April 16, 2007
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:
Emily Bockian Landsburg, Energy Cooperative & Philadelphia Fry-O-Diesel
Eric Cheung, Clean Air Council
Darlene Heep, City of Philadelphia, Law Department
Thomas Huynh, City of Philadelphia, Air Management Services
Sean Greene, DVRPC
Urszula Miezio, Johnson-Matthey
Drew McDowell, Moms for the Future
Dan Snowden, PennDOT
Alison Tracy, City of Philadelphia, Air Management Services
MINUTES TAKEN BY:
Alison Tracy
INTRODUCTIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Alison welcomed the group and introduced AMS’s new Interim Air Director and Chair of the PDD Working Group, Thomas Huynh. Because Tom is new to the group, Alison will temporarily be making announcements at meetings.
MARAMA has officially been awarded the MDC grant and will be going to 4 projects, one of which is the Philadelphia Fire Truck Retrofit Project. AMS and Fleet Management will work to facilitate the disbursement of funds and project implementation.
Alison has been asked to Chair a subgroup of Green Plan Philadelphia that focuses on health outcomes. She will work to incorporate the goals of PDD into those activities.
Alison met with Procurement and they will be adding a questionnaire to their website to help obtain data on construction fleets. AMS is also in the process of contracting with a consulting firm that will develop a report on what the incremental cost to the city is likely to be as a result of the drafted language.
The Mayor is planning to issue an Executive order next week during Earth Week. AMS has been working on the Order that would mandate retrofits on construction equipment used in public works projects, akin to the language that has been drafted for Procurement. There will also be a Sustainability Fair in JFK Plaza to highlight the City’s many green programs.
As a reminder, EPA Regions 1, 2, and 3 will be hosting a Funding Forum April 23-24 at the Radisson Warwick Hotel to discuss options for financing clean diesel projects. If you are interested in attending, please register ASAP on MARAMA’s website.
Air Quality Awareness Week is April 30-May 4, and EPA and NOAA have partnered to raise awareness by publicizing events and activities happening that week related to air quality. Email Alison for details on how to get events listed.
The Urban Land Institute is holding an event to discuss Transportation Infrastructure on April 19th to at the downtown Marriott. Ask Alison for details if you are interested.
A recent Supreme Court decision ruled that EPA has the statutory authority to regulate GHGs from new vehicles. This ruling may have future implications for diesel programs.
PHILADELPHIA DIESEL DIFFERENCE ACTIVITIES UPDATE:
Clean Air Council, AMS and the University of Pennsylvania are planning a Diesel Health Effects Symposium in fall to educate residents about how diesel exhaust increases health risks. The forum will focus on goods transport, such as trucking, trains, and air and marine freight. The goal of the conference is to generate increased public interest in diesel programs and identify new funding sources that could support future clean diesel projects. There will also be a larger event held by EPA in 2008 that will cover a wide spectrum of diesel-related issues. This event could dovetail into that event.
There has been little activity in ongoing projects due to the recent focus on Earth Day events. PDD will be publicized at the upcoming 5K on Saturday and at Temple University’s Earth Day Fair, which will help with the goal of improving the “brand recognition” of PDD. There was also a CAC/PDD table at a recent Mayoral Forum.
CAC met with the Urban Green Partnership which is looking to build a green office building near South and Broad Streets. They will stress green construction (e.g. retrofits and alternative fuels for construction vehicles) as part of their discussion. CAC also participated in the first Clean Airport Partnership which was also attended by Tom H. There is a subcommittee on Green Buildings being formed.
COMMITTEE UPDATES:
The Ports Task Force has submitted its CARE II proposal to EPA based on recommendations from the Task Force. The proposal asks for $300,000 to implement the group’s ideas. 40 vehicles at Packer Terminal have been retrofitted and the rest are underway. The Press conference to publicize this project has not yet been rescheduled.
The Great Valley School District has qualified for recognition, and its Fleet Manager Mike Detwiler will be on hand at the 5K to accept PDD’s Platinum-level award. Lower Merion also meets Platinum-level criteria, so Eric will work with them to participate in the Ozone Kickoff. Sean will send out details on the Kickoff which will be held at the 12th and Vine B20/E85 station on May 10th. The event will feature coupons for clean fuels.
GRANT UPDATES:
The next EPA diesel grant will be issued soon, and will be administered through Region 3. The State’s Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant is also now open and closes June 15th. This grant covers the incremental cost of biodiesel and E85 ethanol.
ONE MINUTE UPDATES:
Fry-O-Diesel is currently stockpiling fuel and planning a parade to publicize the opening of their plant.
Dan Snowden mentioned that PennDOT is still reviewing the City’s draft contract language in three departments: Maintenance and Operations, Municipal Services, and Construction and Materials. PennDOT is also reviewing a proposed statewide anti-idling petition.
WEEKLY PRESENTATION:
Drew McDowell of Moms for the Future discussed his group’s work on promoting the use of clean diesel in school buses. This group began in 2004 with a goal of protecting the health and well-being of children. It also works to implement farm-to-school programs in area school districts, as well as green buildings. The group uses its “brand” to increase the visibility of its programs and issues, and works on a grassroots basis to promote change.
NEXT MEETING AND LOCATION:
The next meeting will be held May 21st, 2007 at DVRPC.
