newjerseynewsroom.com

Calls for 175 diesel engine vehicles to be retrofitted within 3 years

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Gov. Chris Christie Wednesday signed an executive order that targets air pollution caused by diesel engines used on major transportation construction projects in New Jersey.

The order directs the departments of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Transportation (DOT) to create a diesel emission retrofit pilot program that will attempt to retrofit 175 pieces of construction equipment within three years. The goal is to improve air quality for those living near urban construction sites by limiting exposure to fine particulate matter.

The retrofits will be financed by $2.5 million in DEP grants from state and federal air quality mitigation funds.

The first phase of the program will focus on DOT projects in urban areas to be selected later this year.

“The cumulative effect of multiple sources of pollution, including diesel exhaust, is a major health impact in communities across the Garden State,” Christie said. “Exhaust from older diesel-powered vehicles and equipment is a source of these harmful pollutants especially in congested urban areas. With this executive order, we’re focused on reducing diesel emissions to help resolve this serious public health issue that disproportionately affects residents in these areas.”

"It is well documented that exposure to such fine particulate matter, of which diesel exhaust is a significant contributor, has cardiovascular and respiratory effects, including cancer, premature death, and increased incidence of asthma, allergies, and other breathing disorders,” DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said. “It is imperative that we reduce those harmful emissions."

The federal government has made $300 million available to the states to retrofit diesel-powered vehicles.

Asked how many diesel-powered construction vehicles exist in New Jersey and why the construction companies are not being directed to retrofit their own equipment, Larry Ragonese, a DEP spokesman, said, "This is an effort to improve air quality in New Jersey, especially in urban areas. There are many cumulative impacts on urban communities and this is an attempt to deal with one of them."

Upon completion of the pilot project in 2014, the DEP and DOT will attempt to determine if the diesel retrofit project should continue and expand. A report and recommendation will be submitted to the governor, who will make the final decision.

Additionally, under the pilot project, non-road diesel construction equipment of more than 100 horsepower – such as bulldozers, graders and pavers – used in state-financed construction projects must meet anti-pollution standards or must be retrofitted with devices to achieve at least an 85 percent reduction in particulate matter emissions.

Non-road diesel construction equipment generates approximately one-third of the toxic mobile source diesel particulate matter emissions in New Jersey – more than any other mobile source sector including on-road vehicles, trains, or marine commercial vessels.

While there are four times as many on-road diesel vehicles as non-road equipment, the non-road equipment emits twice as much due to the fact that federal emissions standards for non-road engines lag behind those for on-road engines.