Source: www.earthtechling.org

Thanks to funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) and some committed regional stakeholders that include  Houston Galveston Area Council (HGAC), Total Transportation Services, Inc. (TTSI), Air Products, Vision Industries, and EDF, 20 dirty, diesel powered heavy duty trucks, the ones carrying large containers, will be replaced with zero-emission TYRANO™ hydrogen fuel cell-electric trucks.  The DOE granted HGAC $3.4 million in funding to launch a zero emission engine technology demonstration project – the largest of its kind- at the Port of Houston Authority (PHA), where heavy duty trucks are projected to account for almost half of all port emissions by 2015.

Expected emission reductions from the project include 39 tons of nitrogen oxides and 0.8 tons of particulate matter per year. This award is especially timely as the Houston area is on the verge of a non-attainment designation with the newly strengthened particulate matter standard and still struggles to meet the national ambient air quality standard for ozone.  In addition to reductions of criteria air pollutants, the demo will enable the displacement of 200,000 gallons of diesel annually (equivalent to reducing 2,180 tons of CO₂).

Historically speaking, the cargo transport sector has been confined to older, dirtier diesel engines. This award signifies a positive step forward in demonstrating a new technology for the freight sector. The trucks are expected to be rolled out later this year, and will be fueled with hydrogen locally sourced from natural gas feedstock.

In addition, over 80 percent of the truck components will be built and assembled right here in America.  Clean air and clean energy for a better economy makes for a triple win.

EDF staffers Marcia Aronoff, Mark MacLeod, and Elena Craft, join Gina McCarthy at a SmartWay press conference in South Carolina in 2011.

We were pleased to hear this week’s announcement by President Obama nominating Gina McCarthy as the next leader of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Click here to listen to the transcript of the President’s announcement of McCarthy’s nomination.

As EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, McCarthy led the development of historic national emission standards for power plant mercury and soot emissions. She also helped implement greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles.

EDF President Fred Krupp praised the nomination in Time magazine saying that McCarthy was “well known for listening and responding to the concerns of both environmental advocates and industry stakeholders, and for pursuing a regulatory approach that is flexible, reasonable and cost-effective.”

Similar sentiments were echoed in the Washington Post, which stated that McCarthy had “cultivated a strong working relationship with members of the business community, dampening much of the opposition her selection might otherwise have encountered.”

Likewise, Michael Bradley, executive director of The Clean Energy Group, said that McCarthy “has taken a measured approach to balancing energy and environmental issues while thoughtfully engaging with industry to develop sensible clean air policies.”

Gina is no stranger to Texas. She has been to the Houston region many times to share her messages supporting clean air. I have had the privilege of seeing first hand her dedication to science and to public health.

In 2009, Gina came to Houston to award the region $9 million worth of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act SmartWay Diesel Emissions Reduction Act funding to the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC) to start a clean truck program in Houston. EDF, together with the Port of Houston Authority and HGAC partnered on the grant application for these SmartWay program funds. McCarthy also presented testimony regarding regulation of greenhouse gases at a field hearing in Houston held by the Energy and Power Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in March of 2011.

In June 2011, McCarthy joined EDF, the Coalition for Responsible Transportation and the Port of Charleston in announcing support for a goods movement initiative called the EPA SmartWay Drayage Program, which builds partnerships between the retail industry, trucking, and port communities to help reduce harmful air emissions from port trucks.

I have no doubt that Texas air quality has the potential to improve under Gina McCarthy’s leadership. Her record clearly speaks for itself.  Please join us in telling your Senators that you support her nomination, clean air, and public health protection by filling out a quick form offered for your convenience.

Most large corporations know that their supply chains are now visible. When a factory explosion in China impacts parts shipments to Apple in the United States, for example, it makes the news. Also, as consumers become more informed, potential for brand loyalty increases for those organizations reducing their harmful emissions and their carbon footprints through more efficient, money-saving supply chain management.

Bottom line? Staying clean is not only healthier, it’s smarter for business. Earlier this week at a Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals conference, I explained more about this concept and suggested steps toward improving goods movement operations.

Why It Matters

Freight emissions are growing rapidly.

Freight transport is the single largest source of corporate carbon emissions, accounting for 15 percent of all emissions. In the U.S. alone, emissions from freight have been projected to increase 74 percent from 2005 to 2035. China is expected to increase its use of freight transportation fuels by 4.5 percent per year from 2008 to 2035. Over the coming decades, freight transport will be among the fastest-growing source of emissions, projected to increase 40 percent globally.

Retailers and other manufacturers exercise significant control over the environmental footprint of supply chain logistics operations. Their decisions on where products are made and stored, how they are designed and packaged, and how much time is allotted for transit have a tremendous impact on carbon and other air pollutants and cost efficiency.

These shippers have the most to gain from an increasingly cleaner and cost-efficient freight system and they can reap the greatest financial rewards from increasing efficiency. On top of that, public perception improves from an organizational “good environmental steward” image, increasing the brand loyalty odds in your favor.

Five Principles For Improving Supply Chain Efficiency And Sustainability 

EDF created five principles shippers can follow to enable a less polluting, more carbon-efficient freight supply chain. These are based on documented case studies in our Smart Moves report, which shows how new technology and thinking are unlocking a raft of previously unattainable economic and environmental efficiencies in the vast commercial shipping industry.

1. Support “Hot Spot” Clean Up. Older diesel equipment without the most modern emission controls release emissions that are hazardous to human health. In fact, the World Health Organization recently declared that diesel emissions can cause cancer in humans. People who live or work near logistics hubs, such as ports and rail yards are exposed to higher levels of these emissions, and are thus at higher risk for harmful health outcomes. As these emissions are generated by the demand for freight, shippers are increasingly being held responsible for cleaning-up “hot spots” of diesel pollution. One way for shippers to make a difference is to support the adoption of cleaner equipment in these hot spots.
2.  Choose the most carbon-efficient mode possible.  Different modes of transportation emit different amounts of carbon per ton-mile. Planes, for instance, emit 47 times more than container ships, and trucks emit six times more than trains. Clearly differentiating cargo that needs to be expedited from that which doesn’t is step one in a carbon-efficient supply chain.
3. Collaborate with other shippers. Are there opportunities to merge your warehouses and distribution assets with other companies? Ship products directly to the client and avoid warehousing altogether? Match “back-haul” lanes with other shippers to improve efficiency? All of these strategies are being used successfully in today’s retail industry.
4. Redesign your own network for efficiency. New logistics tools can help to optimize warehouse locations, shipping routes, and modal connections.
5. Get the most out of each move. Set goals for trailer utilization, look for new ways to combine loads, and use the best new software to optimize orders. Redesigning and consolidating packaging can also increase utilization while decreasing damage.

Increasing Sustainability While Cutting Costs

In the near term, the principles outlined above have significant cost and emissions reduction potential. Collaboration alone has been projected to be able to cut emissions 30 percent while reducing costs by 25 percent. Mode shifting and improved container utilization combined can cut tens of millions of metric tons of emissions from the U.S. freight system each year.

EDF believes that it is vital for shippers to lead the way to freight sustainability. A key way to participate is by adopting freight-specific goals as part of an organization’s sustainability objectives. Here’s a suggestion: Sit down with your logistics team and explore the possibilities:

• Can you improve carbon-efficiency by ton-mile by 25 percent over the next five years?
• Can you double or triple the percentage of your goods that use intermodal transit?
• Are you able to work with your partners in ports to support that rapid turnover of heavy-polluting trucks and other equipment?

The dramatic growth in goods movement clearly presents major challenges in efforts to minimize the effects of global climate change and lessen widespread harm to public health. However, it is possible to significantly reduce freight emissions from today’s levels, while continuing to grow our economy while improving the cost-efficiency of freight transport.

While most of EDF’s freight transportation clean air efforts address emissions from the trucking and ocean sector, use of our nation’s railroad system for intermodal goods movement has been growing. In fact, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports that intermodal traffic on U.S. rail has risen from 6 million units in 1990 to nearly 12 million in 2011.

As rail lines come to view intermodal as a growth sector and revenue generator, there are significant opportunities to ensure that freight transportation remains on a path toward sustainability. In that context, Norfolk Southern and GE Transportation hosted the 2^nd Annual Railroad Sustainability Symposium last week to highlight current sustainability practices in the sector and to create a dialogue about how sustainability impacts railroads, freight transportation and supply chain logistics.

The symposium covered a wide range of topics including new locomotive technology, sustainability measurement, and land restoration efforts. Perhaps most relevant to clean air issues in environmental hotspots was an update on the NS 999, an electric switcher locomotive prototype first rolled out in 2009 by Norfolk Southern. This locomotive was designed with the express purpose of serving rail yards, an area with high traffic density and idling rates, as well as harmful emissions.

The NS 999 emits no pollutants from combustion and would be most impactful in reducing harmful criteria pollutants which threaten public health. Efforts to continue testing and developing the locomotive are ongoing, but the NS 999 represents a significant effort to address emissions at some of the most critical junctures of the supply chain.

Also of particular interest was the discussion on metrics and calculations for sustainability efforts. A number of companies represented at the symposium are a part of the Carbon Disclosure Project and/or the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Many spoke of the need for accountability of emissions estimations and third-party verification of data that feeds into sustainability and emissions modeling.

The AAR showcased their carbon calculator, a popular tool also used by other transportation stakeholders like the Port of Seattle. These calculators estimate the amount of carbon dioxide emissions avoided by using a particular route or mode. Companies, shareholders, regulators and other interest groups continue to push for transparency in sustainability to allow consumers and suppliers of transportation services to measure their impact and achievements in this area.

The symposium was informative and the dialogue collaborative as representatives from the rail industry, shippers, logistics partners and others met to advance the sustainability agenda for railroads. Rail is a growing player in the intermodal market and new infrastructure developments across the country promise to spur additional growth for this sector.

Houston is recognized as a major rail hub for the region and at the Port of Houston, locomotives represent approximately 13 percent of port nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and 8 percent of port particulate matter (PM) emissions according to the 2007 Goods Movement Air Emissions Inventory. As we work towards improving air quality in environmental hotspots and reducing carbon emissions across the supply chain, we look forward to engaging with rail partners on freight sustainability.

Credit: Mom's Clean Air Force

Texas isn’t the only state dealing with air quality issues.

In Georgia this week, I joined numerous experts working in a collaborative effort to develop cost-efficient strategies and solutions for reducing diesel engine emissions.

At this Southeast Diesel Collaborative (SEDC) 7^th Annual Partners Meeting, the mix of federal, state and local government officials, together with NGOs, and private industry reflected a contemporary trend toward problem solving. That is, the more brainpower tackling a complex problem like air pollution, the more likelihood solutions can be found.

My presentation focused on the public health implications of diesel pollution and how we can accommodate the anticipated increase in goods movement while also reducing emissions and exposures. This topic, of course, parallels some of the very same issues we tackle right here in Texas.

Elena Craft at the Southeast Diesel Collaborative

Freight: Transportation’s Most Polluting and Fastest Growing Sector

For those who may not have read Marcelo Norsworthy’s July post, the capacity of the Panama Canal is set to double by 2014, allowing larger ships to transport goods. Projections by the Panama Canal Authority over the next 20 years has cargo volume growing at “an average of three percent per year, doubling 2005's tonnage by the year 2025.”

Freight movement has been identified as the most polluting as well as the fastest-growing transportation sector, and therefore a significant cause for concern. EDF’s position is that emissions reductions strategies should be a part of every freight planning exercise. Consider the following:

• By 2020, 90.1 million tons of freight per day are expected to move throughout the United States, a 70 percent increase from 2002.
• Freight emissions have increased almost 60 percent since 1990, more than double the growth rate of passenger travel emissions (27 percent).
• The freight sector represents nearly 25 percent of transportation’s greenhouse gas emissions, or approximately 8 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

All About Health

Diesel emissions increase when freight traffic increases. Adverse health impacts will also be on the increase if strategies are not put into place to mitigate them. Diesel engine pollutants we are concerned about include particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and other toxics, not to mention the increase in greenhouse gases.

The dangerous health costs of these rising diesel engine emissions include the shortening of 21,000 lives per year. Studies also demonstrate that people who work around diesel equipment, including truck drivers, railroad workers and equipment operators, are more likely to develop lung cancer than workers who are not exposed to diesel emissions.

A related Environmental Protection Agency report highlights the climate and health impacts of black carbon, a product of fossil fuel incomplete combustion and the most light-absorbing component of particulate matter.

It’s also estimated that for every dollar spent on reducing freight-related pollution, health and productivity benefits would be between $3 and $8 (USD).

Working Toward Solutions

As our readers know, we apply our efforts toward attainable solutions. Yes, the freight movement is expected to increase in coming years, not only along the Panama Canal and Southeastern United States, but also in Texas. And yes, air quality is expected to be a significant corresponding issue.

However, there are solutions under way, and many more on the horizon. One of the biggest solutions involves replacing older diesel engines with newer, less polluting ones   (heavy-duty engines are up to 60 times cleaner than they were just 20 years ago!)

Other solutions include cleaner fuels, better coordination across stakeholder organizations, engine replacement incentives, and improved fuel efficiency measures.

Some of the environmental initiatives under way at various ports around the nation include vessel speed reduction; the increased usage of low sulfur vessel fuel; diesel/electric tugs; locomotive retrofits; clean truck programs and more.

The bottom line: Reducing freight-related diesel engine emissions can be done in sync with the anticipated increase in the goods movement. It takes will, collaboration, and effort, but it can be done.

I’d like to extend a personal thank you to Rebecca Watts-Hull for organizing such a successful and thought provoking conference. As director of Mothers and Others for Clean Air, Rebecca is making a difference in the Southeast.

Source: Clean Air Canada

Today is a big day for clean air; it marks the first day of a historic clean air measure to reduce harmful air emissions from ocean-going ships.

In 2010, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved designation of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA). The standards guiding the ECA are contained in amendments to Annex VI of the IMO’s MARPOL treaty, adopted in 2008. The U.S. became party to the treaty through bipartisan support and ratification by Congress.

Within 200 nautical miles of U.S. coastlines, large ocean-going ships must use cleaner fuels and reduce smog-forming oxides of nitrogen. In the ECA, the sulfur content in fuel will be limited to 10,000 parts per million (ppm) beginning today, and 1,000 ppm in 2015. Within the ECA, ships must also achieve an 80 percent reduction in smog-forming oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) starting in 2016.

This ECA provides the strongest clean air standards available under international law, slashing ozone-forming and particulate pollution from oceangoing vessels and saving up to 14,000 lives a year by 2020 and 30,000 lives by 2030.

The dangerous air pollution from these floating smokestacks is a threat to tens of millions of Americans who live and work along our coastlines. America has the ingenuity to meet these vitally important clean air standards and protect human health and the environment from the serious impacts associated with shipping pollution.

The U.S. government, cruise lines, major shipping companies, health groups and environmental groups all participated in negotiations leading to the adoption of these important health protections. In Texas, the City of Houston, Harris County, Port of Houston Authority, Texas Ports Association, American Association of Port Authorities, and the Houston Galveston Area Council all wrote support letters for adoption of the ECA.

Ocean-going ships are the largest ships on the water and include cruise ships, container ships, tankers, and bulk carriers. These large vessels travel all over the world, making international shipping a significant factor in U.S. port traffic and emissions – 90 percent of ship calls on U.S. ports are made by foreign-flagged vessels.

The large sea-going vessels that dock at more than 100 U.S. port cities currently burn low grade “residual fuel” or “bunker fuel” that is a major source of air pollution. This residual fuel contains sulfur levels 1,800 times greater than U.S. law allows for other diesel engines (about 27,000 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur).

At the eleventh hour, Cruise lines lobbied Congress and the Administration to relax these important health-protective standards. Timely implementation of the ECA standards, as they were adopted, is essential to realize the full suite of health protections offered by the program. Any delay, weakening or exemption to these important clean air standards puts Americans at risk.