The Philadelphia Diesel Difference - Working Group Meeting
30th Street Station - Chapel Room
2955 Market St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104

December 12, 2005

IN ATTENDANCE:
Madina Alharazim, Amtrak
Michael C. Block, Emisstar LLC
Ed Carreras, Carreras Inc.
Eric Cheung, Clean Air Council/PDD
Fred Cummings, City of Philadelphia Division of Aviation
Morris Fine, AMS/PDD
Kirt Flowers, Amtrak
Lionel Gillston, Diesel Engine Transformations, LLP
Sean Greene, DVRPC
Joseph Grinkewicz, School District Of Philadelphia, Transportation
John Hadalski, City of Philadelphia
Peg Hanna, NJ DEP
Darlene Heep, Law Dept., City of Philadelphia, Environmental Section
Jack LeBeau, E Global Solutions
Sue McDowell, EPA Region III
Peter Ortenburg, Engine Control Systems
Perry Pandya, U.S. EPA Region III
James Peeples, O2 Diesel Corp.
Larry Rosen, Rentar Fuel Catalyst
Bill Ross, Sprague
Jack Schweitzer, Amtrak
Brinda Shetty, Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities
Alison Tracy, AMS
Barabara Wilson, Krapf Bus Co.

MINUTES TAKEN BY:
Alison Tracy

INTRODUCTIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Morris convened the Meeting and welcomed all in attendance. He outlined the format for the meeting which would conclude with a tour of Amtrak's facilities. Attendees were invited to reconvene in the Chapel Room after lunch for the ports subcommittee meeting scheduled for noon.

Morris then gave a progress report for the settlement that the City has been hammering out with Sunoco. Locations have been tentatively listed for the distribution of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) fuel, which will be used to power the city's diesel fleet vehicles. The City hopes to have a start date confirmed within the next month. In conjunction with that consent decree, Sunoco will also provide either a subsidy or a rebate for ULSD to the Philadelphia School District. Through these two agreements, we hope that these fleets will have enough low-sulfur fuel available to them to last until the mandate for ULSD goes into effect in the fall of 2006.

In other news, a date has been finalized for the Mid-Atlantic Diesel Collaborative (MADC) Kickoff. It will be a one-day event held February 28th in Washington, DC at the Washington Council of Governments Offices. Details will be available on their website at http://dieselmidatlantic.org/.

PHILADELPHIA DIESEL DIFFERENCE ACTIVITIES UPDATE:
Eric passed out the most recent newsletter, which is now available on the Diesel Difference website. He reminded the group to please contact him (or Alison) about any fleets in the area that might potentially be eligible for recognition. He recapped the recent Diesel Policy Leaders' Summit held in Washington, DC on December 7-8, where he gave a presentation on the Mid-Atlantic Diesel Collaborative which highlighted the work of the Diesel Difference. Alison was also in attendance, along with Kelly Sheckler and Paula Krall from Region 3 and several vendors from the area. After meeting him at the Summit, Eric invited Peter Ortenburg of Engine Control Systems to attend today's meeting. Engine Control Systems donated a Catalyst to the Asthma Bus, and has provided parts to other retrofit projects in the area. Eric noted the discussion of CMAQ and DERA funds at the Summit, and Alison promised to email the website for the event to all members of the group once PowerPoint presentations from each of the panelists are made available online (the event's website is located at www.cleanfleetsusa.net).
Morris mentioned that he spoke recently with Ellen Garvey, a former Bay Area Air Director, who described the use of CMAQ funds in California for municipal fleet projects, specifically privately-owned trash haulers. He suggested that the group do some outreach to mobilize interest for similar projects in the Philadelphia region. Eric agreed, saying the Diesel Difference can help this process along by raising awareness about what we do. As part of this effort, Eric will be making a presentation to the Regulatory Transport Commission (RTC) to let them know about possible funding mechanisms, specifically funding through CMAQ as part of the Transportation Implementation Plan (TIP), done through the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC).

A representative from the Diesel Technology Forum is slated to speak at the January meeting, to discuss that group's activities. Several vendors who currently participate in Diesel Difference Activities are also part of that association.

PDD SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS:
Members of the Criteria Committee should note that five letters went out last week to fleets that we expect to recognize in the near future. The letter asked fleet managers for technical information which will be used to determine what level of recognition the fleet has achieved (Gold, Silver, or Platinum). Fleets under consideration are the Asthma Bus, Amtrak, and the North Penn School District, which have implemented retrofit parts on a number of their vehicles, as well as Lower Merion School District and the PA Turnpike, which have switched their fleet vehicles to Clean Diesel Fuels. Once we receive responses, the Criteria Committee will meet to decide what level of recognition each group has achieved and to plan press events if warranted. Morris noted that each spring for the past few years there has been a kickoff event held jointly with the Clean Air partners in anticipation of the ozone season. We could potentially piggyback on their event in recognizing some of the listed fleets. Sean Greene added that the Air Quality Partnership meeting occurred recently and that planning is in process for that event.

Sean Jacobs gave an update on the Ports subcommittee, which met last month for the first time since the CARE grant was awarded. More involvement is needed from the Port Sector, and to raise interest Sean gave a presentation last week for the Maritime Advisory Council. Currently, we are looking for a port to take the lead on a possible future project, and a community group adjacent to the port that we hope will give us a better sense of local issues and concerns regarding port activities. Sean has been gathering information about who to contact in certain communities surrounding the ports-specifically, Tioga and Packer. The subject of tugboat retrofits was brought up, and Eric explained that while tugboats are a large source of port emission, these retrofits are very expensive and we would need to seek additional grant money for such a project. However, we would like to get buy-in now from local tug operators in anticipation of future funding.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES:
There are no new grant opportunities coming up in the near future, but Eric reiterated those mentioned at the last meeting: the Inventions and Innovation Program Grant and funding through the National Clean Diesel Campaign. Eric will set up a link to information on these opportunities from the Diesel Difference website (www.cleanair.com/dieseldifference).

Barbara noted that the Chester County Planning Commission is having a technical meeting to discuss how to integrate CMAQ funding into future planning. However, a briefing on rules and procedures for the grant might be helpful for the Commission. Eric said he would speak to DVRPC to discus whether they might be willing to send a representative to Chester County to give a presentation to Commissioners. The Diesel Technology Forum also is currently setting up workshops to help counties better understand CMAQ, and their presentation could be tailored for Chester. Sean Greene noted that bodies putting together CMAQ plans may not be aware of our activities. John Hadalski suggested that it might be appropriate to speak to the City about its plans, then to Planning Commissions. Counties have their own decision-making processes, but potential applicants should know who key decision-makers are and be aware of the processes involved. Barbara described Chester's planning process in more detail, and Eric brought up the possibility of having a larger workshop with DVRPC inviting various stakeholders from the area to learn more about CMAQ and how to develop and coordinate potential projects. Morris reminded everyone that the next funding cycle will be starting around midyear, so now is a good time to be connecting with Commissioners and others who may be involved in CMAQ projects. Eric will look into setting up a meeting between himself, the Planning Commission and the City. John said that the Philadelphia Planning Commission has been reorganized and he will ascertain who the appropriate contact person is currently. Morris asked the group to find contacts for other surrounding counties like Bucks and Montgomery. Barbara said this information may be available on DVRPC's website.

MONTHLY PRESENTATION:
Before the commencement of the tour, Peter Ortenburg briefly described his work with Lubrizol Engine Control Systems. The retrofit market is their primary market, and they have worked with two school districts under the Clean School Bus program. They sell Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOCs), which replace the muffler on each vehicle. In this way, it is possible to easily retrofit on- or off-road vehicles, as well as forklifts and other equipment. They offer a "turnkey" solution, which provides information and resources for organizations looking for retrofit funding. They also follow up installations with supplemental technical expertise for their customers. Amtrak is one example, with 14 retrofits in progress on heavy duty maintenance trucks. Amtrak also uses some Rentar Catalysts, and estimates their average fuel savings at 12-30% depending on the vehicle. Similarly, the Asthma Bus was retrofitted with a DOC.

The group then toured Amtrak's facilities, including the truck shop where repairs and retrofits are done. Kirt Flowers described the work that is being done to one Mack Truck which is having a DOC installed. The truck is a grappler that replaces railroad ties along the tracks. Unfortunately, the use of ULSD is not practical at this time because the trucks are often out in the field and can't rely on a single fueling station.

GENERAL COMMENTS:
Kirt Flowers introduced Madina Alharazim of Amtrak who is working on Diesel projects. Ed Carreras reported about some problems with biodiesel he recently read about in a weekly trucking industry periodical. Apparently, in cold weather the biodiesel component to the fuel can stratify. Jim Peeples explained that during cold snaps, biodiesel can gel in tanks and prevent the vehicle from being used. This problem is more notable in higher concentrations, such as B20, and low-concentration fuel such as B5 have fewer if any problems in cold temperatures. However, problems vary depending on the manufacturer, as some blends are more reliable than others. Morris suggested that the group find out more information on this issue and how it might affect fleets in our area.

NEXT MEETING AND LOCATION:
The next meeting will be held January 9, 2005 at DVRPC.