Puget sound area becomes model for regional clean diesel solutions

Diesel Progress North American Edition, Oct, 2001 by Mark Clevenger

Other participants include EPA Region 10, Washington Department of Ecology Air Program, The Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association and the Diesel Technology Forum.

Prospective projects include adoption of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel for all 1100 diesel buses operated by King County by 2003. The Metro District that operates buses in the Greater Seattle area will equip 800 buses with hardware to reduce emissions by 2003. Agencies will specify ultra-low diesel emission hardware for all new vehicle and equipment purchases.

The city of Seattle will switch to ultra-low sulfur fuels for 400 heavy-duty trucks and equipment. The city will replace low sulfur diesel with the ultra-low variety in all of its fueling stations in 2001. It will begin to retrofit its heavy-duty diesel fleet in 2001 and complete retrofits over a three-year period.

Boeing, located primarily in King and Snohomish counties, will begin fueling 70 of its heavy-duty diesel fleet vehicles with the new low-sulfur diesel and will equip a like number of trucks with exhaust traps in the next few months. Everett Public Schools and Durham Transportation of Snohomish County retrofitted 25 to 30 school buses by the beginning of the school term in September.

Emerald City Disposal and Pacific Rim Enterprise Center will retrofit 25 to 30 refuse trucks and begin to refuel trucks with the new fuel. The Washington State Dept. of Transportation will develop a pilot project to install retrofit hardware on highway maintenance vehicles stationed in northwest Washington. EPA and the Dept. of Ecology will help fund the program and provide technical assistance for retrofits and emission testing.

McLerran said that the success of the program will come with lowered levels of emissions. The agency expects as much as a 90 percent reduction in soot and toxic emissions.

Also participating are the Diesel Technology Forum, Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association, and a number of suppliers of emission control equipment.