Clean-diesel advocates hoping for school bus retrofit agreement in U.S. Senate energy bill

Diesel Fuel News, May 12, 2003

An earlier-passed U.S. House energy bill (H.R. 6, see Diesel Fuel News 4/14/03, p2) already includes authorization for diesel school bus retrofits and tells EPA to issue grants (but doesn't actually appropriate funding). However, the House bill gives alternative fuels (compressed natural gas, LP-gas, electric) 75% of the funds for new (not retrofit) "green" school buses.

Since then, clean-diesel advocates convinced nearly everyone on U.S. Senate Energy Committee (except Sen. Evan Bayh D-Ind.) to put forward a fuel-neutral "green" school bus program instead of the 75% alt-fuels-power grab by the gas lobby (backed by anti-diesel "green" group, Union of Concerned Scientists.) Lacking "consensus" in committee, now clean-diesel advocates are trying to get a retrofit provision included in energy bill on Senate floor. U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is the most vocal advocate of clean-diesel school bus retrofits, having won a $5 million provision in the fiscal 2003 federal budget. Now, Sen. Clinton aims to push legislation giving hundreds of millions of dollars for "clean" school buses including diesel retrofits (using ultra-low sulfur diesel--ULSD) and alternative fuels. Under this bill, U.S. EPA would prioritize grant awards to get the oldest, dirtiest buses off the road first and "strike the appropriate balance between bus replacements and retrofits," rather than blowing huge taxpayer dollars on a relative handful of costly CNG buses.