Update Overview: Reduce Asthma Caused by Soot from City Trucks
Expansion of Retrofitting Extends to School Buses & Other Vehicles
As of June 2009, the City has retrofitted all but one of the city’s 78 fire trucks and 119 waste haulers. They will begin retrofitting airport vehicles and non-road vehicles soon.
The School District has retrofitted 70 buses and another 169 are underway, using federal grants and settlement funds.
Greenworks Incorporates Next Great City Recommendation
Greenworks, the City's sustainability framework, incorporates the Next Great City call to reduce asthma caused by soot from City trucks in the portion of Target 6 that calls for the retrofit of diesel vehicles.
Retrofiting Expands to Fire Trucks
The City announced a program funded jointly by the EPA and monies from a City settlement with Sunoco to retrofit 78 diesel fire trucks to significantly reduce soot, smog pollutants and carbon monoxide emissions.
Sunco Settlement Funds Sweeper & Hauler Retrofits
The $1.2 million allocated for diesel retrofits from a Sunoco settlement for air pollution violations is being used to refrofit street sweepers and haulers. The City is also leveraging the money to acquire matching funds- including $60,000 it received to retrofit fire trucks.
The Next Great City coalition will continue to work on procurement language to ensure that new vehicles and equipment purchased by the City are already retrofitted.
The Philadelphia Diesel Difference meets on the third Monday of every month from 10-noon at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission at 6th and Race streets.
