Air Officials Target Diesel Fleets.In an unprecedented crackdown on pollution from diesel engines, 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. board unanimously adopted sweeping new rules that would force use of cleaner-burning alternative fuels in bus and trash truck fleets. The regulations, approved after a contentious hearing, immediately ban the purchase of diesel-powered buses by large transit operators in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , Riverside and San Bernardino San Bernardino, city, United States San Bernardino (săn bûr'nədē`nō), city (1990 pop. 164,164), seat of San Bernardino co., S Calif., at the foot of the San Bernardino Mts.; inc. 1854. counties. But in response to lobbying from diesel advocates, the board accepted an amendment to reconsider the ban if the California Air Resources Board California Air Resources Board (CARB) is the "clean air agency" of the state of California in the United States. Established originally in 1967, it is a part of the California Environmental Protection Agency, an organization which reports directly to the California were to certify that diesel engines that burn ultra-low-sulfur fuel and have particulate traps to reduce soot are as environmentally clean as natural-gas vehicles. The air quality board's action effectively closes the door to the purchase of more diesel buses by transit agencies that operate more than 100 buses. Operators with 15 to 99 buses were given until July 1, 2001, before being subject to the requirement to buy alternative fuel vehicles Alternative fuel vehicle Conventional fuels such as gasoline and diesel are gradually being replaced by alternative fuels such as gaseous fuels (natural gas and propane), alcohol (methanol and ethanol), and hydrogen. . |
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