AIRPORT OPTS FOR DIESEL FLEET BUSES.Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer BURBANK - Bob Hope Airport Bob Hope Airport (IATA: BUR, ICAO: KBUR, FAA LID: BUR) is a regional and national airport located in Burbank, California, United States. It was formerly known as United Airport (1930-1934); Union Air Terminal (1934-1940); officials on Monday approved spending $1.1 million to buy five diesel buses for the airport's shuttle fleet, despite pleas by clean-air advocates for natural-gas buses. While Burbank City Councilman Todd Campbell had argued that diesel buses damage the environment, the airport authority countered that natural-gas buses are hard to obtain and that it had to move quickly to replace its old, polluting pol·lute tr.v. pol·lut·ed, pol·lut·ing, pol·lutes 1. To make unfit for or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter. See Synonyms at contaminate. 2. buses. The airport expects to get the buses in about six months, completing the airport's replacement of its 11-bus fleet. The rift over the bus purchase came after officials from Burbank and the airport authority negotiated an agreement that blocks the construction of a new terminal for 10 years but gives the airport greater leeway lee·way n. 1. The drift of a ship or an aircraft to leeward of the course being steered. 2. A margin of freedom or variation, as of activity, time, or expenditure; latitude. See Synonyms at room. to undertake more minor projects. The agreement had been hailed as a truce in the often contentious relationship between Burbank and the airport. ``If we could snap our fingers and have (clean natural-gas) buses and have the infrastructure and everything together, that would seem to be a fairly easy decision,'' said authority member Carl Povilaitis, adding that it is not feasible for the airport to buy the buses now. Diesel buses emit about twice as much nitrous oxide nitrous oxide or nitrogen (I) oxide, chemical compound, N2O, a colorless gas with a sweetish taste and odor. Its density is 1.977 grams per liter at STP. It is soluble in water, alcohol, ether, and other solvents. as a natural-gas vehicle, as well as more particulate matter particulate matter n. Abbr. PM Material suspended in the air in the form of minute solid particles or liquid droplets, especially when considered as an atmospheric pollutant. Noun 1. , said Henry Hogo, assistant deputy executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), formed in 1976, is the air pollution agency responsible mainly for regulating stationary sources of air pollution for most of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside County, and all of Orange county. . ``(Particulate matter) is what gets embedded in people's lungs, and that's what causes all of the respiratory ailments - asthma, emphysema emphysema (ĕmfĭsē`mə), pathological or physiological enlargement or overdistention of the air sacs of the lungs. A major cause of pulmonary insufficiency in chronic cigarette smokers, emphysema is a progressive disease that commonly - and those are the things that we are really concerned about,'' said Cynthia Verdugo-Peralta, an AQMD AQMD Air Quality Management District AQMD Action Quake Map Depot board member who had urged the airport to buy natural-gas buses. ``It's not just going to be the people who come here to the airport (that will be affected). It's the entire surrounding area.'' In considering other options, officials said a carbon fiber used in the tanks of natural-gas vehicles is being used by the military in Iraq, which has led to some delays in the production of natural-gas buses. Airport officials also said an offer from a natural-gas fueling company would not be considered. Clean Energy - which has a natural-gas fueling station in Burbank - had proposed building another station at the airport for the airport fleet. The company had proposed raising the price charged to the general public to finance the construction of the fueling station, essentially ending an arrangement that gives the public the same lower rate Burbank pays. ``They want the public to subsidize our fuel prices, and there's a two- word response I have for that: political suicide Political suicide is the concept that a politician or political party would lose widespread support and confidence from the voting public by proprosing actions that are seen as unfavourable or that might threaten the status quo. ,'' said Charles Lombardo, president of the airport authority. Alex Dobuzinskis, (818) 546-3304 alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com |
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