Philadelphia Diesel Difference Working Group Minutes

April 18, 2005

The Philadelphia Diesel Difference - Working Group Meeting
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC)
Pennsylvania New Jersey Room
The Bourse Building
111 S. Independence Mall East, 8th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106

IN ATTENDANCE:

Brett Alkins, Johnson Matthey Inc.
Alvaro Alvarado, U.S. EPA, Region 3
Francine Carlini, PA DEP
Ray Chalmers, U.S. EPA, Region 3
Eric Cheung, Clean Air Council/PDD
Fred Cummings, Philadelphia Airport
Morris Fine, AMS/PDD
Emi Faloughi, DVRPC
Kirt Flowers, Amtrak
Lionel Gillston, Diesel Engine Transformations LLP
Joe Grinkewicz, School District of Philadelphia
John Hadalski, City of Philadelphia Water Department
Darlene Heep, City of Philadelphia Law Department
Paula Krall, U.S. EPA, Region 3
Jack LeBeau, E Global Solutions
Lisa Leighton, PennFuture
Paul Miles, PECO/Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities
Bill Ross, Sprague Energy
Jack Schweitzer, Amtrak
Chris Thomas, City of Philadelphia Managing Director's Office
Hallie Weiss, AMS
Barbara Wilson, Krapf Bus Co.

MINUTES TAKEN BY:

Eric Cheung

INTRODUCTIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Morris said the City's expanded anti-idling enforcement initiative is underway. So far brochures were distributed to heavy duty fleets that operate in Philadelphia explaining what the law is concerning unnecessary idling in the City and what the health benefits are in complying with the law. The brochure can be downloaded from PDD's website here: http://www.cleanair.org/dieseldifference/resources/PhiladelphiaIdlingLaws.pdf. Included with the brochures was a cover letter that explains the new anti-idling enforcement partnership between Philadelphia Air Management Services and Parking Authority. Fleet operators are asked to alert their drivers about the laws. Beginning May 2, 2005 the partnership will begin ticketing violators. Until then, enforcing agents will only issue warnings.

Morris also noted that two heavy duty fleets in the City are looking into clean diesel technologies. The United States Postal Service is opening up a new distribution facility in the Eastwick section. The plans for this new facility have been met with complaints from neighboring residents who worry about the effects of increased truck traffic. Consequently, USPS is willing to cooperate with PDD to retrofit its fleet if funding can be found to cover it. Morris believes a potential enforcement settlement with Sunoco could provide this funding. Meanwhile, Clean Air Council has spoken to the facilities manager of SPC Corporation, which operates a car-crushing plant at 26th and Penrose Avenue. The manager said SPC is willing to pay to retrofit its own vehicles. Eric is working with the fleet to begin this process.

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP:

A mailing explaining PDD's Adopt-A-School Bus program has already been sent to the Top 50 largest corporations in the area. So far only three of the recipients have responded: Aaramark, Comcast and Unisys. All of them stated that they would be unable to participate in the program. Morris said PDD Working Group members can help with follow-up to these companies where they have their own contacts. Eric is to distribute a list of the companies he sent information to and to determine what contacts PDD members have with them. Morris said that PDD should also revisit the corporate sponsorship plan devised by Bill Coughlin last year.

PHILADELPHIA DIESEL DIFFERENCE ACTIVITIES UPDATE:

Eric said the project to retrofit six buses at West Chester School District is moving along. Krapf Bus Company, which operates West Chester's fleet, has been very supportive of PDD's efforts and is willing to provide one of its retrofitted buses for demonstration at events. Eric reported on Clean Air Council's 5K Run and Earth Day event, which took place April 16, 2005. Eric said the event was the most successful in the Council's history, with more participants than ever before. The Council had PDD literature at its table and Kirt Flowers helped hand out the materials.

CLEAN YELLOW BUS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA (CYBA) REPORT:

Eric said that Nathalie Shapiro had participated in U.S. EPA Region 3's Tools for Schools Summit on April 9, 2005 as a representative for Philadelphia Clean Cities and CYBA. PDD materials were distributed at the event and Nathalie presented to attendees on alternative fuels and other clean diesel strategies.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES:
Representatives from PDD and Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities held a conference call to discuss applying for U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities' funding for an electrification project at the Walt Whitman truck stop. Because the scope of the project still has yet to be settled and because it is uncertain whether Shure Power will agree to work with the Walt Whitman location, the consensus of the group was not to apply for the funding. Future sources of funding will be available, so the group thought it was best to concentrate on fleshing out the project idea further. Alvaro Alvarado announced the availability of a new U.S. EPA grant called CARE (Community Action for a Renewed Environment). Proposals are due May 20. U.S. EPA is looking for projects where communities act to reduce pollution in their own surroundings. Projects must address multiple media (i.e., air and water quality). PDD will be applying for funding relating to Port emissions. Since PDD is not an independent nonprofit entity, either the City of Philadelphia or Clean Air Council will actually submit the application on PDD's behalf. The application can focus on a number of possibilities including idle reduction and environmental management systems. The Port presents many different sources of pollution, including tugboats, containers, trucks, off-road diesel engines and ships. Eric advised that the proposal should focus on investigating the Port emissions problem and developing a plan of action to address the problem, rather than jumping immediately to implementing specific technologies.

The topic of addressing Port emissions generated lengthy discussion among the Working Group members. Eric requested the formation of a PDD subcommittee devoted to Port emissions. John Hadalski recommended that the parties who have already been working on Port emissions (including U.S. EPA and various City of Philadelphia departments) determine what the scope of the subcommittee's work will be before it begins meeting. Alvaro said even if a CARE grant application is not submitted relating to Port emissions, it is still important to have a group in place that is addressing the problem. Alvaro said he would email Eric contacts from other Ports around the country that have taken steps to reduce their emissions. Because only the Executive Committee has the power to form a new subcommittee, the following motion was made by Eric and seconded by Emi Faloughi: Establish a subcommittee on Port emissions to develop and implement strategies to reduce diesel emissions from the Port. Those organizations who are currently working on the problem will develop a scope of work for the subcommittee before the subcommittee begins its work. With U.S. EPA recusing itself as it is a potential funder for the work done by this proposed subcommittee, the members of the Executive Committee unanimously passed the motion 6-0.

One final funding note, U.S. EPA's Clean School Bus USA, with about $7.5 million available, will be announced soon.

PRESS EVENT:
Eric alerted everyone to PDD's upcoming press event (April 20, 2005) to announce AMS and the Parking Authority's new anti-idling enforcement initiative. There will be a good line-up of speakers including the head of U.S. EPA Region 3, Don Welsh, and the Deputy Secretary for PA DEP, Tom Fidler. In addition, lunch will be provided.

MONTHLY PRESENTATION:
Paul Miles from PECO Energy presented to the group on the Walt Whitman truck stop electrification project. Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities, which Paul chairs, has taken the lead on moving this project forward. Paul began by offering background on the Walt Whitman location. He described it as an "island in the storm" - not a full service truck stop destination, but a break place for trucks on their travels.

According to Paul the project objectives include 1) minimizing diesel emissions from vehicles at the truck stop; 2) reducing fuel consumption; and 3) establishing a replicatable template for other truck stops. The Walt Whitman location is right near Philadelphia's football and baseball stadiums, which means numerous patrons are breathing in diesel exhaust. A year ago IdleAire worked with the Walt Whitman site intending to electrify it, but ultimately IdleAire determined the location did not fit into its business plan, because of its small size. Instead IdleAire opted to work with a truck stop in Carlisle. In order to keep the electrification idea alive, the Walt Whitman truck stop and Philadelphia Clean Cities have decided to approach a different vendor, Shure Power.

While IdleAire has established itself as the "high-end" technology for truck stop electrification, Shure Power is an emerging vendor who takes a more minimalist - and cheaper - approach. IdleAire offers a heating/cooling electrical unit to trucks that use its technologies. Shure Power in contrast has power pedestals for truck drivers to plug devices into. Thus, while IdleAire provides the creature comforts, Shure Power only provides the power. It is up to each individual truck to have their own heaters or other electrical devices on board.

According to Paul, the new truck stop electrification project with Walt Whitman would involve 20-25 truck spaces. The trucking industry is moving towards designing trucks with more devices like microwaves, refrigerators and television sets, so there will be an increased demand for power sources at truck stops. Shure Power is able to provide electricity at half the cost it takes for the driver to keep his or her vehicle running. Shure Power has one truck stop with 20 truck spaces in New York using its technology. IdleAire has a truck stop using its technology in Paulsboro, New Jersey.

Paul ended his presentation by noting that project partners are still working on the project scope for Walt Whitman. Currently the timeline calls for the project to be completed some time in the fourth quarter of 2006. Paul thinks that some of the revenue earned by Shure Power can go back to the truck stop or even an organization like Philadelphia Clean Cities or PDD. While this project does not call for Walt Whitman to go 100% electric, it still allows for a good pilot project. Morris says this project can tie in nicely with the City's anti-idling initiative. If fleets are asked to stop idling, they will want to know where they can go and Walt Whitman would provide a good location for them.

NEXT MEETING AND LOCATION:
The next meeting will be held May 20, 2005 at PA DEP's Southeastern Regional office in Norristown. PA DEP will be giving a tour of its facility, which has been designated a green building. Eric said that April's meeting is the last one at DVRPC's current location in the Bourse Building. The next meeting at DVRPC's office will take place at its new address: 109 North Independent Mall, near WHYY's building.