| Feb. 2, 2007 Taking
another step toward the goal of establishing a diesel-free school bus fleet
in the region, the Southland’s air quality agency today awarded $3.9 million
to help several school districts install natural gas fueling stations and
purchase natural gas-powered buses.
“School children are exposed to harmful diesel exhaust while riding older
diesel buses,” said William A. Burke, Ed.D., chairman of the South Coast Air
Quality Management District. “Replacing dirty diesel buses with
clean-burning natural gas models will help protect the health of school
children and community residents.”
In addition to reducing smog-forming and toxic emissions, compressed
natural gas (CNG) powered buses can save fuel costs for school districts.
At current prices, the cost of CNG is half of the price of an equivalent
amount of diesel fuel.
Today’s awards include:
- $1.3 million to the Colton Joint Unified School District to purchase
eight CNG buses;
- $696,869 to the Capistrano Unified School District to help pay for a
new CNG station;
- $617,480 to the Los Angeles Unified School District to help pay for a
new CNG station;
- $525,000 to the Redlands Unified School District to help pay for a new
CNG station;
- $288,000 to the Beaumont Unified School District to help pay for a new
CNG station;
- $187,154 to Pupil Transportation Cooperative, a collaborative which
provides school bus services to several school districts in the Whittier
area, to upgrade an existing CNG station;
- $124,550 to the Coachella Valley Unified School District to help pay
for a new CNG station; and
- $87,500 to the Menifee Unified School District to help pay for a new
CNG station.
Since 2000, AQMD’s Board has been a national leader in adopting policies
and providing incentives to replace dirty diesel school buses with
alternative fuel models. To date, AQMD has approved $87 million to purchase
513 new school buses -- including 427 CNG and 86 lower-emission diesel
models-- as well as CNG fueling infrastructure and 2,553 particulate traps
to reduce emissions from diesel buses.
CNG school buses on average emit four times less smog-forming nitrogen
oxides and 10 times less particulate matter than the diesel buses they
replace. In addition, CNG buses emit no diesel soot, which is the source of
about 70 percent of all air pollution cancer risk in the region.
In other action today, the Board:
- Awarded a contract to Neuton, Inc., for $730,000 to conduct AQMD’s
2007 Lawn Mower Exchange Program to exchange 4,000 gasoline-powered
lawnmowers with cordless electric lawnmowers;
- Awarded a contract to Pacific Stihl for $266,925 to conduct AQMD’s
2007 Leaf Blower Exchange Program to exchange 1,500 highly polluting
gasoline-powered blowers with new low-emission, low-noise,
gasoline-powered back pack blowers;
- Awarded a contract to Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge to
demonstrate an electric tram for use in transporting guests through the
park. The new zero-emission tram will replace an existing propane
internal combustion engine tram; and
- Set a public hearing for March 2 to amend Rule 1309.1 – Priority
Reserve.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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