Smokestacks on Rails
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Smokestacks on Rails GETTING CLEAN AIR SOLUTIONS FOR LOCOMOTIVES ON TRACK Smokestacks on Rails GETTING CLEAN AIR SOLUTIONS FOR LOCOMOTIVES ON TRACK AUTHORS Janea Scott Hilary Sinnamon Acknowledgments We would like to thank technical consultant Sandra Goodman, from E3 Ven- tures, for her detailed analysis of the health benefits of various locomotive pollu- tion control scenarios. We deeply appreciate the contributions and insight provided by Jana Milford, Vickie Patton, and Nancy Spencer. We very much appreciate the help of Sarah Barbrow, Emily Churg and Jordan Diamond for completing quickly and successfully numerous tasks involved in writing and pro- ducing the report. And last, but certainly not least, we extend our sincere appreci- ation to the many people who lent their knowledge, ideas, wisdom and experience to reviewing several iterations of this report. Environmental Defense does not endorse any particular air pollution control technology or method. This report factually describes air pollution control tech- nologies and methods based on published reports. Our mission Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including the right to clean air, clean water, healthy food and flourishing ecosystems. Guided by science, we work to create practical solutions that win last- ing political, economic and social support because they are nonpartisan, cost- effective and fair. ©2006 Environmental Defense 100% recycled (100% post-consumer) totally chlorine free paper The complete report is available online at www.environmentaldefense.org. Contents Executive summary iv Introduction 1 Chapter 1: All aboard—trains carry freight and people across the 3 United States Chapter 2: Smokestacks on rails—locomotives’ impact on public health 7 and the environment Chapter 3: Federal delays in strengthening standards impose a heavy 11 burden on human health Chapter 4: Locomotives impose a heavy pollution burden on urban and 14 rural areas across the nation Chapter 5: Technology is on hand to curb locomotive emissions today 19 Chapter 6: “I think I can, I think I can”—successful emissions reduction 23 programs Chapter 7: National clean air solutions for locomotives 28 Appendix A: Methodology for estimating health benefits of locomotive 30 emission reductions Glossary 33 Notes 35 iii Executive summary Trains play a vital role in American com- In 2004, the U.S. Environmental merce. Every year, they move billions of Protection Agency (EPA) repeatedly tons of freight and millions of people committed to strengthen federal clean throughout the nation. However, they air standards for locomotives. Indeed, also deliver pollution, contributing sig- EPA publicly announced plans to issue nificantly to air quality problems across proposed national emission standards in the country. Many of today’s locomotives 2005 and to finalize those standards by are powered by high-polluting diesel mid-2006. But EPA has failed to act. engines. Diesel exhaust is made up of: This report documents the serious health impacts associated with each year •particulate matter (PM),implicated in of delay in federal action to clean up a host of respiratory problems and tens these smokestacks on rails. of thousands of premature deaths every year; •smog-forming oxides of nitrogen (NOx); Diesel locomotive emissions pollute our air and harm public •sulfur dioxide (SO2), which forms harmful particulate pollution and falls health back to earth as acid rain; The use of these dirty diesel locomotive engines to transport freight has risen •a noxious brew of toxic chemicals that dramatically in the past 35 years from together pose a cancer risk greater than nearly 800 million ton-miles in 1970 to that of any other air pollutant; and more than 1.6 billion ton-miles in 2004 •greenhouse gases that contribute to (see Figure 1), and is projected to global warming. continue at a brisk pace. In fact, the FIGURE 1 U.S. freight rail in ton-miles 1970–2004 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 Ton-miles (millions) Ton-miles 600 400 200 0 1970 1980 1990 2000 2004 Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Table 1-46a: U.S. Ton-Miles of Freight. http://www.bts.gov/publications/ national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_46a.html. iv TABLE 1 Smog-forming emissions from locomotives in six major cities and comparable number of today’s new automobilesa Locomotive NOx emissions Equivalent number Urban area (tons/year) of automobilesb Los Angelesc 12,000 13,000,000 Dallas-Fort Worth 4,500 4,900,000 Houston-Galveston 6,500 7,000,000 Chicago 23,000 25,000,000 Detroit 2,100 2,300,000 Baltimore 2,600 2,800,000 a Emissions data for Houston and Dallas is from 2002. Emissions data from the other cities is from 2003. b Calculations based on Tier 2 NOx emissions standard (0.07gNOx/mile) for highway vehicles and 12,000 vehicle miles/ year. Bureau of Automotive Repair, Engineering and Research Branch, State of California, “Methodology for Calcu- lating Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)”, September 30, 2000, Report 2000-06, available at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/ regs/im/vmt.pdf c Emissions data is for the South Coast Air Quality Management District amount of freight carried by rail is motive engines in six major U.S. cities EPA estimates expected to increase by another 50% by hard hit by ground-level ozone. The that locomotives 2030. Currently, locomotives move extensive locomotive NOx pollution about 42% of our nation’s freight as levels in these communities are com- will release measured in ton-miles. pared with automobiles, based on the 930,000 tons of As a result, these diesel engines smog limits in effect for today’s new smog-forming contribute significantly to national motor vehicles. air pollution. EPA estimates that in Using EPA’s methodology, Envi- NOx this year, 2006 locomotives will emit 930,000 ronmental Defense estimates that the comparable to tons of ozone-forming oxides of 2006 particulate and NOx emissions 120 coal-fired nitrogen (NOx)—as much as 120 coal- from locomotives will be associated fired power plants. Locomotives are with more than 3,000 premature deaths power plants. also responsible for more than 32,000 this year (Table 2).2 Exposure to this tons of particulate pollution; these pollution may also contribute to, among particles, which can be inhaled deep other health effects, more than 4,000 into the lungs, are probable carcino- non-fatal heart attacks, approximately gens. The particulate pollution from 61,000 cases of acute bronchitis and locomotives is comparable to the exacerbated asthma in children, and emissions from more than 70 coal-fired nearly 290,000 lost workdays. The power plants.1 economic impact of these adverse Table 1 takes a closer look at the health effects will total over $23 billion smog-forming pollution from loco- this year. TABLE 2 Adverse health effects associated with 2006 locomotive pollution Premature deaths 3,400 Non-fatal heart attacks 4,400 Acute bronchitis and asthma exacerbations in children 61,000 Lost work days 290,000 Total economic impact of adverse health effects $23.2 billion v Each year of EPA delay has By comparison, Table 3 also shows that serious health effects considerably lower health protections EPA has found that locomotive diesel are realized from slower and less pro- engines can be designed to use the same tective federal standards. For example, high-efficiency exhaust emission con- standards to limit locomotive pollution trols now being developed for large from new engines by 50% beginning in highway and nonroad diesel engines. 2013 would, upon advanced implementa- These technologies will allow loco- tion in 2030, allow an estimated 900 motive engines to reduce NOx and more deaths, 1,200 more non-fatal heart particulate matter emissions by 90%. attacks, 16,000 more cases of bronchitis In 2004, when EPA publicly announced and asthma exacerbations, and about Delays in EPA a new initiative to strengthen pollution 75,000 lost work days over rigorous action or weak controls for locomotives, EPA also indi- standards that take effect in 2011. They cated new clean air standards could be would forego some $6 billion in health standards will implemented beginning in 2011. benefits annually. In short, our analysis impose a heavy Table 3 shows the estimated health demonstrates that delays in EPA action burden on benefits in the year 2030 associated with or weak standards will impose a heavy implementing new locomotive emission burden on human health. human health. standards that are 90%, 75% or 50% more protective than today’s tightest standard (Tier 2).3 Our analysis indi- Clean air solutions are on track cates a 90% reduction implemented today in a 2011 compliance schedule would States and localities across the United annually prevent over 2,000 premature States are working to meet national deaths, approximately 2,600 non-fatal health-based air quality standards for heart attacks, 36,000 bronchitis and ozone and particulates—a problem to asthma exacerbations, and nearly which locomotive pollution is a major con- 170,000 lost work days and would tributor. And science points overwhelm- realize more than $13 billion in health ingly to the need for more protective benefits by 2030.4 national standards for particulates and TABLE 3 Projected health benefits in 2030 with stricter NOx and PM2.5 locomotive emissions standards Children’s Percentage bronchitis cleaner than Year new Annual Non-fatal Respiratory and asthma current standards health benefits Premature heart attacks hospital visits exacerbations Work loss days Tier 2 would in billions deaths avoided avoided avoided avoided avoided standards take effect of dollars annually annually annually annually annually 90% 2011 13.7 2,000 2,600 870 36,000 170,000 2013 12.5 1,800 2,400 800 33,000 150,000 2015 11.3 1,700 2,100 720 30,000 140,000 75% 2011 11.7 1,700 2,200 750 31,000 140,000 2013 10.7 1,600 2,000 680 28,000 130,000 2015 9.7 1,400 1,800 620 25,000 120,000 50% 2011 8.3 1,200 1,600 530 22,000 100,000 2013 7.7 1,100 1,400 490 20,000 95,000 2015 7.0 1,000 1,300 450 18,000 87,000 vi ozone and the imperative for greater dozen hybrid-diesel Green Goat trains progress in communities across the have been deployed.