The Southland’s air quality agency will participate this year in a voluntary statewide program to replace hundreds of highly polluting diesel truck, bus and other engines with cleaner-burning alternative fuel models.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District moved forward on the program this week after AQMD’s Governing Board voted unanimously last week to seek $11.3 million from the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program.
"Diesel engines in trucks, buses, ships, locomotives and construction equipment are responsible for far more than their fair share of air pollution," said Norma Glover, AQMD’s vice chair and a Newport Beach Council Member.
"In addition, diesel soot is a cancer-causing toxic air pollutant. We want to reduce diesel pollution and the associated health risk by speeding up the introduction of clean-fueled heavy-duty vehicles."
Regulations phased in between 2001 and 2010 will require cleaner new engines, but heavy-duty equipment lasts so long that a complete turnover of this equipment in Southern California will take decades.
The funds, to be awarded by the California Air Resources Board this summer, will pay for the additional cost of an alternative fuel engine. For example, a company might buy a new diesel truck for $100,000 or a compressed natural gas-fueled truck for $150,000. The Moyer fund would pay the $50,000 cost difference for qualifying projects.
AQMD plans a series of bidder’s conferences starting in April for those interested in applying for the funds.
"Alternative-fuel heavy-duty engines are commercially available now as off-the-shelf technology," said Barry Wallerstein, AQMD’s executive officer. "This is a great opportunity for trucking firms, transit districts, waste haulers, construction companies and public agencies to get a jump on future engine requirements and demonstrate their environmental stewardship by converting vehicles to clean fuels."
The state Legislature last year approved $25 million for the statewide Carl Moyer program, an amount expected to cover the conversion of several hundred vehicles to clean fuels. The program is named for the late Carl Moyer, Ph.D, a clean-fuel technology scientist.
The Air Resources Board will distribute the money to local air districts. Since the South Coast AQMD has the largest population, greatest number of diesel vehicles and worst air pollution in the state, the South Coast AQMD is seeking the largest share of the funds.
Eligible equipment includes:
Alternative fueled engines such as those using compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane and electricity will be given the highest priority for funding. Cleaner diesel engines will also be considered. Program funds can be used to help purchase new vehicles, new engines or retrofits to existing engines.
In general, new vehicles and engines must achieve a 30% reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions compared to current emission standards, and retrofits must achieve a 25% reduction. The projects also must meet a cost-effectiveness criteria and be based in AQMD’s jurisdiction which includes the urban portions of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
The Moyer program will not pay for alternative fuel stations and other infrastructure, but funds for that purpose are available from separate programs.
Applications for funding are due on July 1, 1999, and will be approved on a case-by-case basis by AQMD’s Governing Board starting in August.
Heavy-duty engines typically burn diesel fuel and are responsible for a disproportionate amount of the region’s smog. Statewide, heavy-duty trucks and buses account for only 2% of all on-road vehicles but emit about 25% of the nitrogen oxides and 70% of particulates. Across California, an estimated 525,000 diesel trucks and 680,000 engines used in construction and agriculture contribute about 40% of all nitrogen oxides from mobile sources.
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