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Department of Ecology News Release - Nov. 13, 2003
03-214
SPOKANE - Diesel air pollution will be cut noticeably and measurably for school children in Eastern Washington, thanks to two programs being launched today.
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority (SCAPCA) today announced that school buses in Eastern Washington are being retrofitted to significantly reduce toxic diesel emissions.
Central Valley School District is kicking off the statewide retrofit program in Eastern Washington. The district will enhance its efforts by using bio-diesel fuel, which further reduces pollution.
"We are pleased to have supported such an innovative project that enhances air quality while reducing school bus emissions," said Mike Pearson, Central Valley interim superintendent. "In the final analysis, it will be our children who reap the benefits."
The school-bus retrofit projects are part of a statewide effort known as the Washington State Clean School Bus Program. The state legislature passed a bill this year to pay for the program. Washington's is the largest state-funded, voluntary school-bus retrofit program in the country.
Other school districts in Eastern Washington retrofitting their buses include Pasco, Warden, Ephrata and Endicott, and new applications are coming in every week.
The legislature provided approximately $5 million statewide for the current fiscal year (which ends next June 30), primarily to begin installing emission controls on existing diesel school buses. Lawmakers committed to continuing that level of funding for five years to reach approximately 5,000 of more than 9,000 school buses in the state.
Today also is the kick-off for a school-bus bio-diesel pilot project established by the legislature earlier this year. Central Valley School District was chosen as one of two school districts in the state to take part in this project and immediately will begin using a blend of 20 percent bio-diesel and 80 percent ultra-low-sulfur diesel.
Bio-diesel is a clean-burning, non-toxic, non-petroleum fuel that is produced from any vegetable oil or animal fat. Bio-diesel dramatically reduces air pollution and is recognized as a certified alternative fuel by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Baker Commodities, a nationwide rendering company that also produces bio-diesel, donated the first 800 gallons of bio-diesel being blended into 4,000 gallons of fuel that the school district will use.
"We're very excited about using these alternative fuels to reduce air pollution, but we're also excited because this could help farmers by actually creating a new industry here in Washington," said Jim Armstrong of the Spokane County Conservation District. "Baker Commodities is currently doing market research and feasibility studies for bio-diesel production facilities in Washington state. Spokane has been identified as one of the possible plant locations."
Recent studies show diesel exhaust is a harmful pollutant, contributing as much as 70 percent of the cancer risk from toxic air pollution in urban areas.
Children breathe more air relative to their body weight than adults, and their lung systems are not fully developed, making them more sensitive to pollutants in diesel exhaust.
The buses will be fitted with oxidation catalysts or particulate filters, depending on the age of the buses. These emission control devices, which are somewhat like the catalytic converters on passenger cars, clean the exhaust before it leaves the vehicle.
Particulate filters, which can be placed only on the newest buses and require the use of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, will reduce emissions of fine particles, toxic hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide by more than 90 percent.
Retrofit devices cost from $1,500 to $8,000 per bus.
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Contacts: Jani Gilbert, Ecology, 509-329-3495; pager, 509-622-3073
Eric Skelton, SCAPCA, 509-477-4727, x 121
Jim Armstrong, SCCD, 509-535-7274
Gene Marsh, Central Valley School District, 509-228-5496
For more information: Spokane County Conservation District bio-fuel project: http://www.sccd.org/biodiesel/ (Link updated 05/02/05)
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
