April 20, 2001

Southland students can look forward to riding low-pollution school buses that dramatically reduce unhealthful emissions under a landmark rule adopted today by the South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board.

The measure -- AQMD Rule 1195 Clean On Road School Buses – will gradually shift the region’s school bus fleet to clean-burning compressed natural gas and other clean technologies.

Emissions from the region’s 8,800 school buses, which run almost exclusively on diesel fuel, contain cancer-causing diesel soot. The buses also emit nitrogen oxides, which contribute to the region’s fine particulate and ozone pollution problems, both of which are associated with respiratory ailments.

"Today marks the start of a healthier future for our young people," said AQMD Chairman William Burke.

AQMD, he noted, has at least $16 million available this year to help schools purchase new alternative fuel school buses, plus several million dollars for installing alternative fueling stations. Moreover, he said, AQMD will work to secure additional funding in the years ahead.

Burke also noted, "Our young people deserve the best start we can provide, in both their environment and education."

Rule 1195 is the seventh and last in a series of AQMD measures designed to shift the region’s public service fleets from diesel to clean-burning alternative fuels. Previously adopted rules cover public transit buses, trash trucks, street sweepers, airport shuttles, taxis, and other vehicles, such as public works trucks.

AQMD’s clean fleet rules come after the agency’s landmark Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study II found in 1999 that 70% of the cancer risk from air pollution in the region is due to diesel particulate.

The fleet rules are intended to reduce emissions of toxic diesel soot and nitrogen oxides. By 2006, for instance, Rule 1195 will reduce emissions of diesel soot by 6 tons a year and of nitrogen oxides by 90 tons a year.

Under this school bus measure, beginning in 90 days schools and private bus fleet operators with fleets of 15 or more buses will buy alternative fuel models, typically powered by compressed natural gas, whenever they replace or add buses to their fleets.

However, the requirement only will apply to school districts if sufficient outside funding is available to cover the additional cost of an alternative fuel bus. The rule uses a tiered approach to requiring the purchase of the cleanest bus affordable, as follows:

• If schools cannot find outside funding for an alternative fuel bus, and $13,000 per bus for fueling infrastructure, they may purchase an intermediate-emission diesel bus; and
• If schools cannot find outside funding for an intermediate diesel bus, they may purchase a conventional diesel bus fitted with an approved particulate trap, if sufficient outside funding is available to cover the trap. In addition, to the extent that outside funding is available, fleet operators will retrofit at least 15% of their school bus fleets each year with particulate traps.

AQMD staff will develop a method for prioritizing available funding to school districts considering the severity of air pollution, community income level and other factors to maximize the health benefit.

AQMD also will develop a special enforcement policy for the rule placing an emphasis on assuring compliance and will not seek monetary penalties except for serious or repeat violations.

AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

-#-

AQMD Home Page
This page updated: March 01, 2004
URL: http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/School_Bus_Rule_Adoption.htm