Reducing Diesel Emissions From Road Construction

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Reducing Diesel EmissionsFrom Road Construction

• Alan Jones, Manager
• Environmental Policy Office
• Tennessee Department of Transportation

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Contribution of Non-road Emissions

• NOx

PM 2.5
On-road mobile sources, e.g., cars,
trucks Area sources, including open
burning, small businesses, household
activities Source Tennessee 2002 Draft
Emissions Inventory
Point sources, e.g., factories and
utilities Non-road mobile sources, e.g.,
construction equipment, agricultural
equipment, lawn and garden equipment

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Non-road Diesel EmissionsPM 2.5Percent
Contribution by Category
Diesel sources make up 73 of non-road emissions
from all fuels
Source Tennessee 2002 Draft Emissions Inventory
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18 Nonattainment Counties in Tennessee

• 17 counties in 8-hour ozone nonattainment
• 9 counties in ozone Early Action Compacts
• 6 counties in PM 2.5 nonattainment
• Knoxville region (5 counties) and Chattanooga (1
  county)
• Some counties nonattainment for both ozone
  and PM 2.5
• Note County totals include partial
  county designations

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TDOTs Clean Transportation Initiative

• Comprehensive effort to reduce on- and off-road
  mobile source emissions
• Reduce congestion (ITS, multimodal investments)
• Increase use of transportation alternatives and
  reduce growth rate of VMT
• Encourage cleaner fuels and vehicles(biofuels,
  retrofits, etc.)
• Partner with state/local governments, MPOs and
  private sector on air quality projects

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Clean Transportation Innovations Incentives Fund

• Dedicates up to 4.8 M (total FY 2005-2007) in
  CMAQ Program funds
• Partner with owners of heavy-duty diesels to
  reduce emissions (existing fleets)
• Project options include after treatment
  (retrofits), replacement, repowering, rebuilding
• Encourage idling reduction and cleaner fuels
• Public/private partnerships essential

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Clean Transportation Innovations Incentives Fund

• Pilot projects for FY 2006
• Retrofit road construction equipment
• Retrofit public fleets
• School buses
• Transit vehicles
• Waste hauling vehicles
• City and county public works vehicles
• Idling reduction options for switchyard
  locomotives
• Develop competitive program for FY 2007

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Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement
Program (CMAQ)

• Primary purpose improving air quality
• Transportation projects that reduce mobile source
  emissions in nonattainment and maintenance areas
• Non-federal match required (generally 20)
• State DOTs/MPOs - priority on diesel retrofits
  and other cost-effective emission reduction
  projects

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CMAQ and SAFETEA-LU

• SAFETEA-LU authorized CMAQ to fund
• On-road and non-road diesel vehicles or
  construction equipment projects
• Outreach activities to diesel owners regarding
  diesel retrofits
• Primary project selection criteria
• Estimated emission reductions
• Cost-effectiveness of emission reduction
• EPA preparing guidance on cost-effectiveness of
  CMAQ projects

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TDOT Diesel Emissions Road Construction Pilot

• TDOT pilot project in East Tennessee aims to
• Assess feasibility and effectiveness of diesel
  retrofits for construction equipment
• Develop technical information to share with other
  companies
• Work with partner firms with existingor recently
  awarded contracts in PM 2.5 nonattainment
  counties

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Road Construction Pilot - Announcement and
Applications

• TDOT identified firms now under contract
• Projects underway or recently awarded
• TDOT will announce the opportunity
• Partner firms will
• Inventory equipment for emissions rate, hours of
  use, and remaining useful life
• Identify specific equipment to retrofit
• Select verified retrofit technologies from EPA
  list (e.g., diesel oxidation catalysts)

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Project Selection and Public-Private Partnership
Agreements

• TDOT will
• Review applications and select projects to be
  funded
• Develop public-private partnership agreements
  with successful applicants
• Partner firms will
• Purchase and install technologybased on the
  agreement
• Send TDOT an invoice for 80 percentof project
  costs

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Partner Commitments

• Partner firms will
• Commit to use retrofitted equipment in
  nonattainment area for limited period
• Establish idling reduction policy
• Use low-sulfur fuel (lt500 ppm sulfur) with
  oxidation catalysts or ULSD (lt15 ppm sulfur) with
  particulate filters
• Verify installation of retrofit devices and use
  of cleaner fuel
• Notify TDOT when equipment is removed from
  nonattainment area

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Reporting Requirements

• Partners will track actual equipment usage in
  nonattainment area to verify emission reductions
• Report amount of fuel consumed or number of
  service hours for non-road equipment
• Report miles traveled for each heavy-duty on-road
  vehicle
• TDOT will use EPAs retrofit calculator to
  develop better estimates of expected emission
  reductions

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Insights and Issues

• Difficult for firms to make extended commitment
  to keep retrofitted equipment in nonattainment
  area
• Because of replacement policies, larger companies
  tend to use fairly new equipment
• Greatest emission reductions from older engines,
  especially unregulated engines
• Earthmovers, large scrapers
• Large equipment rarely used in urban projects
  (e.g., road widening, intersection improvements)

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Insights and Issues

• Even with government cost-sharing, for-profit
  companies are reluctant to incur added expenses
• Incentives necessary to encourage participation
• Increased cost of cleaner fuels another barrier
• Must consider engine-specific information in
  selecting the appropriate technology match
• Older equipment a major issue
• Higher emissions
• Limited financial resources equipment owners
  and funding opportunities

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Needs and Opportunities

• Need for dedicated funding to share costs
• CMAQ may fund pilot projects, but other dedicated
  funding sources are badly needed
• Increased use of biodiesel
• Greater emphasis on idling reduction
• Future option - Contract bid specifications that
  require use of cleaner equipment and cleaner
  fuels
• Raises costs of road projects when states already
  face highway funding shortages