February 12, 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:
Jim Black, Clean Air Council
Eric Cheung, Clean Air Council
Fred Cummings, City of Philadelphia, Division of Aviation
Morris Fine, City of Philadelphia, Air Management Services
Jennifer Foster, Johnson Matthey
Sean Greene, DVRPC
Darlene Heep, City of Philadelphia, Law Department
Bill Jones, EPA Region 3
Darlene Messina, City of Philadelphia, Managing Director’s Office
Urszula Miezio, Johnson Matthey
Brinda Shetty, Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities
Dan Snowden, PennDOT
Alison Tracy, City of Philadelphia, Air Management Services
Tom Weir, City of Philadelphia, Air Management Services
MINUTES TAKEN BY:
Alison Tracy
INTRODUCTIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Morris welcomed the group and updated them on the status of the MDC grant that is pending for a project to retrofit 77 Fire Trucks with DOCs. We expect the official announcement for these funds soon, although due to a scaleback of projects to accommodate administrative expenses, the final grant amount will be $88,000 rather than the initial $100,000 that was requested.
On Friday, news came from Washington, DC that the Administration’s proposed STAG grant budget would be cut by 16% ($65 million total) for FY2008. Cuts would not affect this year’s funds but could lead to cuts at the local level next year or thereafter. The Administration’s request for diesel retrofits was also lessened from last year’s amount, to $35 million.
Last week, several PDD participants attended the grand opening ceremonies for the City’s first B20 biodiesel/E85 ethanol fueling station, at 12th and Vine Streets. Brinda updated the group on the station’s success, saying that sales have been good so far. E85 actually costs less than regular gasoline, though its fuel economy is reduced due to the lower energy content of ethanol.
This week, there will be a workshop in Washington, DC to discuss options for reducing urban motor coach idling. Alison will be attending along with the Air Management’s Compliance and Enforcement Chief, Roger Fey.
On Wednesday, there will be a press conference to celebrate the commencement of the diesel retrofit project at Packer and Tioga Terminals. Once finished, a total of 83 vehicles will have oxidation catalysts installed.
The University of Pennsylvania has made a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, and will devise a comprehensive strategy to move towards carbon-neutrality. For more information, please visit http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/article.php?id=1090.
Jack LeBeau of Clean Diesel Technology contacted Morris and Eric regarding a potential project to retrofit Wawa’s fleet of diesel trucks. Apparently, Clean Diesel Technology sold a fuel catalyst to Wawa and would now like to outfit them with retrofits. Eric is hoping to meet with Wawa representatives in the near future to discuss options for retrofitting or using other clean fuels.
RULES AND CHARTER DISCUSSION
The group reviewed the proposed changes to the PDD Rules—specifically, changes were made regarding meeting scheduling and the appointment of the Working Group Chair. Both measures were carried unanimously, instating the AMS representative at the permanent Chair and giving the Coordinator the authority to schedule meetings before the beginning of each calendar year.
PHILADELPHIA DIESEL DIFFERENCE ACTIVITIES UPDATE:
In seeking new fleet commitments, Eric has been focusing on three types of fleets: construction vehicles, fire departments, and waste haulers. Letters were sent to construction companies and volunteer fire departments recently, and at least one written commitment for fire trucks has been received based on that mailing. However, several companies have reported that they subcontract for their fleet services rather than owning the vehicles directly. Eric will work to follow up with those firms that subcontract for vehicles, and seek commitments from those fleets directly. One meeting has been set up with a suburban firm that has offered to help in our efforts. Eric also has a meeting with Waste Management, a company that has already done some retrofits in a few of its garages.
The new version of the website is well underway, and Eric is now transferring content from the old site to the new one. The new version aims to be more user-friendly, and Eric will give PDD members access to them before the beta site replaced the old website, so that each person can give comments on its design.
The Clean Air 5K Run will be held April 21st. Anyone wishing to join or sponsor a team should visit the Clean Air Council’s website for more details.
COMMITTEE UPDATES:
Eric has made calculations for the Great Valley School District, which has reduced its emissions by more than 70%, making it eligible for Platinum-level recognition. Lower Merion, Upper Darby, and Upper Moreland School Districts, along with Cardone Industries are other possible candidates for recognition. The upcoming 5K run and the Ozone Action Kickoff are two events where we might recognize these or other fleets. Darlene Messina added that some of our fleets might also be eligible for Academy of Natural Sciences Sustainability Awards.
In Ports news, Eric reiterated that there will be a retrofit projects press conference at Packer Terminal this Wednesday at 1:00pm. There will also be a Community Health Forum (in conjunction with the ports-centric CARE grant) at the Houston Center soon. CAC will be applying for level 2 CARE grant funding to continue its work on Ports-related environmental projects.
GRANT UPDATES:
In addition to the CARE grant, which is open now, there will also be a funding workshop held by Regions 1, 2, and 3 on April 23rd and 24, here in Philadelphia at the Warwick Hotel. Eric will be one of the featured speakers at that event.
ONE MINUTE UPDATES:
Dan Snowden of PennDOT reported that he sent a briefing to 3 different divisions within PennDOT—Maintenance and Operations, Municipal Services, and Construction and Materials—to review proposed contract language for the City of Philadelphia’s public works contracts. Once these are received, he will set up a contact between PennDOT and the City’s Procurement Department to go over details. Morris mentioned that PDD may want to contact Katie McGinty of PADEP for her support.
The group discussed whether CMAQ funds could be used for Construction projects. Sean Greene reviewed the basic process for CMAQ: the project must be included in the TIP to be eligible for funding. However, competitive CMAQ funds sometimes become available for additional projects that are not part of the regular CMAQ process. Summer would be a good time to begin discussing how to include projects on the TIP. Morris mentioned that there are currently plans to connect Columbus Blvd. to the Navy Yard site where the Food Distribution Center is being relocated. This is a possible site where construction vehicles might be retrofitted.
Sean Greene noted that the Camden Aquarium is installing wind turbines to offset its electricity use. Bill Jones informed the group that there has been some negative press coverage of ULSD, blaming the low sulfur fuel for gelling problems experienced by some fleets during very cold temperatures. These reports are misleading at best, and EPA is issuing a statement to refute those claims. In actuality, all diesel fuel is prone to gelling problems if the proper additives are not blended for cold weather use. It is most likely the improper blending of additives, not the low sulfur content, that is causing problems. Bill also notified the group of an upcoming webcast that UCLA is conducting that will discuss ultrafine particles from diesel fuel. Brinda reported that she is doing a survey of Alternative Vehicle Fleets in the area in conjunction with the 12th and Vine Streets B20/E85 station opening.
WEEKLY PRESENTATION:
Darlene Messina of the Managing Director’s Office and Tom Weir of AMS co-presented on the City’s new Sustainability Initiative. Darlene reviewed the importance of addressing Climate Change at the City level, as cities are the largest contributors to the greenhouse gas problem. Philadelphia has been involved for some time with a group called the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), and now uses software developed by that organization to estimate carbon emissions. The City is also working with the US Conference of Mayors on the issue and was one of 40 cities worldwide to be selected to work with the Clinton Climate Change Initiative to reduce its carbon footprint. Although each Philadelphian’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions falls well below the national average, there is still much that we can do to reduce the city’s contribution to the global greenhouse gas problem. This push for GHG reduction is part of the City’s larger sustainability plan. The end goal is uncertain right now, but the city has pledged to reduce GHGs by 10% over 1990 levels by 2010. So far, the community’s emissions are on track to meet that goal, though governmental emissions have fallen short.
NEXT MEETING AND LOCATION:
The next meeting will be held March 19th, 2007 at DVRPC.
