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A Greener Transportation Future for the Empire State?
by Energy Vision All New Yorkers have a stake in decisions made today about the State’s transportation and energy future. Will it be a healthy one for their children? Will it give their communities the greatest energy security? As millions of their tax dollars are spent, will these dollars be invested most productively? Many decisions will determine the State’s transportation course – decisions ranging from mass transit and land use planning, to electric vehicle and smart grid development, and to bicycle lanes. These decisions will also significantly impact the State’s environmental future, since vehicles are the dominant source of climate-‐changing greenhouse gas emissions and of health-‐threatening air pollution. This factsheet summarizes the challenges posed by continued reliance on petroleum-‐based fuel, especially by the 2.5 million largely-‐diesel powered trucks and buses that are the greatest fuel consumers and air polluters. It discusses the one way to make rapid progress today away from oil: converting these fleets to a clean renewable bio-‐based gas fuel made from the State’s organic wastes. Fleets converting to fossil natural gas can achieve cleaner air and greenhouse gas reductions and are poised for a transition to this better gas. (see p. 5) VEHICLE POLLUTION: A KEY CHALLENGE Although New York State was an early national leader in promoting alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), the 31,325 AFVs on the road as of 2009 make up only 0.3% of the total vehicles in the State.1,2 Long Island is a leading region in this movement.
New York’s 11,245,208 vehicles are a major source of the State’s health-‐threatening air pollution. Though all vehicles pose environmental and health risks, diesel-‐run trucks and buses are of greatest concern – both those registered in-‐state and the “18-‐ wheelers” and other long distance trucks traveling through
NYS on Interstate I-‐95, the New York State Thruway, and other major highways. All contribute to the State’s pollution burden. Diesel emissions have been classified as a known carcinogen.4 Exhaust from most pre-‐2007 diesel-‐fueled trucks, buses and other heavy-‐duty vehicles may contain as many as 40 toxic substances, including carcinogens (such as acetaldehyde and benzene) and reproductive toxins. A key impact of soot particles is on respiratory health: they are clearly linked to asthma attacks, and they exacerbate the health of those who already have pulmonary illnesses and allergies.
Some key facts: • While NYS meets the annual and 24-‐hour federal Air Quality Standards for particulates (2.5 microns in size), and is requesting a re-‐designation to achieve attainment status 3 67.7% of the state’s population live in non-‐attainment areas for ozone pollution (2012), with levels ranging from moderate to severe.3,9
• 1 in 8 adults in NYC have been diagnosed with asthma at one point in their lives—a rate 30% higher than the national average.
VEHICLES IN NYS QUICK FACTS (2009)
Total automobiles 8,725,551 Total trucks 2,448,218 Total buses 71,439 Total vehicles 1* *registered in NYS. Includes federal, state, county, municipal, private and commercial vehicles, not including military vehicles
11,245,208
Total AFVs2 31,325 Compressed Natural Gas 10,017 Electric 8,094 Ethanol, 85% (E85) 11,437 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) 1,777
THE HEALTH RISKS OF AIR POLLUTION9 (2012)
Total Population of NYS 19,465,197 Population at Risk of: Pediatric Asthma 397,702 Adult Asthma 1,347,988 Chronic Bronchitis 588,414 Emphysema 257,899
Smog over Lower Manhattan, NYC
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• Asthma is the leading cause of hospitalizations of children in NYC.6
NYS truckers and dockworkers are inordinately affected by diesel emissions. A 2007 report by Harvard and UC Berkeley found that those who operated or worked with diesel engines had a higher rate of premature death and disease and that truckers were 50% more likely to die prematurely of heart disease than the general population.7 In 2008, the same researchers studied 31,135 truckers’ records. They found that those who did short-‐haul pickups and deliveries were at the highest risk for lung disease. Of those in the study, there were 4,306 deaths; 734 resulted from lung cancer. 40 other workers also had lung cancer. 8 NEW YORK STATE’S AIR QUALITY RECORD
The American Lung Association’s 2012 State of the Air Report9 found a marked improvement in ground level ozone emissions with just six counties given an "F" grade compared with 16 the previous year. DIESEL FLEETS: MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND OIL DEPENDENCE In NYS, the transportation sector generates the
largest share (41%) of carbon dioxide emissions, a major climate-‐changing greenhouse gas, as seen in Figure 1.10 However, the use of petroleum products for vehicles continues to rise, as does the associated carbon dioxide emissions, as seen in Figure 2.
Reliance by NYS on petroleum-‐based fuels for essential fleet operations is increasingly risky. As of 2007, New York was importing 91% of the 193 million barrels of oil consumed— more than any other state. 77% of the oil consumed was used for transportation, at a cost of approximately $33 million a day.11 Of the top 5 countries from which NYS imports its oil – Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Venezuela, several are politically unstable and not solidly allied with U.S. interests. In addition, the bombing of a pipeline in the Middle East or an oil embargo would paralyze the U.S. economy. But, short of such crises, volatile price shifts of fuel controlled by foreign suppliers shake municipal budgets. Furthermore, global competition for access to the world’s most rapidly dwindling fossil fuel is growing, especially from China, India and other parts of industrializing Asia.
STATE OF THE AIR REPORT 2011 and 2012 (From 2011 to 2012, the number of counties graded "F" for
ground-‐level ozone fell from 16 to 6*) County Grade
(2011) Grade (2012)
Population
Bronx F D 1,397,287 Chautauqua F F 133,503 Dutchess F D 293,562 Erie F C 909,247 Essex F D 37,686 Jefferson F F 118,719 Monroe F C 733,703 New York F D 1,629,054 Niagara F C 214,557 Orange F D 383,532 Putnam F F 99,265 Rensselaer F C 155,541 Richmond F F 491,730 Saratoga F D 220,069 Suffolk F F 1,518,475 Westchester
F F 955,962
Total Population at Risk 9,291,892 *Counties not included: Kings, Nassau, Rockland, St. Lawrence, due to incomplete monitoring or the county did not collect monitoring data.
Figure 2. Carbon dioxide emissions from petroleum products in the transportation sector between 1980 and 2010.
Figure 1. NYS Carbon Dioxide emissions by sector. 2009
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NATURAL GAS BUS AND TRUCK FLEETS: AN ENVIRONMENTAL/ECONOMIC SOLUTION FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW Government officials, industry leaders and citizens in NYS increasingly recognize the exceptional problems caused by dependence on diesel fuel. But what are the solutions? For municipalities wanting the healthiest air, freedom from foreign oil, and the best economic investment going forward, the most attractive option is natural gas. 14.8 million natural gas vehicles travel the roads worldwide, but only 123,000 are in the U.S. (ranked 16 among nations).40 The move to natural gas refuse trucks began on the West Coast a decade ago and began spreading in the East in 2007. There are many reasons for this shift: • Natural gas is a secure fuel. 97% of the natural gas consumed domestically is from North America and U.S. supplies are projected to last for decades.12
• With expanded drilling, natural gas prices are at rock bottom—costing $1-‐$2/gal less than diesel.
• It is the cleanest fuel widely available, being 80% hydrogen, and it burns more cleanly than diesel even as trucks age.13
• Compressed natural gas (CNG) is 67-‐94% lower in particulate matter and 50% lower in smog-‐forming nitrogen oxides compared to diesel. CNG trucks and buses generate 20%-‐25% fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
• Natural gas engines are fully commercial and operate cleanly and quietly.
• Best of all, engines and refueling stations installed to use fossil gas are exactly what are needed to move to an even better gas fuel: the renewable form of natural gas made from organic wastes, called “biomethane” or “RNG.” NYS is ripe with potential to produce and use “frack-‐free” RNG. (See p. 4)
NY STATE CNG VEHICLE STATUS REPORT There were 31,325 alternative fueled vehicles on the road in the State as of 2009, of which 10,017 are powered by natural gas fuel. Natural gas fueling infrastructure—This is essential if the number of CNG vehicles in the State is to grow. For the 10,017 natural gas vehicles in NYS today, there are just 106 CNG refueling stations. 34 are open to the public, with prices ranging from $1.30 to $3.03/gallon,14 compared to 6,500 gasoline fueling stations (2008).15 But as gasoline and diesel prices continue to increase, the lower cost of natural
gas fuel is attracting rising interest in natural gas vehicles. For a national map including NYS stations and the price of CNG fuel, visit “www. cngnow.com”.
Transit Buses—While there are no total figures on transit buses in NYS, 6,783 transit buses operate in New York City. Of these, 1,112 are CNG buses, 1,171 are the more fuel-‐efficient hybrid-‐electric buses, the largest such fleet in the world, but the vast majority, 4,500, still burn diesel.16 (MTA awarded New Flyer Industries, a Winnipeg-‐based company, a $216 million contract in 2010 for 135 new replacement CNG buses with the option of ordering 250, with the base order delivered in 2012.) The 277 transit buses operating in Nassau and Suffolk County on Long Island are all CNG buses.17
One of the 1,112 CNG transit buses operating in NYC
Garbage trucks—There are over 136,000 refuse trucks operating in the U.S.18 and while no total is available for NYS’ contribution, NYC alone had 5,150 in 2005.19 Refuse trucks are major contributors to pollution and CO2 emissions as most operate on diesel fuel at an average of 2.8 miles per gallon and over 8,900 gallons per year.20 In 2006, Smithtown, NY on Long Island introduced the first program on the East Coast that required all refuse trucks serving the community to be powered by natural gas by January 2007.21 The pioneering Smithtown example inspired many other Long Island communities to follow suit: as of the end of 2011, Smithtown, Huntington, Brookhaven, Oyster Bay, and East Rockaway had a total of 172 CNG trucks. Nassau County also had 5 heavy-‐duty dump trucks repowered to CNG. Other areas include the Buffalo Niagara region (15), which hopes to expand to 40 by
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the end of 2012. Following Smithtown’s lead, some private waste companies have begun buying CNG trucks voluntarily. They include Filco Carting (3) and Metropolitan Paper Recycling in NYC (9). 22, 23
V. Garofalo Truck serving Smithtown (with CNG fuel on top).
Delivery trucks—Private companies own 2,350,091 trucks in NYS.1 These companies are also turning to alternative fuels. Some notable examples: Manhattan Beer Distributors deployed 15 CNG trucks in their Bronx location in 2002 and have now expanded to 45 at their Brooklyn and Long Island facilities and plan for 100% of their 500 truck fleet to go to CNG.24 UPS bought its first 10 CNG trucks in NY in the l980s. It now has 55 AFVs in the State and 1445 nationally.25 UPS doesn’t specify the breakdown by fuel. Snapple has 27 CNG trucks in Red Hook Brooklyn (2001).26 AT&T has over 3,400 CNG vehicles and 1,600 hybrid electric vehicles in its nationwide fleet as of January 2012.27
One of Manhattan Beer’s 15 CNG trucks in the Bronx
School Buses—There are nearly 50,000 school buses operating in NYS carrying 2.3 million children to school everyday.28 Each diesel bus produces on average 400 pounds of NOx/Non-‐methane hydrocarbons, 900 pounds of CO, 14 pounds of PM, and 23 tons of GHGs per year.29 Every school child is exposed to these emissions. CNG school buses can significantly reduce pollution and reduce health risks to children. But EV data has identified just two CNG fleets: 28 CNG buses in the Long Beach School District (Suffolk) and 21 in the Middle Country Central School District (Suffolk County).29 Taxis—13,087 taxis operate in New York City30, by far the largest fleet in the country. As of 2011, 4,980
of the NYC taxi fleet were hybrid-‐electric vehicles, and in Spring 2012, 6 all-‐electric Nissan Leaf vehicles joined the taxi fleet as part of a pilot program.31, 32 Very few natural gas taxis are currently in operation. However, in the fall of 2011, the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) approved the purchase of the MV-‐1 taxi, a wheelchair-‐accessible cab that can be purchased with a CNG fuel system option.31 The NYC MTA Access-‐a-‐Ride Program has the first 30 MV-‐1’s in operation, 15 of which are natural gas-‐powered. 32
The new wheelchair-‐accessible MV-‐1 taxi
Government fleet—NYS planned to shift its 14,964 light-‐duty vehicles to alternative fuels by 2010. While this has not been achieved, the Clean Fueled Vehicles Council (CFVC) chaired by the Office of General Services has grown NYS’ alternative vehicle fleet from 383 in 1998 to 8,529 as of September 2008, 57% of the state’s light-‐duty fleet.35 As of 2007, the NYS Department of Transportation had 716 CNG cars, 10 hybrids and 35 heavy-‐duty dual fuel trucks.36 NYS’ Office of General Services awarded a 3-‐year contract to Empire Coachworks in 2010 to distribute natural gas vehicles (cars, SUVs, cargo vans, and pickup trucks) of 2010-‐model or after, to all municipal and government agencies in the State. Empire Coachworks converts existing and new gas or diesel fueling systems and replaces them with EPA-‐ and CARB-‐ certified CNG systems provided by Clean Vehicle Solutions and partner companies.35 WHAT’S NEXT FOR NEW YORK? Much has been done to improve New York’s air quality, but the chance to embrace natural gas for fleets to a much larger degree would bring enhanced energy security, environmental, and economic gains. RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS—THE SUSTAINABLE OPTION Perhaps the greatest long-‐term benefit is the role that natural gas use plays as a stepping-‐stone towards the use of an even better gas fuel. Use of natural gas in heavy-‐duty fleets paves the way for a transition to renewable natural gas (RNG), which is
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obtained, not by drilling, but by processing the biogases generated wherever organic wastes are breaking down in an airless, contained environment. In 2008, NYS generated 7.2 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW). From the total amount of waste generated, only 36% was recycled and 8% used for combustion (incineration). Within the stream of MSW, 33% of this is paper and 23% is organic waste, suggesting that well over a third of the waste generated could be converted to RNG through the process of anaerobic digestion. Collecting and refining these gases can turn NYS’s expensive garbage problem into a renewable fuel solution! RNG, on a well to wheels basis, emits 88% less carbon-‐dioxide than diesel. In some cases it is carbon neutral, since its production captures more methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) than the vehicles using it emit. RNG is already being widely used in vehicles in Europe, and as production in the U.S. grows, fleets using fossil natural gas today can blend the fuels or make a full “seamless” transition to this first truly sustainable fuel.38 New York State is superbly positioned to reap the benefits of RNG, since it has bountiful feedstocks for producing it: it has the fourth largest dairy herd in the nation, a $3 billion per year food processing industry, and a sizeable amount of waste in its 27 largest landfills, and at its over six hundred sewage treatment plants. Municipalities and cities could generate fuel from their wastes and, at the same time, reduce both their fuel and waste disposal costs. In the State’s most populous urban center, New York City, it costs a whopping $325 million a year to send municipal wastes to out-‐of-‐state landfills – wastes that contain sufficient organics to produce renewable natural gas that could power thousands of heavy-‐duty buses and trucks for two decades or more. HOW NEW YORKERS CAN HELP Alternatively fueled vehicles are available in the market. New Yorkers can help promote the shift to cleaner fuels and more efficient engines by making their next car a hybrid electric or natural gas vehicle (if bicycles and mass transit are not available). The Honda Civic GX, a natural gas vehicle, is commercially available, achieves 27-‐38 mpg, and was considered the “Greenest Vehicle in 2012” by the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE).39 The Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrid can achieve from 40 up to 55 mpg, compared to the average of 18 mpg by standard vehicles.
Every New Yorker can have an important voice, by encouraging state and federal legislators to support reinstatement of federal tax credits helping overcome the higher costs of these new vehicles; by encouraging the State to create a grant program covering part of the higher costs for CNG vehicles as an added incentive; by letting community leaders know how important it is to put cleaner natural gas refuse fleets, transit and school buses and taxis into service, and by distributing this fact sheet to friends and colleagues!
To learn more about the environmental, health and economic benefits of a shift to natural gas fleets and how to explore a local initiative, sources of information include:
Clean Communities of Western New York (Buffalo) 9 Halwill Drive, Amherst, NY 14226 (716)-‐839-‐6717 Attn: William A. Pauly [email protected]
© Energy Vision Prepared by: Alexandra Tung Energy Vision, a national non-‐profit organization, analyzes the clean petroleum-‐free fuels of the future and collaborates with public and private sector leaders in promoting change. EV’s team published the first reports on alternative fuels for transit buses (2000) and refuse trucks (2003), spurring initial interest in the natural gas option. EV now focuses on turning U.S. wastes into a renewable form of natural gas. (www.energy-‐vision.org) To support EV’s NYS Outreach, please visit: http://www.energy-‐vision.org/support-‐EV.html
Clean Communities of Central New York (Syracuse) 3320 Rock Rose Circle, Baldwinsville, NY 13027 (315)-‐443-‐1203 Attn: Amy Dejohn adejohn@cc-‐cny.com
Greater Long Island Clean Cities AERTC, Room 209, 1000 Innovation Road, Stony Brook, NY 11794-‐6044 (631)-‐504-‐5771 Attn: Rita D. Ebert [email protected]
Energy Vision 138th East 13th Street, New York, NY 10003 (212)-‐228-‐0225 Attn: Joanna Underwood underwood@energy-‐vision.org
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REFERENCES 1 US Department of Transportation. Web 19 Mar 2012. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs03/mv.htm 2 DMV State Motor-‐Vehicle Registrations Web 19 March 2012. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/transportation/motor_vehicle_registrations_alternative_fueled_vehicles.html 3 Clean Data Petition for the 2006 24-‐hour PM2.5 NAAQS, May 5, 2011 Web July 2012 http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/75338.html 4 World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Press release: Diesel Engine Exhaust Carinogenic, June 12, 2012 http://press.iarc.fr/pr213_E.pdf 5 New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, “Asthma Facts: Second Edition.” Web 19 March 2012 http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/pdf/asthma/facts.pdf 6 US Environmental Protection Agency, “Nonattainment Status for Each County by Year.” Web 19 March 2012 http://www.epa.gov/airquality/greenbk/anayo_ny.html 7 “Trucker Heart Disease Study and Diesel Particulate Air Pollution.” California Green Solutions. Web 19 March 2012 http://www.californiagreensolutions.com/cgi-‐bin/gt/tpl.h.content=1837 8 “Diesel truckers at cancer risk from exhaust” SFGate. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-‐bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/09/MNFO14KAA3.DTL 9 American Lung Association, “New York: State of the Air 2011.” Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://www.stateoftheair.org/2011/states/new-‐york/ 10 US Energy Information Administration, Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://205.254.135.7/environment/emissions/state/analysis/ 11 NYSERDA, “Patterns and Trends: NYS Energy Profiles 1995-‐2009.” http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/~/media/Files/Publications/Energy-‐Analysis/1995_2009_patterns_trends_rpt.ashx 12 US Energy Information Administration, http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/~/media/Files/Publications/Energy-‐Analysis/1995_2009_patterns_trends_rpt.ashx 13 NaturalGas.org. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. http://www.naturalgas.org/environment/naturalgas.asp#emission. 14 CNG Now. Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://www.cngnow.com/ 15 US Energy Information Administration, State Energy Data System (SEDS). Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://www.eia.gov/state/seds/ 16 MTA, New York City Transit and the Environment, Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://www.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffenvironment.htm#clean_bus 17Nassau County Energy Policy and Action Plan, www.longislandnn.org/energy/NASSAUENERGYACTIONPLAN.pdf
18The New York Times, Smithtown vs. OPEC, Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://www.cleanenergyfuels.com/pdf/nytimesrelease.pdf 19 New York City Department of Sanitation, Refuse and Recycling Collection, Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dsny/html/collection/refuse.shtml 20 Greening Garbage Trucks: Trends in Alternative Fuel Use 2002-‐2005. 21 Clean Energy, New Clean-‐Air Solution for Solid Waste Collection, Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://www.cleanenergyfuels.com/smithtown.html 22 Filco Carting, Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://www.filcocarting.com 23 Metropolitan Recycling, Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://www.metropaperrecycling.com 24 US Department of Energy, Web 29 Mar 2012. http://energy.gov/articles/green-‐beer-‐not-‐just-‐st-‐patrick-‐s-‐day 25 L. McIntire, UPS 26 Fleet Owner, “Snapple converts vehicles to CNG.” Web 29 Mar 2012. http://fleetowner.com/news/fleet_snapple_converts_vehicles/ 27 AT&T, Web 29 Mar 2012. http://www.att.com/ 28 Alternative Energy, “Hybrid Electric School Buses in New York.” Web 29 Mar 2012. http://www.alternative-‐energy-‐news-‐info/hybrid-‐electric-‐school-‐buses-‐new-‐york 29 Energy Vision, “Why Natural Gas School Buses?” 30 New York Times, Web 29 Mar 2012. http://www.nytimes/com/2007/08/24/nyregion/24taxi.html?_r=1&0ref=slogin 31 NGV Global, “New York Approves the MV-‐1 for Use as City Taxi” Web 29 Mar 2012. http://www.ngvglobal.com/new-‐york-‐approves-‐the-‐mv-‐1-‐for-‐use-‐as-‐city-‐taxi-‐1021 32 Brian Perone, Clean Energy 33 New York Times, Web 29 Mar 2012. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/mayor-‐bloomberg-‐adds-‐70-‐hybrids-‐and-‐e-‐v-‐s-‐to-‐city-‐fleet/?emc=eta1 34 New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, Web 29 Mar 2012. http://www.nyc.gov/html/media/totweb/taxioftomorrow_taxioftoday_specs11.html 35 Government Fleet, Web 29 Mar 2012. http://www.government-‐fleet.com/Channel/Fuel-‐Management/News/Story/2010/07/Natural-‐Gas-‐to-‐Make-‐its-‐Way-‐to-‐New-‐York-‐Fleets.aspx 36 NYSDOT Activities, https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/climate-‐change/activities 37 Department of Environmental Conservation, “MSW Materials Composition in New York State” Web 29 Mar 2012. http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/65541.html 38 Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center: “What is Biogas?” EERE: Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center Program. Web 29 Mar 2012. http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/emerging_biogas_what _is.html 39 Honda, Web 29 Mar. 2012. http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-‐natural-‐gas/reviews/aspx 40 NGV Global, http://www.iangv.org/current-‐ngv-‐stats/
Capital District Clean Communities (Albany) One Park Place, Albany, NY 12205 (518)-‐458-‐2161 Attn: Deborah Stacey [email protected]
Genesee Region Clean Communities (Rochester) 3409 West Lake Road, Canandaigua, NY 14424 (585)-‐301-‐2433 Attn: David Keefe [email protected]
New York City and Lower Hudson Valley Clean Communities 55 Water Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10041 (212)-‐839-‐7728 Attn: Christina Ficicchia [email protected]
