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Department of Ecology News Release - May 24, 2004
04-093
OLYMPIA - Stick out your tailpipe and say "ahhh"?
No, not exactly. But thanks in part to a new testing program that began last week, those big yellow buses that carry children to and from school will be getting a lot cleaner.
"A school bus is by far the safest way to send kids to school, but smoke and soot from poorly-running buses can potentially affect the health of some students," said Allan J Jones, director of pupil transportation for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). "It's clear that we need to make sure the buses are running as cleanly as possible."
Children are more susceptible to air pollution than healthy adults because their respiratory systems are still developing and they have a faster breathing rate.
That's why this new program is important, said John Poffenroth, a diesel emissions specialist in the Department of Ecology's (Ecology's) Spokane office.
In 34 of Washington's 39 counties, school bus emissions are not routinely checked. But through a partnership among OSPI, the Washington State Patrol (WSP) and Ecology, school buses will now have emissions testing included as part of their annual safety inspections.
WSP agreed to add a tailpipe emission test to its inspection procedures, and Ecology agreed to pay for equipment, provide training, analyze the data and advise local school districts on maintenance necessary to fix the most-polluting buses.
The effort complements an existing school-bus-retrofit program that was authorized by the state legislature in 2003.
Throughout Washington, state and local air agencies have been working with school districts to retrofit school buses with modern emission controls. About 630 of the state's 9,340 public school buses have been fitted with the new equipment so far. A retrofitted bus emits from 30 to 90 percent fewer toxic emissions and fine particles than an older bus running standard equipment.
"Our goal is to get the lowest possible emissions out of every single bus in the state, whether it's been retrofitted or not," said Poffenroth.
"Working together, we can continue to maintain a safe environment for our children," said Robert Petersen, commercial vehicle enforcement officer at WSP.
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Contacts: Leslie Thorpe, Dept. of Ecology, 360-407-6848
Allan J Jones, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 360-725-6120
Robert Petersen, Washington State Patrol, 360-753-0289
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
