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Execute Contracts to Cosponsor Demonstration of School Buses Retrofitted with Particulate Matter Reduction Technologies

SYNOPSIS:

Protecting children from exposure to diesel exhaust is a priority to the AQMD. Staff proposes a six-month school bus demonstration program with three local school districts to confirm the performance behavior and particulate matter emissions reduction potential of newly developed retrofit technologies by Johnson Matthey and Engelhard. AQMD proposes to execute multiple contracts with the participants and will coordinate and manage the project. Total project cost is approximately $543,200. AQMD’s contribution shall not exceed $300,100. Co-funding will be provided by the ARB, $120,000; Johnson Matthey, $67,500; and Engelhard $55,600. ARCO will supply low-sulfur diesel fuel at the same price as regular diesel.

COMMITTEE:

Technology, April 28, 2000, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Authorize the Chairman to execute the following contracts for the AQMD’s school bus demonstration program:

1. A contract with Johnson Matthey to fund the purchase and operation of ten continuously regenerating traps in an amount not to exceed $67,500 from the Clean Fuels Fund.
   
   
2. A contract with Engelhard to fund the purchase and operation of ten catalyzed diesel particle traps in an amount not to exceed $55,600 from the Clean Fuels Fund.
   
   
3. A contract with the Los Angeles Unified School District to reimburse costs associated with the demonstration of their school buses in an amount not to exceed $15,000 from the Clean Fuel Fund.
   
   
4. A contract with the Anaheim Union High School District to reimburse costs associated with the demonstration of their school buses in an amount not to exceed $10,000 from the Clean Fuel Fund.
   
   
5. A contract with the University of California, Riverside, College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) to help AQMD monitor the program, and do data interpretation and report writing in an amount not to exceed $50,000 from the Clean Fuels Fund.
   
   
6. Contracts with an Inland Empire school district, Johnson Matthey, Engelhard, CE-CERT, and ARCO, to retrofit the subject school district’s buses with particulate matter traps for a demonstration program in an amount not to exceed $102,000 from the Clean Fuels Fund.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

Mobile sources are responsible for a large percentage of the region’s emissions inventory. There are approximately 10,000 publicly owned and contracted school buses in the South Coast Air Basin. The majority of these buses are diesel-fueled, with high amounts of nitric oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) exhaust emissions. The AQMD’s Environmental Justice Initiative No. 7 targets the reduction of diesel exhaust, and the "Children’s Air Quality Agenda" adopted by the Governing Board in January 1999, is intended to pursue additional measures to protect children from the unhealthful impacts of diesel emissions.

The use of low-sulfur diesel fuel in combination with recently developed retrofit technologies is one possible method for reducing large amounts of PM emissions from school buses in the near future. The retrofit technologies applicable to school buses are Continuously Regenerating Trap (CRT), and Catalyzed Diesel Particle Trap (DPX), developed by Johnson Matthey and Engelhard respectively.

Proposal

The main objective of this project is to test and evaluate the performance of the CRT and the DPX retrofit technologies on school buses in the Basin. A total of thirty buses of different ages and engine types will be selected from the Los Angeles and Anaheim school districts’ bus fleets. All the buses will operate on ARCO’s low-sulfur diesel fuel with a maximum sulfur content of 15 ppm. Ten buses will be retrofitted with the CRT, ten buses will be retrofitted with the DPX technologies, and the remaining buses will operate on low-sulfur fuel with no retrofits as baseline vehicles. Dataloggers will be installed on some of the buses, and the entire fleet of thirty buses will be monitored and evaluated for a period of six months. Emissions measurements will be conducted on representative buses on a chassis dynamometer at the beginning and at the end of the demonstration program, at the ARB’s heavy-duty emissions testing facility located at the MTA. With the consent of the participating school districts, Johnson Matthey, and Engelhard, the buses will continue to operate with the retrofitted traps after the conclusion of the program. A similar demonstration program at an Inland Empire school district, yet to be selected, will be conducted as well. Proportional co-funding from participants of the Los Angeles and Anaheim schools demonstration program will be sought for the Inland Empire school demonstration.

Benefits to AQMD

The proposed project is included in the March 2000 update of the Technology Advancement Plan under Project 2000E1-3, "Evaluation of Benefits and Emission Inventory Impact of Advanced Mobile Source Controls." The AQMP relies on the expedited implementation of advanced technologies in Southern California to achieve air quality standards.

The outcome of this project will help better characterize the performance behavior of newly developed retrofit technologies operating on low-sulfur fuel. This will in turn help the AQMD estimate the achievable PM reductions for the portion of the current school bus fleet that is suitable to the implementation of these retrofit technologies. The results will also assist the AQMD in crafting future regulations to reduce children’s exposure to the unhealthful impacts of diesel exhaust.

Sole Source Justification

Section VIII.B.2 of the Procurement Policy and Procedure identifies four major provisions under which a sole source award may be justified. This request for a sole source award is made under provision B.2.c.: The desired services are available from only the sole source. Specifically, these services are: B.2.c.(1) The unique experience and capabilities of the proposed contractor or contractor team.

Johnson Matthey and Engelhard are the sole developers and manufacturers of the CRT and the DPX retrofit technologies, respectively. Both companies have international operations and are worldwide suppliers of different types of emission control technologies. They have a reputable history of research and product development, with strong marketing capabilities.

ARCO is the only current producer of low-sulfur diesel fuel necessary for the operation of the subject retrofit technologies. ARCO has committed to supply the necessary amount of low-sulfur fuel to the participating school districts at no extra cost compared to regular diesel for the duration of this program.

Los Angeles Unified and Anaheim Union High School Districts have volunteered to participate in this project by making a variety of school buses available for testing and demonstration. Bus age and engine types are representative of the majority of school buses in the Basin. An Inland Empire school district with a representative fleet will also be selected for participation in this program.

The ARB is owner of the heavy-duty emission test facility located at the MTA. The ARB is providing three weeks of testing time at the facility at no cost to the AQMD. Value of this test time is approximately $120,000.

CE-CERT serves a unique role in the Basin as an independent and objective scientific body capable of providing in-depth and valid evaluations on new environmental regulations and technologies.

Resource Impacts

AQMD’s funding for this project shall not exceed $300,100. In-kind co-funding will be provided by the ARB, $120,000; Johnson Matthey, $67,500; and Engelhard, $55,600. ARCO will provide low-sulfur diesel fuel at no extra cost compared to regular diesel.

Sufficient funds are available from the Clean Fuels Fund, established as a special revenue fund resulting from the state-mandated Clean Fuels Program. The Clean Fuels Program, under Health and Safety Code Sections 40448.5 and 40512 and Vehicle Code Section 9250.11, establishes mechanisms to collect revenues from mobile sources to support projects to increase the utilization of clean fuels, including the development of the necessary advanced enabling technologies. Funds collected from motor vehicles are restricted, by statute, to be used for projects and program activities related to mobile sources that support the objectives of the Clean Fuels Program.

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