Diesel Schoolbuses Get Pollution Controls
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More Aging Earth Headlines >> 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - Aging Earth Home Diesel Schoolbuses Get Pollution Controls Feb 2007 - Eight organizations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont received a total of $3.8 million today from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce pollution from diesel vehicles. The funds are part of the Northeast Diesel Collaborative, a partnership of public and private entities in eight Northeastern states. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson announced the funding today at a ceremony in New Haven. He said the government is committed to "making that black puff of diesel smoke something you only read about in history books." Much of the funding will be used to retrofit diesel-fueled school buses with advanced pollution control technology. Communities will also be able to use funds to offset the cost of switching to a blend of biodiesel fuel. Local Governments for Sustainability will retrofit up to 100 school buses in five communities in four states, including, Syracuse, New York; Brattleboro, Vermont; Cambridge and Springfield, Massachusetts; and Hamden, Connecticut. In New York, Erie County’s Department of Environment and Planning will retrofit up to 128 school buses. The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority, NYSERDA, will retrofit more than 1,000 school buses. President and CEO of NYSERDA Peter Smith said, “Each day, school children ride on buses that emit harmful greenhouse gases, pollute our air, and pose health risks. The grant announced today will provide NYSERDA with additional resources to assist school districts in their efforts to make buses cleaner and help reduce dependency on fossil fuels." The rail transport industry will share in this round of grants. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey received $125,000 to retrofit five New Jersey diesel locomotive utility track vehicles with idle reduction technologies to reduce diesel pollution. It also plans to add diesel oxidation catalysts to two or more of these same locomotive engines. Diesel exhaust particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and pose serious health risks, including aggravating the symptoms of asthma and other respiratory problems in healthy individuals. The Northeast has some of the highest asthma rates in the nation, including a childhood asthma rate above 10 percent in all six New England states and rates near 15 percent in areas of New York City. More Aging Earth Headlines >> 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - Aging Earth Home © 2009; Aging Earth .com |