Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 - Symposium on Technology for Reducing Emissionsi in Texas

Texas' State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) is requesting $700,000 to help local area Adopt-A-School Bus Programs reduce pollution from diesel-powered school buses in the Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin Areas.

The Adopt-A-School Bus Program is a joint venture between the State Energy Conservation Office, the Education Foundation of Harris County, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the Clean Air Force of Central Texas and other community partners to improve air quality and reduce diesel exhaust emitted by school buses. In the Houston area the Adopt-A-School Bus Program is administered by an independent steering committee and operates under the auspices of the Education Foundation of Harris County. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area the North Central Texas Council of Governments administers the Program; and in the Austin/Central Texas Area the Clean Air Force of Central Texas houses and runs the Program.

The State Energy Conservation Office works in partnership with the project partners and their independent school districts and organizations throughout the community to foster and fund innovative, effective programs for the systemic improvement of public school education.

The State Energy Conservation Office Clean School Bus USA Initiative sets as its objectives to help reduce children's exposure to harmful emissions from diesel buses, as well as to reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide ozone precursors and particulate matter emitted by diesel school buses. The demonstration project will include the implementation of several clean fuel technologies that meet the 2004 Federal emissions standards in the various school bus fleets. These include the use of Texas Low Emission Diesel (an ultra low sulfur diesel which has less than 15 parts per million sulfur and meets the 2004 standards for ultra low sulfur diesel), and EPA certified retrofit technologies for 73 diesel buses.

The establishment of the Adopt-A-School Bus program demonstrates a commitment by many community partners to help reduce air pollution in the affected areas by replacing or retrofitting their aging diesel-powered school buses over the next three years. All participating School Districts have adopted the following policies that demonstrate a commitment towards implementing policies that support retrofit projects:

1. School Transportation Services "No Idle" Policy - This policy to reduce unnecessary school bus idling in and around the school pick up and departure areas has been embraced and implemented by all participating Independent School Districts for their buses and maintenance vehicles.

2. All participating School Districts are making a strong effort to implement the use of ultra low sulfur diesel 18 months before required by the State Implementation Plan. The use of propane in the Dallas County Schools has been ongoing and will continue.

3. All participating School Districts are reducing the size of their fleet and removing the oldest buses from the fleet, when possible. They hope to have the engines scrapped so as to permanently reduce emissions.

4. All participating Independent School Districts expect to reduce the fleet size over the next two years. Cost efficiencies are met through tiered route structures and stopping only at designated bus stops.

5. Several schools are participating in the Kids Air Pollution Solutions (KAPS), the environmental education program developed by the Adopt-A-School Bus program.

Texas' State Energy Conservation Office's Clean School Bus USA Initiative is scheduled to be implemented from November 2003 to 2005. Texas' State Energy Conservation Office and project partners will fully document the project from start to finish, including maintenance requirements and costs, training requirements and costs, obstacles encountered and measures taken to overcome them, etc., so that other school districts can obtain detailed guidance on how to implement a similar bus replacement project.

Cost Break-out Table

	# Buses	Filters $	Fuel $	Match $
Austin	18	135,000	15,000	15,000
Dallas/Ft. Worth	33	247,500	2,500	21,000
Houston	22	165,000	135,000	348,000
TOTALS	73	547,500 EPA	152,500 EPA	384,000 SECO

Individual Demonstration Project Descriptions

The $700,000 requested by Texas' State Energy Conservation Office from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus USA grant will be utilized in the following project areas:

HOUSTON:
The Houston Independent School District has 1,549 buses in its fleet. This demonstration project is based on EPA certified retrofit technologies. The Houston Independent School District has been granted funds from the Texas Council of Environmental Quality through its Texas Emissions Reduction Program to help purchase Texas Low Emission Diesel fuel for 18 months before the State Implementation Plan requires it.

Funding in the amount of $300,000 will be distributed to the Houston Independent School District. With the adoption of Texas Low Emission Diesel fuel for the Houston Independent School District school bus fleet, certified particulate matter traps, will provide additional particulate matter reductions of up to 90%. This demonstration project will use certified particulate matter traps such as Engelhard's DPX™ catalytic particulate filter. EPA funds will be used to pay for part of the incremental cost of installing certified particulate matter traps on 22 diesel-powered school buses in the Houston Independent School District fleet. The Houston Independent School District's bus inventory includes 135 buses manufactured in 1999 that have T444E International engines. This engine model has an electronic control mechanism that can be reflashed (adjusted) to take advantage of the use of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel providing a further 20% reduction in NOx emissions. The total cost for the retrofits and the engine reflash is $165,000.

The remainder of the EPA funds will be used to pay for the incremental cost of purchasing Texas Low Emission Diesel fuel. The EPA funding will ensure the early adoption of Texas Low Emission Diesel fuel by the Houston Independent School District by funding 2¢ per gallon (20%) of the incremental costs not covered by the Texas Emissions Reduction Program ($135,000). Matching funds of $348,000 are committed to the project and represent 54% of the total project costs. These funds cover project coordination, the incremental costs of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel not funded by EPA, and will provide training for the Houston Independent School District mechanics to maintain the retrofit technology.

DALLAS/FORT WORTH:
Dallas County Schools and the Fort Worth Independent School District are two of the largest organizations transporting students to school on a daily basis in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Dallas County Schools owns, operates and maintains a fleet of more than 1,200 buses and provides transportation services for nine school districts within Dallas County. Dallas County Schools transports 45,500 students daily and travels an estimated 17,550,000 miles annually. Dallas County Schools' regular replacement schedule maintains an overall average age of five to six years for route buses and a six to seven-and-a-half year average age for spare buses. Dallas County Schools purchases and consumes approximately 850,000 gallons of fuel per year utilizing seven refueling stations throughout Dallas County.

Fort Worth Independent School District transports nearly 14,000 children to school and home each day on a rapidly aging fleet of 433 buses. Fort Worth Independent School District owns, operates and maintains the buses. All of the buses burn regular diesel fuel, and 136 are more than a decade old. The District replaces buses every 15 years. In 2002, the fleet logged 3,403,344 miles and consumed 677,306 gallons of fuel. Typical hours of operation for the fleet are approximately 567,600 hours.

Funding in the amount of $250,000 will be distributed to Dallas County Schools and the Fort Worth Independent School District. EPA funds will provide $247,500 to Dallas/Fort Worth Schools to install particulate traps on 33 buses at $7,500 each (Dallas County Schools plans to retrofit 29 buses; Fort Worth Independent School District plans to retrofit 4 buses). In addition, $2,500 will be distributed to Fort Worth Independent School District to cover the incremental cost associated with purchasing and utilizing 8,000 gallons of Texas Low Emission Diesel fuel. Both organizations understand the 5% financial contribution that is required and are prepared to meet or exceed that amount. Dallas County Schools and Fort Worth Independent School District's cost-share will be provided in cash.

AUSTIN:
Austin Independent School District has a total fleet size of 416 buses that transport approximately 23,000 students to school and home each day on an average of one hour per day. 370 of these buses are diesel-powered. The annual fleet travels 6.1 million miles and the fleet replacement rate is based on a 17-year plan. Engine year models average from 1984 to 2002.

Funding in the amount of $150,000 will be distributed to the Austin Independent School District. EPA funds will be used to fund the incremental costs of retrofitting 18 buses at $7,500 each or $135,000. The Austin Independent School District and the the Clean Air Force of Central Texas will contribute $15,000 to the project via in-kind cash contributions.

Additionally, $15,000 will be distributed for the incremental cost of Texas Low Emission Diesel fuel. The Austin Independent School District has agreed to implement the use Texas Low Emission Diesel fuell for its entire diesel bus fleet (not just the 18 retrofitted buses).