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Minimizing or eliminating emissions of diesel engines is the primary goal of EPA’s NCDC. Since diesel engines are used across a wide variety of industries and businesses, the EPA has zeroed in on five sectors to develop new technologies, implement best practices, and provide resources designed to meet the specific needs of each sector. The five sectors are:
- Clean School Bus
- Ports & Marine
- Clean Construction
- Clean Agriculture
- SmartWay
Each sector works in partnership with local, state, and federal regulators to curb diesel emissions. Yesterday, we talked about the SmartWay program’s success and now we will take a look at the other four sector programs that operate under the umbrella of the Clean Diesel Regional Collaborative, which provides regional EPA assistance to municipalities and states, as well as industry and other stakeholders.
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The Clean School Bus sector program involves multiple organizations specializing in pupil transportation and fleet management. American parents put approximately 25 million students on a school bus each day and the safety and health of those students is in large part a factor of their school bus. Although newer school buses must meet tighter emissions standards, many older ones still on the road do not. Students and school staff with respiratory conditions such as asthma can be badly impacted by diesel fumes at loading and unloading areas as well as by ambient air quality impacts elsewhere.
Within the Clean Diesel Regional Collaborative, the Clean School Bus program addresses a number of options including maintenance, retrofit technologies, engine (repair, rebuild, and repower), vehicle replacement, operational strategies such as idling reduction, and cleaner fuels, such as alternatives like ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and biodiesel blends, as well as liquid petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The Ports & Marine sector is another very specialized program addressing the supply chain with emphasis on nonattainment areas and environmental justice within affected communities. Although marine and port vessels are considered the largest emitters of diesel pollutants, the program also includes aligned stakeholders, such as port authorities, terminal operators, and fleet owners, drayage trucking companies, and rail and locomotive operators.
In particular, these facilities and operations may be located or take place in designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs) that have emissions limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in coastal waters of North America. The goal of ECAs, according to the EPA, is to reduce by 2020 each of these emissions constituents by certain percentages to avoid doubling or tripling the emissions by 2030, as is otherwise projected.
While the Clean School Bus sector is concerned primarily with on-road engines, the Port & Marine sector addresses many different types of diesel engine equipment, including marine vessels, fleets, and stationary sources. The program also factors in two complicating issues: climate change, which is expected to raise temperatures and bring more frequent storms, and the forecasted doubling of both containerized cargo shipping and cruise line passengers between 2005 and 2020.
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Another NCDC sector is Clean Construction, which concentrates on eliminating diesel emissions in and around construction sites nationwide. In addition to addressing equipment-specific activities like retrofits, replacement, and repower, this sector also considers green building implications.
The construction industry is an integral part of green building, and contractors know that their own corporate sustainability is a factor of great importance when bidding on green construction projects. In January 2013, the U.S. Green Building Council provided even more incentive by offering a clean construction credit toward LEED certification for firms using clean diesel equipment during construction.
Clean Agriculture is another sector addressed by the EPA. Like all of the sectors, agricultural diesel equipment has a long life span and many older diesel engines are still in use on our farms and ranches. The Clean Agriculture program considers equipment strategies similar to the Clean School Bus program and has initiated several programs and publications. The sector also works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as well as with local and state authorities.