Missouri Green Fleet Project
| Organization name: | Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) |
| Project manager: | Doug Norsby |
| Address: | 600 Broadway, Suite 200 Kansas City, MO 64105-1659 |
| Phone: | 816/701-8259 |
| Fax: | 816/421-7758 |
| E-mail: | dnorsby@marc.org |
Project budget
The total budget for this project is $663,020. Of this amount, $611,394 is allocated by the Department of Natural Resources, and $51,626 is a mandatory cost share that will be provided by the Independence School District, which is included in this project.
Project period
May 1, 2010, through February 29, 2012
Summary
Through this project, 192 school buses will be retrofitted with fuel operated heaters (FOHs). In addition, one older school bus will be replaced early with a new school bus meeting 2010 EPA emission standards. The older bus will be rendered permanently disabled, thus maximizing the emission reductions of the project. Additionally, eight switch engine locomotives will be retrofitted with automatic engine shutdown/startup devices (AESSDs).
Subproject 1: School bus retrofits
Seven school districts installed fuel operated heaters that allow engine coolant and the interior of the school buses to be heated without unnecessarily idling the buses. Fuel operated heaters using automated timers will enable these districts to reduce fuel consumption, produce less emissions, decrease maintenance costs, and use driver and shop labor more efficiently. Only manufacturers and vendors with FOHs listed on the EPA verified Idle Reduction Technology list were allowed to bid for the contracts to provide the technology. Six of the school districts participated in a Regional Purchasing Cooperative agreement. All fuel operated heaters in the subproject have been installed and are currently in operation.
Subproject 2: Switch engine locomotive retrofits
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) is retrofitting eight switch-engine locomotives with automatic engine shutdown/startup devices (AESSDs). AESSDs turn off the main engine while idling, but can restart the engine when necessary based on a set time period, temperature, or when other criteria such as battery charge indicate that idling is necessary. Only manufacturers and vendors with AESSDs and APUs listed on the EPA verified Idle Reduction Technology list were allowed to bid for the contracts to provide the technology. The purchasing agreement for this project is in place and installations are in progress.
Subproject 3: School bus replacement
Independence School District is purchasing a new school bus as an early replacement for a currently operating older bus with outdated emissions controls, and the older school bus were destroyed. Bids for the new bus will be taken from manufacturers or vendors of school buses with EPA certified engines that meet 2010 EPA emission standards. The choice for the contract was made through a matrix of cost, options, quality, reliability and warranty information. The purchase order has been placed and bus delivery is scheduled for December 2011.