What
are the air quality issues in Seattle
in 2004?
Thanks to cleaner cars and
cleaner industries, air quality today is substantially improved over what it was
25 years ago. Unfortunately, there
are still air pollution problems in our region – just different ones.
- A
US EPA study released in 2002 places Seattle and King County in the top five percentile in the nation for concentrations of
some of the most hazardous air toxics. Cancer risks in the region top 700 in a million risk levels from these air toxics
that are mostly attributable to diesel emissions.
- Monitoring
by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency show that our region is close to
violating the annual federal standard for the finest particulate (PM2.5) as
well as the eight-hour standard for ozone, the major component of smog.
These air pollutants are directly related to increased incidents of
allergies, asthma, emphysema and other lung problems.
A national study completed in 2002 documented more deaths and
emergency room visits when the air is heavily polluted.
- In
2002, following the world’s warmest year ever recorded, the City’s
Office of Sustainability and Environment completed an inventory of
Seattle’s greenhouse gas emissions which found that, in our community,
more than half of the emissions that cause global warming come from cars,
trucks, buses and other transportation modes like boats and planes.
The City works closely with
the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to help ensure that our air is clean to
breathe. For example, when the Agency declares a Smog Watch during the summer, the City activates its Smog
Watch plan:
- lawn mowing in Parks and other open
spaces is curtailed;
-
employees are urged to reduce
driving
- re-fueling stations limit their
hours to the cool hours of the day (except for public safety vehicles.)
An
anti-idling pilot program at
Ballard Bridge is our latest partnership with the Clean Air
Agency.
Seattle’s
Clean and Green Fleet
The City fleet of 3250
vehicles - heavy duty trucks, police cars, meter scooters, general purpose cars,
etc. – uses 2.4 million gallons of gasoline and diesel each year.
-
To cut down on smog forming
emissions, in 1992, the City started adding cars that run on compressed natural
gas (CNG) a
 cleaner burning fuel.
-
In 2000, hybrid electric cars were
added to the fleet because they are 60% more fuel efficient than the standard
car. Today, the City has more than 200 clean and green vehicles in the fleet.
- In 2001, the entire diesel fleet
was converted to cleaner ultra-low sulfur diesel.
And work started on retrofitting 400 of the City’s heavy duty trucks
with emission control devices. These two measures cut toxics and particulates by
about 50% per vehicle.
-
In 2002, the fleet was downsized by
200 vehicles, returning it to 1998 levels.
One of the best things the
City can do to protect and improve air quality – and to encourage smart fuel
and vehicle choices in the community is to make our own vehicle fleet a model of
environmental best practices.
For Earth Day 2003, the
Mayor and Council set a long term goal of having a 100% clean and green fleet. This year, the Office of Sustainability and Environment will complete a
life cycle benefit cost analysis to determine the best mix of fuels and vehicles
and the appropriate timeline for meeting the goal.
-
At least half of all compact cars
purchased by the City each year use alternative fuels or get at least 45
miles per gallon.
-
The diesel
fleet now uses a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% ultra-low sulfur
diesel. Biodiesel doesn’t require any engine modifications, cuts toxics and particulates and, because it’s
produced from renewable resources like soybean oil, reduces
 greenhouse gas
emissions.
-
Personal mobility vehicles –
Segways™ - are in use for jobs like water meter reading.
Segways™ have zero emissions, cost $3/year to recharge and, in
some cases, replace the use of a car.
-
The goal is to, by 2005, reduce
fleet fuel use by 5% compared to 1999. Considering
that approximately 32% of total fuel use is by police and fire vehicles which,
along with heavy duty trucks, have few fuel efficiency options available, the
fleet fuel goal actually translates to about an 8% reduction for the remainder
of the light duty fleet.
-
City departments will be strongly
encouraged to re-evaluate their vehicle needs to ensure that they are using the
right vehicle for the right job; already, only ten SUVs were purchased in 2002
compared to 26 in 2001.
-
An employee education campaign will
be launched to encourage reduced vehicle idling and to remind employees to
consider alternatives like teleconferencing, car pooling to meetings, etc.
Links - City of Seattle
Car
Smart - Way to Go Seattle
Commute
Trip Reduction Program
Resolution
30359 (Carbon Mitigation)
Links - Other
Air
Quality Right Now
Puget
Sound Clean Cities Coalition
Puget
Sound Clean Air Agency
Toxics
scorecard
Documents
|
