The Philadelphia Diesel Difference - Working Group Meeting
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC)
190 North Independence Mall West,
8th Floor,
Philadelphia, PA 19106

IN ATTENDANCE:
Brett Alkins, Johnson Matthey Catalysts
Kevin Benson, Cummins Power Systems/Fleetguard Emission
Emily Bockian Landsburg, Energy Cooperative/Philadelphia Fry-O-Diesel
Ken Brown, University of Pennsylvania
Francine Carlini, PA DEP
Eric Cheung, Clean Air Council/PDD
Fred Cummings, City of Philadelphia Division of Aviation
Morris Fine, AMS/PDD
Dawn Fenton, Diesel Technology Forum
Kirt Flowers, Amtrak
Lionel Gillston, Diesel Engine Transformations, LLP
Sean Greene, DVRPC
Joseph Grinkewicz, School District Of Philadelphia, Transportation
John Hadalski, City of Philadelphia
Darlene Heep, Law Dept., City of Philadelphia, Environmental Section
Sean Jacobs, Clean Air Council
Cathleen Kennedy, US EPA Region III
Paula Krall, US EPA Region III
Jack LeBeau, E Global Solutions
Lisa Magee, Philadelphia Regional Port Authority
Bill Ross, Sprague
Arleen Shulman, PADEP
Alison Tracy, AMS
Barbara Wilson, Krapf Bus Co.

MINUTES TAKEN BY:
Alison Tracy

INTRODUCTIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Morris welcomed the group and wished all a happy new year. He extended a special welcome to today's presenter, Dawn Fenton of the Diesel Technology Forum, and noted that in the coming year the group hopes to broaden its base of partners by creating new relationships with fleets and other volunteer organizations.
Air Management Services and the Philadelphia School District are currently working out details of a settlement with Sunoco signed on Dec. 22, 2005 to set aside $100,000 to subsidize the purchase of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel for school buses. The goal is to time the School District's switchover to Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel so that the subsidy lasts until the fuel becomes mandatory. Morris expressed the Diesel Difference's appreciation of the School District's efforts to implement clean diesel technology.
Morris also brought up two housekeeping matters. First, that his term as chair ends this month, and the group rules require the Executive Committee to vote to either renew his term or hold a new election. Morris proposed holding conference call of the executive committee, but John Hadalski interjected that this seemed unnecessary and moved for a vote to extend Morris' term as Chair. As a quorum of the Executive Committee was present, a vote was conducted and it was agreed that Morris will serve another two-year term as Chair.

The second item of business addressed the Executive Committee's Fleet Representative Seat. Working Group rules state that only one seat on the Executive Committee be held by an individual representing fleet managers. In September of 2004, two representatives volunteered on behalf of their organizations to be considered for the seat-Kirt Flowers of Amtrak and Barbara Wilson of Krapf Bus Company. Amtrak was chosen by random drawing. It was agreed that after one year, Amtrak would cede the seat to Krapf. Since more than one year has passed, the seat is now officially held by Barbara Wilson of Krapf, who will now participate in future Executive Committee votes. John Hadalski clarified that Kirt will still be attending meetings.

PHILADELPHIA DIESEL DIFFERENCE ACTIVITIES UPDATE:
Eric updated the group on his progress in setting up workshops to educate county and local officials about procedures for implementing Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding. He has been working with Sean Greene of DVRPC and with Dawn Fenton of the Diesel Technology Forum. A workshop has tentatively been planned for February that will bring county representatives to DVRPC and familiarize them with how to obtain retrofit funding through CMAQ. Eric is also coordinating with the Regional Transportation Committee (RTC) to make a presentation at a future meeting. However, this may not happen for several months since the RTC already has a full agenda for its next few meetings. However, the RTC will be sending representatives to CMAQ workshops sponsored up by the Diesel Difference. The RTC is responsible for adding items to the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). Eric has also been working with Barbara Wilson to reach out to Planners in Chester County. Additionally, John Hadalski has provided contacts with Planners in the City of Philadelphia. John also noted that it often is difficult to get on a Planning Commission's radar since they often plan their infrastructure rollouts years in advance; timing is important in introducing a new idea that is different from the status quo.

In addition to CMAQ efforts, Eric sent a letter to 20 municipalities in Montgomery County in an attempt to set up meetings and obtain fleet retrofit commitments. He will be following up with them in the next week.

Morris asked for input on a similar letter that AMS is drafting to send to local corporations to urge them to join our willing fleets list. Alison passed out two letters-one aimed at CEOs and one to fleet managers-plus a tentative mailing roster and a form that fleets would fill out when committing to apply for retrofit grants at they become available. Several group members provided comments, which included more personalization in the text of the letter and sending just one letter with a carbon copy going to fleet managers. Eric noted that it may be a good idea to target port fleets at a later date using this letter and form. Eric and Sean Jacobs have been networking with port contacts including Horizon Stevedoring. Although Horizon already uses a propane fleet and would not be a candidate for diesel retrofitting, they were able to provide useful contacts to other port fleets.

Paperwork is being completed to finalize the Walt Whitman Truck Stop Electrification project, which is being funded by Energy Harvest with probable matching funds from AFIG. Once the process is complete, the truck stop will be outfitted with Shurepower hookups.

PDD SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS:
Eric updated the Criteria Committee on the Asthma Bus, which was delayed but should have its equipment installed this week. Kirt Flowers also gave an update on the status of their fleet retrofits: the DOCs unfortunately did not fit when installation was attempted, so they will have to coordinate with the manufacturer to proceed with the installation. Eric hopes to have all the calculations for the retrofits completed by next month, and plans to set up a conference call for the Criteria Committee to vote on what level each project has achieved and discuss press conferences for any Platinum-level fleets. The timing may coincide with the Ozone Action Kickoff on spring, or the 5K event.

Sean Jacobs gave an update on the Port Task Force (formerly the Port Subcommittee). He reiterated that he and Eric met with Horizon Stevedoring, and that representatives from Packer attended last month's stakeholder meeting. The Task Force is still in an information-gathering stage, and is working on preliminary outreach to community groups near the port. The next stakeholder meeting will be held Feb. 13, after the Diesel Difference meeting. Three conference calls are also coming up to convene members of the Task Force's subgroups: the Air, Water and Land Subcommittees. A Port Workshop is also planned for spring for Region 3, (Regions 1 and 2 are holding a meeting in February which Sean will attend) and will educate port operators and others about innovations in diesel technology. Sean will give an update at the next meeting regarding this workshop.

Arleen asked about propane use at the port, and noted that grant money is available at the state level for alternative fuels. Eric explained that smaller companies that use less fuel often find it more cost effective to use propane as opposed to diesel for their off-road vehicles. Engine performance and worker health are also improved by the use of propane in some cases.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES:
Eric reminded the group that Clean Air Council is now seeking projects to fund with the $90,000 National Clean Diesel Campaign grant for off-road diesel equipment at the ports.

MONTHLY PRESENTATION:
Dawn Fenton gave a presentation to the group which detailed the work being done by the Diesel Technology Forum, and discussed recent developments in diesel technology in general. The Forum is a public policy and educational group, not a lobbying organization, and its goal is to gather and disseminate information about clean diesel innovations to interested entities as well as the public at large. To that end, the Forum holds outreach events and meetings, publishes educational materials, and conducts research. It also works to correct misinformation and misconceptions about clean diesel. The Forum looks forward to kicking off the mandatory use of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel, and the advent of new, cleaner diesel engines that will also be required in the near future.

In answer to the group's questions, Dawn said biodiesel is supported by the Forum but no specific type of biodiesel is being advocated at present. Jack LeBeau asked about the relative size of partner companies, and Dawn confirmed that many of these partners are large firms, though companies of all sizes are welcome and she is working on reaching out to more local firms as opposed to just nationally-known firms. Eric inquired about light-duty diesel truck sales, and Dawn answered that though she doesn't have figures available, sales appear to have increased as more light-duty diesel trucks have come on the market. It is expected that more diesel options will become available in the auto market in the next few years. In response to a question by Ken Brown about advocacy of smaller, more efficient vehicles, Dawn explained that the Forum does not tackle fuel economy as part of its educational efforts. However, she expects that when ULSD becomes mandatory, it is likely that some manufacturers will increase the number of small diesel vehicles they sell. Morris asked if the Forum provides fleets with guidance on warranty issues, and Dawn said that in her experience, funding for retrofit projects is the major concern of fleet managers. This may also be mitigated by national availability of ULSD. Arleen expressed concerns about fleets pre-buying 2006 engines in advance of the new cleaner engines that will be mandated in 2007. The Diesel Technology Forum talks about some of these issues on their website, at http://www.dieselforum.org/.

GENERAL COMMENTS:
Morris brought up an issue raised at the last meeting, regarding biodiesel and the possibility of fuel gelling at cold temperatures. Emily Bockian Landsburg of the Energy Cooperative and Philadelphia Fry-O-Diesel described the problems that have been reported in Minnesota, Colorado and elsewhere where vehicles fueled with biodiesel failed to start in very cold weather. She noted that though biodiesel does gel at a higher temperature than regular diesel fuel, the malfunctions in question are attributable to low quality fuel. It is important to educate biodiesel users and sellers about winterizing for the fuel, as well as storage facility maintenance. Producers are aware of quality problems and are conducting ASTM Specification Testing to ensure quality control. Testing should be done at each stage of the transport process. Larger users can test their own fuel samples at a lab, and smaller users should obtain a copy of their supplier's certificate of analysis. Since most gelling problems have to do with glycerin content, companies can test for just that aspect of the fuel which is significantly less expensive than completing a full ASTM Specification Test. The group discussed biodiesel feedstock, and Dawn noted that the Forum does not have a position on feedstocks. Emily elaborated that the ASTM test is feedstock-neutral, and that some have better cold flow properties than others. Ken noted that Yellowstone National Park's fleet operates on 100% biodiesel (B100) and is still able to operate in winter, so clearly fuel quality is important to maintaining vehicle startup reliability.
Arleen asked whether the sulfur that is removed from ULSD is put into other lubricating oils. Bill Ross said that the Sulfur is not going to waste but is being used for other purposes.

Finally, Morris reminded the group that the Mid-Atlantic Diesel Collaborative's kickoff is Feb. 28, 2006, and formal invitations should be sent soon.

NEXT MEETING AND LOCATION:
The next meeting will be held February 13, 2006 at DVRPC.