November 17, 2003

The Philadelphia Diesel Difference Workgroup Meeting
30th Street Station, The Chapel
30th and Market Streets
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

IN ATTENDANCE:

Kevin Benson, Fleetguard Emissions.
April Birnbaum, Air Management Services, Department of Public Health, Philadelphia.
David Campbell, US EPA, Region III.
William Campbell, Seasoned Energy.
Ray Chalmers, US EPA, Region III.
Eric Cheung, Clean Air Council/Clean Cities Program.
Bill Coughlin, Sunoco.
Michael DeFino, Rentar Environmental Solutions.
Steve Donohue, US EPA, Region III.
A. J. Dowd, National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Amtrak.
Morris Fine, Air Management Services, Department of Public Health, Philadelphia.
Aaron Firestone, Clean Air Council.
Kirt Flowers, Amtrak Automotive Group.
Lionel Gillston, Diesel Engine Transformations.
John Hadalski, Managing Director's Office, Philadelphia.
Jack Lebeau, Rentar Environmental Solutions.
Richard Ross, School District of Philadelphia.
Thomas Sandin, EkoBalans.
Jack Schweitzer, Amtrak Environmental.
Jienki Synn, DVRPC.

INTRODUCTIONS:

Mr. Morris Fine, Director of Air Management Services, Department of Public Health, City of Philadelphia, welcomed all in attendance. He thanked Amtrak for the use of the Chapel Room as a meeting venue and for providing refreshments. Mr. Fine announced that the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the Clean Air Council have received a $90,000 Mobile Source Outreach Assistance Grant from the U.S. EPA. More than thirty applicants submitted proposals nationwide and we are one of ten selected agencies to receive the grant. "The Philadelphia Area Green Fleet Promotion and Recognition Program" will expand upon an existing contract between the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the Clean Air Council, which promotes the implementation of clean diesel technology projects in area fleets through non-monetary incentives.

Mr. Fine also noted that the Office of Fleet Management, City of Philadelphia, submitted an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Diesel Retrofit Demonstration Project grant program. The application proposes the installation of diesel oxidation catalysts on twenty-nine vehicles from the Departments of Water and Aviation, in conjunction with ultra low sulfur diesel fuel.

Mr. Fine discussed the need to produce specific data for the impact of diesel particulate matter on public health in Philadelphia. This data will compare the cost of reducing diesel particulate matter through clean diesel technologies (in dollars) with the resulting benefits of decreased mortality, morbidity, number of workdays lost, and hospital admissions of Philadelphia residents. Other cities throughout the United States have estimated that for every dollar spent on clean diesel technology, ten dollars are received as a public health benefit, through reductions in mortality, morbidity, number of workdays lost, and hospital admissions. At a recent STAPPA/ALAPCO conference in San Francisco, Mr. Fine learned of the effectiveness of this type of data in promoting diesel retrofit programs. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Air Management Services, is collaborating with EPA Region III to produce this data.

Lastly, Mr. Fine spoke of a recently approved amendment to the City of Philadelphia's Home Rule Charter, which provides for the City's use of cooperative purchasing agreements with other public agencies (i.e. the School District of Philadelphia). Such agreements will allow its members to take advantage of bulk and cost-effective purchasing. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Air Management Services, is investigating the procurement of ultra low sulfur diesel fuel through this purchasing mechanism.

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM DAVID CAMPBELL, EPA REGION III

Mr. David Campbell of EPA Region III's Air Protection Division announced that his office will provide $20,000 for air toxics mitigation efforts to be distributed to the Diesel Difference Working Group. He wishes to employ this money for direct reductions in health risks associated with particulate matter and other diesel pollutants. He envisions that such risk mitigation will be implemented through the use of clean diesel technologies. More specific details will follow, in regards to the application and selection processes associated with this funding.

CLEAN AIR COUNCIL NON-MONETARY RECOGNITION PROGRAM:

Mr. Eric Cheung of the Clean Air Council/Clean Cities Program updated the Working Group as to the status of the Clean Air Council Non-Monetary Recognition Program. He introduced Mr. Aaron Firestone as his assistant in this program. Mr. Cheung presented the finalized Diesel Difference logo and letterhead, which he circulated amongst the group. Mr. Cheung and Mr. Firestone are also creating a Diesel Difference website that will link from http://www.cleanair.org/dieseldifference/.

REPORT FROM THE CRITERIA COMMITTEE:

Mr. John Hadalski, Chair of the Sub-Committee on Criteria, presented the report from the Criteria Committee's conference call, held on November 6, 2003. Participants in this call included Mr. Hadalski, Ms. Arleen Shulman, Mr. Kirt Flowers, Mr. Ray Chalmers, Mr. Eric Cheung, Mr. Richard Ross, and Ms. April Birnbaum.

A primary issue that emerged throughout the discussion of this report to the Workgroup was the contingency of using EPA verified technologies to achieve gold and silver levels of recognition. Mr. Hadalski explained that the bronze level of recognition represents a behavioral change and therefore, should not be limited to EPA verified technologies. Member of the group expressed the need for data that quantifies the emissions reductions resulting from non-EPA verified clean diesel technologies, before any application of these technologies is considered for a gold or silver level of recognition.

Another issue that arose was a concern for the lack of specification, as to the geographical area, within which we will recognize fleets that implement clean diesel technologies. The group agreed that we should include projects that are implemented within Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties, in the state of Pennsylvania. However, the question arose as to whether or not Pennsylvania counties that are situated to the west of these counties, as well as surrounding counties in New Jersey and Delaware, should be included. Ms. April Birnbaum noted that pollutants targeted for emissions reductions through clean diesel technologies are oftentimes localized in their resulting public health impact. Since the Philadelphia Diesel Difference is focused upon the improvement of the public health of the greater Philadelphia area, the Working Group will need to define the targeted area that it wishes to impact.

Attached is a copy of the recommendations that were presented on November 17, 2003. Please e-mail April Birnbaum at April.Birnbaum@phila.gov with your comments on areas that are not addressed in this document.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

As noted at last month's Diesel Difference Working Group meeting, the issue of Organizational Structure was included on the November meeting agenda.

The Working Group voted on the motion made by Ms. Arlene Shulman and seconded by Ms. Fran Carlini at last month's meeting. Ms. Shulman had motioned to form four adhoc working groups:

1. Committee on Criteria.
2. Committee on Mobile Source Emissions Reduction Credits.
3. Committee on Tax Credits.
4. Committee on Organizational Structure.

The Working Group accepted this motion. An amendment to the motion by Ms. April Birnbaum to form an additional adhoc committee on Corporate Sponsorship was also approved. Following these approvals, Ms. April Birnbaum solicited volunteers for participants in the sub-committees. The following is a list of volunteers:

Corporate Sponsorship

Ms. April Birnbaum, Mr. Bill Coughlin, Mr. A.J. Dowd, Mr. Kirt Flowers, Mr. Lionel Gillston, Mr. Jack LeBeau, Ms. Lisa Zubowicz.

Organizational Structure

Ms. April Birnbaum, Mr. Eric Cheung, Mr. Ray Chalmers, Mr. Bill Coughlin, Mr. Steven Donohue, Mr. Morris Fine, Mr. Aaron Firestone, Mr. Kirt Flowers, Mr. John Hadalski, Mr. Jienki Synn, Ms. Lisa Zubowicz.

Mobile Source Emissions Reduction Credits

Ms. April Birnbaum, Mr. Ray Chalmers, Mr. Michael DeFino, Mr. Jack LeBeau, Mr. Ron Pacitti, Mr. Tomas Sandin, Ms. Arleen Shulman, Mr. Kevin Snape, Mr. Chris Thomas.

Tax Credit

Ms. April Birnbaum, Mr. Kirt Flowers, Mr. Jack Le Beau.

Each of these sub-committees will convene and report back to the Working Group at the December Diesel Difference meeting with their recommendations, indicating whether to proceed and under what conditions.

NEXT MEETING AND LOCATION:

As Amtrak has hosted our previous two meetings, Mr. Kirt Flowers suggested that the Diesel Difference Workgroup alternate venues between 30th Street Rail Station and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. Mr. Jienki Synn of DVRPC volunteered the use of the DVRPC conference room for the December meeting. The upcoming Diesel Difference Workgroup Meeting will be held on December 15, 2003 at 10 AM at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission's Pennsylvania/New Jersey Room, The Bourse Building, 111 S. Independence Mall East, 8th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106.