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U.S. Climate Action Report 2002: Third National Communication of the United States of America Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
5/1/2002
This report identifies existing and planned U.S. policies and measures toward greenhouse gas reduction and global warming. It also indicates future trends in greenhouse gas emissions, outlines expected impacts and adaptation measures, and provides information on financial resources, technology transfer, research, and systematic observations.
Notes: Copies of this document can be downloaded from the U.S. EPA Web site at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ResourceCenterPublicationsUSClimateActionReport.html#toc. To purchase copies of this report, visit the U.S. Government Printing Office Web site at http://bookstore.gpo.gov. Phone orders may be submitted at 1-866-512-1800 or 1-202-512-1800.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - March 28, 2002
3/28/2002
This is the fifth issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to date on the price of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders during the months of January and February, 2002, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report which were collected in October, 2001.
Authors: Lott, M.
Resource Guide for Heavy-Duty LNG Vehicles, Infrastructure, and Support Operations
3/1/2002
This Guide is designed to assist decision makers and fleet managers, in considering the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in heavy-duty vehicles. The objective of the Guide is to answer questions regarding implementation of LNG fuel in the fleet, e.g., getting started, likely costs, benefits, and lessons others have learned. This Guide also provides you with contact information for representatives of companies now using these fuels, manufacturers and suppliers of the fuels, and technical and governmental reference materials. The information in the Guide is intended to be useful for both new and existing end-users of heavy-duty LNG vehicles, so that operations can be initiated or conducted in a cost-effective manner with minimal disruptions related to the new fuel technology.
Authors: Chandler, K.L.; Gifford, M.T.; Carpenter, B.S.
Alternative Fuels in Public Transit: A Match Made on the Road
3/1/2002
As alternative fuels compete with conventional fuels for a place in public awareness and acceptance, one of their most visible applications is in public transportation. Vehicles, particularly buses and shuttles, that carry people in large numbers, stand to gain much from using alternative fuels. Such high-demand fuel users can help sustain a fueling infrastructure that supports private autos and other smaller vehicles.
Children's Exposure to Diesel Exhaust on School Buses
2/1/2002
In the United States nearly 600,000 school buses transport 24 million students to school daily. Each year buses travel 4.3 billion miles as children take nearly 10 billion school bus rides. If rides average 30 minutes in each direction, students will spend 180 hours on buses each year. Collectively, U.S. children spend 3 billion hours on school buses each year. More than 99 percent of U.S. school buses are powered by diesel fuel. Diesel exhaust is comprised of very fine particles of carbon and a mixture of toxic gases. Federal agencies have classified diesel exhaust as a probable human carcinogen. Benzene, an important component of the fuel and exhaust, is designated to be a known human carcinogen. Components of diesel exhaust are genotoxic, mutagenic, and can produce symptoms of allergy, including inflammation and irritation of airways. There is no known safe level of exposure to diesel exhaust for children, especially those with respiratory illness. This study concludes that the laws intended to control air pollution in the U.S. must be strengthened to protect the health of children in several important respects. First, fixed monitoring facilities do not capture the variability in air pollution experienced by children. Second, air quality inside buildings and vehicles is not regulated by the EPA. Third, tougher diesel regulations adopted by the EPA last year are insufficient to protect health. Fifth, routine emissions testing for school buses is not required by federal law.
Authors: Wargo, J. Ph.D.; Brown, D. Sc.D.
U.S. Postal Service Fountain Valley Electric Carrier Route Vehicle Testing
1/1/2002
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has ordered 500 light-duty electric carrier route vehicles (ECRV) mostly for their delivery carriers to use in several California locations. The 500 ECRVs have been defined as a demonstration fleet to support a decision on potentially ordering 5,500 additional ECRVs. Several different test methods are being used by the USPS to evaluate the 500-vehicle deployment. One of these test methods is the ECRV Customer Acceptance Test Program at Fountain Valley, California. Two newly manufactured ECRVs were delivered to the Fountain Valley Post Office and eighteen mail carriers primarily drove the ECRVs on ?park and loop? mail delivery routes for a period of 2 days each. This ECRV testing consisted of 36 route tests, 18 tests per vehicle. The 18 mail carriers testing the ECRVs were surveyed for their opinions on the performance of the ECRVs. The U.S. Department of Energy, through its Field Operations Program, is supporting the USPS?s ECRV testing activities both financially and with technical expertise.
Authors: Francfort, J.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - December 17, 2001
12/17/2001
This is the fifth issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to data on the price of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders during the weeks of October 15 and October 22, 2001, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report for the week of June 4, 2001.
Authors: Lott, M.
Technical Barriers to the Use of Ethanol in Diesel Fuel
11/1/2001
The objectives of this study are to examine the status of ethanol-diesel blends and to identify barriers and technical gaps that hinder rapid introduction of these fuels into the market. The results of this assessment and planning process will allow the Department of Energy (DOE) to understand the issues facing the industry and to determine if and how DOE involvement might assist in overcoming the identified barriers. This document includes a brief description of ethanol production, distribution, and storage as background information. This is followed by a description of ethanol-diesel blends (e-diesel) and the properties of these fuels. Engine performance and regulatory requirements are also described. Potential technical barriers are noted in each of these areas and summarized at the end.
Authors: McCormick, R. L.; Parish, R.
UPS CNG Truck Fleet Final Data Report DOE/NREL Truck Evaluation Project
10/1/2001
This is the final data report for the United Parcel Service compressed natural gas (CNG) truck fleet evaluation project in which selected Freightliner CNG delivery vehicles were evaluated as part of the DOE/NREL study. The plan for this evaluation was to test up to 15 CNG package cars and three diesel package cars operating in the Hartford, Connecticut, area from UPS's Waterbury, Hartford, and Windsor facilities. The trucks were all Freighliner Custom Chassis built with Cummins engines. The diesel vehicles had B5.9 engines, and the CNG vehicles had B5.9G engines. The data collection for the DOE/NREL program required a minimum of 12 months of operations data. Based on the age of the CNG and diesel package vehicles (model year 1997) and UPS's extensive data tracking system, the actual evaluation provided here was chosen to be a two-year data evaluation period.
UPS CNG Truck Fleet Start-Up Experience Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project
8/1/2001
UPS currently operates 140 Freightliner Custom Chassis compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered vehicles with Cummins B5.9G engines. Fifteen are participating in the Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Transportation Technologies and the Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is conducting the study in collaboration with federal and state agencies and industry partners such as UPS.
Alternative Motor Fuels and Vehicles: Impact on the Transportation Sector
7/10/2001
This document is the testimony given by Jim Wells, Director of Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. General Accounting Office, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. The statement discusses the extent of alternative fuel vehicle acquisition and fuel use, some of the barriers inhibiting greater use of alternative fuels and vehicles, and the federal tax incentives used to promote the use of alternative motor fuels and vehicles in the U.S.
