accelerate development of technology to reduce emissions of diesel soot from school buses."Diesel exhaust has been identified as a dominant toxic air contaminant in the South Coast Air Basin and other parts of the state," Burke said at today's ARB meeting in Sacramento. "Protecting children from exposure to this diesel health threat should be a priority for everyone."
Burke proposed that AQMD and the Air Resources Board rapidly establish a program in the Southland to test the durability of particulate traps and catalysts on diesel school buses. Once proven effective, Burke said, programs could be implemented to reduce children's exposure to diesel soot by retrofitting buses now in service with the devices. Burke envisions retrofits as part of a $50 million statewide program to clean up diesel school buses to protect children's health.
"While we at AQMD continue to pursue long-term replacement of school buses with cleaner, alternative-fueled models, we are also looking at other ways to address this urgent health need in the near term."
Burke said his proposal to accelerate the testing of add-on devices that could be economically retrofitted on existing diesel school buses to reduce pollution would complement efforts to require that new school buses be less polluting.
Under the proposed testing project, three types of diesel pollution control devices would be tested on two buses each at participating schools in the Southland area. These six buses would be operated 24 hours a day for 50,000 miles over which the effectiveness and durability of the pollution control devices would be studied. The buses would operate on low sulfur diesel fuel, which is required for the pollution control devices to work.
The effort would significantly speed up the availability of these add-on controls and address any potential concerns regarding the long-term effectiveness of the devices.
The expected cost would be $40,000 to $70,000 per bus, including fuel, drivers, operation and maintenance, and data collection and recordkeeping. CARB and AQMD would split these costs under the proposal.
In addition, the on-road test would be supplemented with tests on a dynamometer -- a device which can mimic on-road use -- at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Diesel soot in the region is responsible for 70 percent of the total cancer risk of 1,400 in a million from toxic air pollution.
"On my way to the office every day, I see crowds of kids line up at bus stops and wait to board idling diesel buses in clouds of exhaust," said Burke. "I'm intent on finding a solution to this problem so that their days do not begin with this known health risk."