- Using 1 gas mower for 1 hour is equivalent to driving 1 car 140 miles.
CLEAN AIR MATTERS
Fall 2003 Edition
In this issue:
- Clean buses to begin carrying school children this winter
- State tests cleaner ferry fuels
- Non-road diesel studied
- Better burn-ban law under design
- Round-the-clock air quality info
- New campaign: "Burn Smart, Burn Clean"
- News in brief: Kid's Fair
- Meet our Advisory Council: Greg Tisdel
- Climate change consultants chosen
- Clean Air Corner: Tips for businesses
New clean-air program ramps up rapidly
Clean
buses to begin carrying school children this winter
While school-age children were enjoying time off from studying this summer, Clean Air Agency program coordinators were rapidly “deploying” a new clean-air program for school buses. Approved by state lawmakers last spring, the program will transform existing buses into low-polluting, air-friendly buses for school kids throughout the state.
Thanks to intense effort and cooperation by state and local air-quality agencies and our staff, we expect the first clean school buses to roll about December of this year. They will be equipped with emission-control devices and switched to cleaner fuels. We expect about 600 buses will emit less pollution by the end of 2004.
Although school buses have proven to be the safest way to transport our children to and from school, reducing their exhaust emissions will further protect our children. The cleaner buses will significantly reduce the health threat from diesel soot for school bus passengers.
New program starts up quickly
We were able to ramp up quickly in large part because three pioneering school districts partnered with us to solve typical start-up kinks. Maintenance staff from Everett School District/Durham School Services, Chief Leschi and North Kitsap helped determine which equipment works best for different types and agesof buses.
Rapid implementation is also possible because agency executive director Dennis McLerran convinced the Conoco/Philips refinery to produce ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel five years earlier than required by federal law. A second refiner, U.S. Oil, began producing the fuel in June of this year. In addition, the added cost for the low-polluting fuel has dropped from 15 cents to 5 cents per gallon.
Our goal is that by 2008, every school child who rides a bus in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties — about 230,000 kids — will be hopping on “green” buses.
For more information
State tests cleaner ferry fuels
We are on board with Washington State Ferries on a joint venture to detersmine the potential for reducing air pollution from ferry engines by switching to newer, cleaner fuels.
The ferry system used the Rhododendron, which makes the Vashon–Point Defiance run, to test smoke-stack emissions while running on standard high-sulfur diesel in May. It tested low-sulfur diesel and ultra-low-sulfur diesel this summer. A blend will be tested this fall.
For the tests, technical staff positioned probes in the stack to sample for particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and total hydrocarbons. Testers in the engine room collected data to correlate engine functions with emissions data. Clean Air Agency staff provided technical assistance and observed the June test of low-sulfur fuel.
This fall, Washington State Ferries is testing a blend of 80 percent ultra-low-sulfur diesel and 20 percent biodiesel.
High-sulfur diesel has about 3,000 parts per million of sulfur, while ultra-low sulfur diesel has just 15 parts per million. The blend is the cleanest fuel of all.
After reviewing the test results, due this December, the ferry system will decide how cleaner fuels fit into its future plans.
Stakeholders begin work on climate change goal
On January 21, a diverse group of business and community people on the new Climate Protection Advisory Committee will begin the process of developing a regional goal and strategies related to global climate change. Next fall, the committee will publish a report with recommendations to the agency’s Board of Directors.
The committee will have 25 members with a balance of interests from business, utilities, government and environmental/public interest arenas.
Areas represented by the stakeholders include transportation, energy supply (companies such as Puget Sound Energy and BP), energy demand (companies such as Boeing), the forest industry (Weyerhaeuser) and others. Also represented will be energy-efficiency specialists, environmental groups, trade associations, automobile manufacturers and dealers, public interest organizations and local governments.
The committee will have four technical working groups — energy supply, energy demand, transportation and forestry/agriculture/solid waste — analyzing costs and benefits before the main group recommends strategies. Technical experts from academia, non-profit organizations and businesses will assist those groups.
Related resources
More information about the Clean Air Agency’s climate change program.
New study focusing on dirty non-road diesel engines
Have you ever watched a ferry, locomotive, tugboat or dozer and wondered if the black smoke spewing from the exhaust pipe is as bad as it looks and smells? Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
Not only does diesel soot smell bad, worsen asthma and aggravate lung and heart ailments, it also causes cancer.
Further, Clean Air Agency analyses show that non-road diesel engines spew out more diesel soot than all on-road truck and bus engines — even though the region has significantly fewer non-road diesel vehicles and equipment.
We are using a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to research the most cost-effective methods for reducing pollution from non-road diesel fleets in western Washington and Oregon. The methods include installing different types of emission-reduction equipment and using ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel.
Study is first in country
This is the first time that any air-quality agency has tackled non-road diesel issues from this angle. After reviewing the study’s findings, we will decide how to launch a voluntary program for heavy-duty diesel fleets. The program will be modeled on our award-winning Diesel Solutions program.
“The problem is not just that EPA non-road emission standards lag far behind on-road standards. Even if EPA introduced new standards tomorrow, the older, dirty engines would still be belching smoke and other pollutants for 25 to 30 years,” said Tom Hudson, agency air resource specialist. “We know the emissions from these engines are too high, but we don’t know the cost to operators for reducing these emissions. There has to be a balance.”
Five fleets participating in study
The study is focusing on ferries, cruise ships, tugboats, locomotives and construction equipment. We have five partners:
- Washington State Ferry System (Puget Sound area)
- Princess Cruise Lines (Seattle)
- Tidewater Barge Lines (Vancouver, Washington)
- Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad Company (Washington and Oregon)
- Morse Brothers Construction Company (Portland, Oregon).
A report is due September 30.
Better burn-ban law under design
Wood smoke from indoor fires adversely affects the health of people in residential neighborhoods when inversions trap the smoke close to the ground. To improve air quality during those winter episodes of stagnant air, the Clean Air Agency is working with other organizations to change the state law defining the threshold, or trigger, for issuing burn bans. (We ban fires in fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves when: 1) measured air pollution exceeds the state law’s “trigger” level and 2) we expect the winter inversion to persist.)
Next January, we will send to the legislature a proposal to base the trigger on the newer federal air quality standard for microscopic fine particles, called PM2.5. That standard is more applicable to health issues related to wood smoke than the current trigger. The current trigger is based on the federal air quality standard for coarse particles, or PM10.
A primary reason for changing the burn-ban trigger is that fine-particle pollution rises to unhealthy levels much earlier than coarse particles. So, unfortunately, the current law sometimes does not let us call burn bans in enough time to protect children, seniors, and people with asthma, emphysema, heart disease and other ailments.
Burn bans do make a difference. Our data shows that fine-particle pollution drops after we issue burn bans. In other words, people are choosing to build fewer or no indoor fires after hearing about rising pollution levels from our Clean Air Network or the media.
“Scientific studies show conclusively that fine particles damage people’s health more than we realized in the past,” said Dennis McLerran, agency executive director. “A revised burn-ban law will better protect people’s health during periods of stagnant air.”
To summarize, the proposed law switches the trigger from coarse particles (PM10) to fine particles (for three reasons:
1. Fine particles from wood smoke are much more harmful to people than coarse particles.
2. Fine-particle pollutants rise into unhealthy zones much earlier than coarse-particle levels.
3. During wintertime inversions, fine particles from wood smoke accumulate in residential neighborhoods where people live and sleep.
Our staff is working with other air quality agencies, the state Department of Ecology, Northwest Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, health advocacy organizations and concerned members of the public to write the proposed law. The proposal builds on legislation introduced last year by Representative Ruth Kagi.
Temporary winter burn bans protect public health
When Clean Air Agency meteorologists predict an extended wintertime inversion and rising pollution levels, and current pollution levels have reached a legislated trigger point, we call a temporary burn ban and prohibit the use of uncertified wood stoves and fireplaces, unless they are a home’s only source of heat. We also temporarily ban all outdoor burning in rural areas where it is otherwise still allowed.
"What’s the air like
right now?" "What’s the forecast?"
Round-the-clock
info is at your fingertips
We monitor air quality continuously — and you can too. And what’s more, if air pollution is rising, you can do something about it.
Current air quality and two-day forecasts (external link) are available on the Clean Air Agency’s Web site. What if the Air Quality Index says pollutant levels are Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, or Unhealthy? Our Web site has tips on how to help, such as reducing driving (take the bus, link trips, put off errands).
Even better, join our Clean Air Network e-mail notification list. When stagnant-air episodes, burn bans or Smog Watches occur, we’ll send you three or four actions that make a difference.
Related resources
About the
Air Quality Index (external link)
New campaign emphasizes “Burn Smart, Burn Clean”
Even the cleanest wood-burning stove can put out enough smoke to cause a nuisance and health hazard to neighbors if it’s not used properly — so our agency is collaborating with the Northwest Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association and others to make sure people know how to “Burn Smart, Burn Clean.” Bartell Drugs and Duraflame also are partners in the new campaign, and others are being invited to join.
The campaign kicks off Sept. 27 with the partners participating in East Pierce Fire and Rescue’s open house in Puyallup. The public will be able to watch clean-burning demonstrations, including natural gas stoves or propane stoves, and learn clean-burning tips for fireplaces and wood stoves.
Two events are scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 4 and 5 at Bartell Drugs stores in Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace. Local fire departments will participate. Then, on Oct. 11, the Heritage Fireplace Shop in Poulsbo will host a clean-burning demonstration.
In addition, Bartell Drugs, Duraflame and many hearth products retailers will be offering information and incentives throughout October. Details are available at www.burningclean.com.
The partners are planning to expand “Burn Smart, Burn Clean” beyond the October 2003 events. The campaign will become a continuing effort to encourage people use the cleanest-burning appliances, natural gas or propane, or to adopt the cleanest-burning practices if they use wood, including using Duraflame or other manufactured logs.
News in Brief: Clean Air Frisbees tossed to 5,000 at Kids’ Fair
Stacks of Clean Air Agency Frisbees flew out of a booth and into the hands of 5,000 children attending the KOMO-TV annual Kids’ Fair at Seattle Center on Saturday, Aug. 9.
Helping “deliver” the Frisbees and clean air messages to the children were Walter Zylowski, agency quality assurance technician, and two volunteers from American Lung Association of Washington. A number of other agency and Lung Association volunteers helped tell our clean air story. About 30,000 people attended the event.
Meet our Advisory Council
Greg Tisdel: "You Have to Believe"
By Mike Schultz
This is the first in a series of articles featuring members of our agency’s Advisory Council.
Like father, like son? Yes and no. Greg Tisdel shared his father’s commitment to quality and customer service when he took over the family business, Tiz's Doors, in 1985 … but he could not have been more different when it came to environmental ethics.
Tisdel’s commitment to the environment stems from two beliefs. The first is that “we have only one environment, so it’s paramount that we take care of it and preserve this wonderful lifestyle we have here in the Northwest.” The second is that incorporating a strong environmental ethic into a business plan makes good financial sense.
One of Tisdel’s defining moments occurred in 1986, when his father was driving him to the airport. Tisdel was flying to California to meet with technical experts on lower-polluting paints and spray-coating equipment. His father told him that “if you feel that strongly about the environment, why don’t you just donate a couple hundred thousand dollars to the Sierra Club and go on polluting like I used to.” That suggestion cemented Tisdel’s environmental beliefs and convictions.
So where does environmental commitment start? “First, you have to believe — believe that you can make a difference, and that it matters,” Tisdel said. “You need to believe that what’s good for the environment is good for the bottom line of your business.”
“Infusing a business with an ethic has to start with the owner, then management, and on down toevery employee in the company. There can’t be any compromise. My painters objected when I purchased HVLP (low-polluting) spray guns before most shops made the conversion, but they were eventually won over by the superior equipment and my dedication to using this new equipment.”
And there are rewards. Tisdel is convinced that his company — which pre-hangs residential doors and pre-finishes doors and wood-trim packages for home builders — is more competitive because of what it has accomplished environmentally.
Walt Jennings, his manager of the manufacturing shop, agrees. “Complying with and going beyond environmental regulations has saved us a lot of money. We put less coating material into the air and into our hazardous waste stream and more onto our products. Because we create so little pollution, our permit fees are considerably lower, our insurance costs are less, and our workers are healthier.”
Tisdel is also a strong advocate of EnviroStars, an award and recognition program for reducing hazardous waste. He likes the idea of being challenged to find new ways to minimize his business’s impact on the environment. When market conditions for recycling cardboard changed to the point that they had to pay to get rid of it, they refused to treat it as waste and found a company that would collect it for no charge.
“You have to reinforce your environmental ethics every day with everyone you deal with and every problem you face.”
And Tisdel’s advice for others? “Get involved with environmental agencies. They truly are your partners.”
Visit Tiz’s Doors at 2118 38th Street in Everett.
Note the environmental awards and recognition Tisdel has
achieved. Read the newspaper accounts of his community
service, commitment to his employees, environmental stewardship,
and business success. He makes it all work. He believes.
Hot consultants to provide technical advice on global climate change
A topnotch team of consultants will be giving technical advice to our agency and its stakeholders as they develop local goals and strategies related to global climate change.
“Tellus Institute and the Center for Clean Air Policy have a wealth of experience,” said Leslie Stanton, air resource specialist. “They did cost-benefit analyses and economic modeling that helped three states (Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York) produce solid, feasible recommendations for reducing greenhouse gases. We are fortunate to get the two best technical organizations in the country.”
An example of a productive stakeholder process comes from Rhode Island. A report showed savings of $700 million over a 15-year period if the stakeholders’ consensus recommendations and strategies were implemented.
The Clean Air Agency also has selected Ross & Associates to facilitate the stakeholder meetings. The stakeholder group will meet from about December 2003 to September 2004. Its final report will offer recommendations for a regional goal for greenhouse-gas reductions and local strategies to achieve that goal.
Related resources: Global Climate Change Program
Clean Air Corner: Tips for Businesses
Know the operating conditions contained in your order of approval. Review them periodically so you know your clean air requirements.
You might have one of the following responses to this tip:
- I can’t find my order of approval.
- What’s an operating condition?
- What order of approval?
If so, we can help. Give us a call (206-343-8800, or 1-800-552-3565). This call could save you money as well as improve air quality.
About the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
The mission of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is to ensure that people in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties have clean, healthy air to breathe. Our job is to provide air quality management services on behalf of cities and counties for their citizens. We do this by adopting and enforcing air quality regulations, sponsoring voluntary initiatives to improve air quality, and educating people and businesses about clean-air choices. To learn more about our work, visit us at www.pscleanair.org.