Mobile Emissions Today articles from December 2003

Mobile Emissions Today archives from December 2003

Oil Companies Agree to Clean Up MTBE-tainted Wells in CA.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2003... The City of Santa Monica, CA recently announced an agreement with Shell, ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil in its lawsuit concerning contamination of the city's water supply with methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). According to officials, the city...

Transport Canada Announces Latest MOST Program Awards.
December 3, 2003... Canadian transport minister David Collenette recently announced more than $266,650 in funding for seven projects under the seventh round of the Moving on Sustainable Transportation (MOST) program. "The environmental impacts of...

ADB Approves Loan for Transport Project in China.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2003... The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently announced it has approved a $270-million loan for an integrated urban transport project designed to ease traffic congestion and reduce vehicular pollution in Xi'an, China. According to ADB, the...

U.S. Court Rejects OFA's Challenge to NY MTBE Ban.(Oxygenate Fuels Association case rejected)(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) recently reported that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York has rejected a request by the Oxygenate Fuels Association (OFA), the trade group representing methyl tertiary butyl ether...

Swiss Contact Touts New Retrofit Technology for the Philippines.(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... SwissContact representative Archie Diaz recently touted the development of a prototype motorcycle equipped with new retrofit technology, which was displayed late last month at the "Clean Air Now" trade exhibit in Manila, Philippines. ...

Local WA Residents Discuss 'Car-Free' Travel Options.(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... Bellingham, WA resident Bill Hinely recently organized a meeting of city residents and representatives from local organizations to consider area "car-free" travel alternatives. Representatives from Bellingham City Parks, Eco-access and...

EPA Waives Sulfur Regulations for Two Texas Refineries.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Baltimore, MD-based Crown Central Petroleum Corporation recently announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to extend temporary relief from its Tier 2 gasoline sulfur reduction regulations to the refineries operated by...

BP Australia to Commence Ethanol Sales in Selected Markets.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... BP Australia recently announced plans to market E10, a fuel blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent standard gasoline, in "selected" Queensland markets beginning December 15. According to the company, BP local distributor Reliance...

EST to Help Pay Cost of Lubrizol Purifilter Use.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Lubrizol Corporation recently announced that the U.K. Energy Saving Trust (EST) is now offering funding to bus and truck fleets to help pay 75 percent of the cost for implementation of the company's Purifilter, a diesel particulate filter from...

Ozone Transport Commission to Consider Mobile Emissions.(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... Inside Washington Publishers recently reported that the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC), which represents the states from Virginia to Maine, and the District of Columbia, developed a plan last month under which member states will consider the...

Colorado County May Stop Vehicle Emissions Testing.(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... Local officials in Pitkin County, CO recently reported that county commissioners are considering ending voluntary carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions tests for vehicles, which were initiated in 1989 in an effort to comply with clean air...

Local Arizona School District to Retrofit Buses.(Paradise Valley Unified School District)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... Officials with the Paradise Valley Unified School District in Phoenix, AZ recently announced the receipt of a $300,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to retrofit 20 buses with particulate matter filters and fuel 114 buses...

Energy Secretary Comments on Energy Bill Deadlock.(Spencer Abraham)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Department of Energy (DOE) secretary Spencer Abraham recently announced that the Bush administration is evaluating "various ways to proceed" in resolving the legislative stalemate over the accountability of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE)...

EPA Notifies States, Tribes of Unhealthy Air.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced it has sent letters to U.S. states and tribal nations to identify areas it believes should be required to reduce emissions to meet new national eight-hour ozone health standards. ...

Trade Union, Health Officials Censure Scottish Congestion Tax.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Representatives with U.K. trade union Unison and the Royal College of Nursing Scotland recently expressed concern over a proposed two-pound-per-day congestion charge in Edinburgh, Scotland, arguing that such a fee would represent a "tax" on...

San Francisco Voters to Decide Fate of Pre-1991 Diesel Buses.(Brief Article)
December 10, 2003... Government officials in San Francisco, CA recently reported that supervisors Tom Ammiano, Chris Daly, Matt Gonzalez and Gerardo Sandoval have signed a measure that will allow city voters to either approve or reject next year the city's proposed...

ALA-New York Urges State Assembly to Continue Hybrid Incentives.(American Lung Association)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2003... American Lung Association of New York State executive director Elizabeth Miller recently sent a letter to New York State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver urging state passage of legislation ensuring the continuation of tax credits for both...

SRP Donates Less-polluting Buses to AZ School District.(Salt River Project)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2003... Phoenix, AZ-based utility the Salt River Project (SRP) recently announced the donation of three less-polluting buses to the public school district in Gilbert, AZ. Additionally, SRP said it provided diesel oxidation catalyst retrofits for...

Kysor Offers Idling Reduction System at Reduced Price.(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... Rockford, IL-based Kysor, a designer, manufacturer and distributor of heater and air conditioning systems, units and components for mobile applications, recently announced it has begun offering the No-Idle Thermal Environment (NITE) system from...

FOE Cites Unfair U.K. Tax Scheme for Polluting Cars.(Friends of the Earth)(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... Friends of the Earth (FOE) recently announced the release of a new analysis which indicates that drivers of "gas-guzzling" sports and luxury cars pay the same road tax as owners of medium-sized family sedans, "despite producing vastly greater...

NJPIRG Evaluates Public Health Impact of State Pollution.(New Jersey Public Interest Research Group)
December 11, 2003... The New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG) recently announced the release of a new report, titled "The Public Health Impact of Air Pollution in New Jersey," which indicates that between 2,300 and 5,400 state residents die...

OR Officials Criticize Bus Depot Air Quality Study.(Oregon)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2003... State regulatory officials in Oregon recently criticized an air quality study prepared for the Beaverton School District in support of a planned expansion of a 197-vehicle bus depot, arguing that the report lacks details concerning the...

EU, U.S., China, Japan to Address Air Pollution From Traffic.(European Union)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2003... The European Commission (EC) recently announced that the European Union (EU) has signed an agreement with China, Japan and the U.S. to address air pollution from transportation. According to EC, the accord, signed during the Ninth Meeting...

Mazda's New 'Bongo' Vehicles Feature Cleaner Diesel Engines.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2003... Mazda Motor Corporation recently announced that its partially restyled "Bongo" van and truck range, set to be sold throughout Japan, features newly developed 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder, common-rail injection turbo diesel engines designed to...

Final Snowmobile Use Rule for National Parks Published.(Brief Article)
December 15, 2003... Yellowstone National Park recently announced that the final rule required to implement the March 2003 Record of Decision (ROD) for winter snowmobile use in Yellowstone, the Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial...

DHE Completes Test of Green Plus Fuel Catalyst.(Dependable Highway Express)(Brief Article)
December 15, 2003... Biofriendly Corporation recently announced that a five-month evaluation of its Green Plus liquid fuel catalyst by Dependable Highway Express (DHE) conducted on large, city and short-line trucks revealed an average fuel economy improvement of...

Local OR School District to Install Pollution Filters on Buses.(Brief Article)
December 15, 2003... Local officials in Beaverton, OR recently announced that the Beaverton School District plans to install catalyzed soot filters on 13 school buses next month in an effort to reduce vehicular emissions. "We're just trying to do our part for...

CDT Receives Order From Coca-Cola for Diesel Retrofit System.(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc. (CDT) recently announced it has received an initial order from Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) to supply Platinum Plus Purifier Systems for retrofit to beverage delivery trucks in Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Texas....

U.K. Unveils Traffic Management Bill.(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... U.K. transport secretary Alistair Darling recently announced the introduction of the Traffic Management Bill, which calls for the implementation of "radical congestion-busting measures" throughout the country. According to Darling, the...

CAP NVD Reveals Slow Progress Toward Euro IV Compliance.(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... CAP Motor Research, Ltd. recently announced that CAP New Vehicle Data (NVD), "the U.K.'s biggest database of vehicle information," reveals that of 1,834 diesel cars held in the database, less than 200 so far comply with Euro IV emissions...

New Emissions Rules to Take Effect in NC.(North Carolina)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2003... The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) recently initiated an "Inspect Your Inspection Sticker" public awareness program to help motorists in eight counties comply with new on-board diagnostics II (OBD II) emissions testing...

East TN Early Action Compact Devises Clean Air Strategy.(East Tennessee, vehicular pollution reduction)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2003... Officials with the East Tennessee Early Action Compact, which comprises mayors from 11 counties in the state, recently announced the signing of an agreement establishing a cooperative effort to reduce vehicular pollution in the region. In...

Shanghai to Ban Street Bicycle Use.(Shanghai, China)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2003... The Straits Times recently reported that the government of Shanghai, China plans to ban street use of bicycles in the city starting next year on the grounds that they impede local traffic, a move environmentalists have criticized as encouraging...

BOC Commissions New Hydrogen Plant Near IL Refinery.(Leomont, Illinois)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... Gas supplier BOC recently announced it has commissioned a new onsite hydrogen plant near CITGO Petroleum Corporation's refinery in Leomont, IL. "At Leomont, BOC will own and operate a hydrogen plant that will enable CITGO to produce...

Efficient-C Project to Develop Ultra-low CO2 Emission Car.(carbon dioxide)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... PSA Peugeot Citroen, Ricardo U.K., Ltd. and QinetiQ recently unveiled plans for their 3-million-pound (about $5.3-million) "Efficient-C" project, which is expected to lead to the production of a "C-segment" passenger car capable of ultra-low...

FOE U.K. Lambastes Government's Aviation White Paper.(Friends of the Earth, air travel expansion)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... Friends of the Earth (FOE) U.K. recently accused the federal government of abandoning its "environmental responsibilities" by approving plans for a "massive" expansion in U.K. air travel. According to FOE U.K., the governmental aviation...

CARB Approves New IMPCO Motors.(California Air Resources Board, IMPCO Technologies)(Brief Article)
December 19, 2003... IMPCO Technologies, Inc. recently announced it has received executive order approval from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for the General Motors 3.0 Lt., the Mitsubishi 2.0 Lt. and the Mitsubishi 2.4 Lt. industrial engines, all of...

Caterpillar Receives Certification for C11 Engine.(Brief Article)
December 19, 2003... Caterpillar, Inc. recently announced that its C11 engine has received certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to Caterpillar, the C11 engine, which features the company's ACERT emissions reduction technology,...

Tucson to Host Electric Utilities Environmental Conference.(Tucson, Arizona)(Brief Article)
December 19, 2003... The 7th Electric Utilities Environmental Conference (EUEC) will be held January 19 through 22, 2004 at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, AZ. According to conference organizers, the objectives of the conference are to "promote the...