Eleven Bay Area transit agencies have received almost $16 million in grants to retrofit buses with emission-control devices that reduce sooty particles and smog-forming emissions. The grants were made by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), using $13.8 in federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program funds and almost $1.8 million in local matching funds. The federal funds will be paid out over the next two years, and will purchase nearly 1,700 of the emission-control devices, manufactured by Cleaire Advanced Emission Controls in San Leandro. MTC announced the grants at its June 25, 2003, Commission meeting, which coincidentally was also the region's first Spare the Air day of 2003.
The new emissions control system replaces most of the exhaust system on buses manufactured after 1994. It is the first diesel retrofit product to be verified by the California Air Resources Board as effective in reducing both particulate matter, a toxic air contaminant, and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), a prime contributor to smog formation. Once installed, the devices funded by these grants are expected to reduce particulate matter by 300 pounds per day and NOx by over 2500 pounds per day in the Bay Area. The retrofit devices will allow cash- strapped transit districts to meet stricter air quality rules while older vehicles are being phased out and replaced with new cleaner-burning diesel buses.
AC Transit, SamTrans and County Connection have already installed devices on many of their vehicles. SamTrans has also repowered 137 buses, replacing engines and transmissions and other parts, to reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency and vehicle lifespan. The new grants will allow retrofits of 727 AC Transit buses, 375 MUNI buses and 209 SamTrans buses. Other districts planning to use the funds include Golden Gate Transit, Fairfield-Suisun Transit, Livermore-Amador Valley Transit (WHEELS), Santa Rosa CityBus, Vallejo Transit, Tri- Delta Transit, WestCAT and County Connection.
The same transit agencies, except MUNI and Santa Rosa CityBus, will also receive two-year grants totalling $4.5 million in federal CMAQ funds and local matching funds to support portions of the regional express bus network.
Leslie Stewart