School Buses Clean Up With Biodiesel - Cutting Health Risks With Less-Polluting Fuel

Students in the Central Valley School District in Eastern Washington and Northshore School District in the Puget Sound region will be among the first in the state to ride in buses operating on biodiesel fuel. The initiatives are part of a statewide program to reduce air pollution and health risks by operating school buses on cleaner-burning fuels. 

Central Valley School District kicked off its biodiesel program in November 2003.

The school bus biodiesel pilot project was established by the legislature during the 2003 legislative session. House Bill 1243, sponsored by Representative Brian Sullivan (D-21) establishes a pilot program to introduce biodiesel into school district fleets. The Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition and the Spokane County Conservation District were instrumental in creating and lobbying for the passage of the legislation. 

Diesel emissions are under increasing scrutiny as a smog contributor and a risk to public health.  Carcinogens in the exhaust are harmful, and parents and politicians worry about schoolchildren inhaling too much exhaust. Children breathe more air relative to their body weight than adults, and their lung systems are not fully developed, making them more sensitive to pollutants in diesel exhaust. Recent studies show diesel exhaust contributes as much as 70 percent of the cancer risk from toxic air pollution in urban areas.

Biodiesel is a clean-burning, non-toxic, non-petroleum fuel that is produced from any vegetable oil or animal fat. Biodiesel can be substituted for or blended with petroleum diesel, dramatically reducing air pollution. Biodiesel is recognized as a certified alternative fuel by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Central Valley and Northshore volunteered to take part in the pilot project and will be using a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent ultra-low-sulfur diesel. 

"We are pleased to have supported such an innovative project that enhances air quality while reducing school bus emissions," said Mike Pearson, Central Valley interim superintendent. "In the final analysis, it will be our children who reap the benefits."

Baker Commodities, a nationwide rendering company that also produces biodiesel, donated the first 800 gallons of biodiesel to the Central Valley School District. The company is currently doing market research and feasibility studies for the development biodiesel production facilities in Washington state. The Seattle and Spokane regions have been identified as possible plant locations.

In addition to these biodiesel pilot programs, numerous school districts throughout the state are using an ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and retrofitting the exhaust systems of buses to reduce emissions. The school bus retrofit projects are part of a statewide effort known as the Washington State Clean School Bus Program. The state legislature passed a bill this year to pay for the program, the largest state-funded, voluntary school bus retrofit program in the country. The legislature provided approximately $5 million statewide for the current fiscal year (which ends next June 30), primarily to begin installing emission controls on existing diesel school buses. Lawmakers committed to continuing that level of funding for five years to reach approximately 5,000 of more than 9,000 school buses in the state.

The Washington State Clean School Bus Program is also providing some funding for the biodiesel pilot program. 

The clean school bus projects are the result of the combined efforts of: the Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition (Clean Cities)); Spokane County Conservation District (SCCD); Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology); Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority (SCAPCA); and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA). 

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Contact: 
Clean Cities  206-684-0935
Jim Armstrong, SCCD  509-535-7274
Jani Gilbert, Ecology  509-329-3495
Eric Skelton, SCAPCA   509-477-4727, x 121
David Kircher, PSCAA  206-689-4050
Gene Marsh, Central Valley School District, 509-228-5496

Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition website:  http://www.pugetsoundcleancities.org
Ecology's Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov 
Spokane County Conservation District biofuels project: http://www.sccd.org/biofuel.htm
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's Diesel Solutions program:  http://www.pscleanair.org/dieselsolutions/index.shtml 

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