3/10/2006
Media Contact:
Margie Smith-Simmons
327-4669 |
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An idle matter
City implements first program of its kind in the state
INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Jim Garrard, director of the Department of Public Works, announced the implementation of the City of Indianapolis Vehicle and Equipment Idling Reduction Policy as a part of its ongoing commitment to improve air quality in Indianapolis.
"The unnecessary idling of gasoline and diesel vehicles and equipment creates air pollution, wastes fuel and causes premature engine wear," said Garrard. "It is every city employee's responsibility to minimize fleet operating costs while reducing harmful effects to the environment. We want to lead by example and protect and preserve the environment."
The policy states that employees using city/county owned vehicles and equipment should limit engine idling to no more than 5 minutes in a one-hour period. However, there are some exceptions in order to accommodate public safety and other emergency situations as well as additional cold weather provisions for diesel vehicles.
Indianapolis/Marion County does not meet federal health-based standards for fine particle (soot) or ground-level ozone (smog) pollution of which auto exhaust is a contributor to both of these air pollutants. An idling vehicle produces twice the emissions as an engine in motion.
In addition to improving air quality through the implementation of the idle reduction policy, the city will also accrue significant cost savings. For example: An idling diesel vehicle consumes up to 1 gallon of diesel fuel each hour and a single vehicle idling only 10 minutes each day uses up to 25 gallons of gasoline a year. The city has 464 diesel vehicles and equipment. If each of those vehicles idled 10 minutes each day, 11,600 gallons of diesel fuel would be wasted each year.
Excessive idling can also damage engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs and exhaust systems. Because an idling engine is not operating at its peak temperature, fuel does not undergo complete combustion.
While an idle reduction policy will not solve all of the city's air quality problems, it is a step in the right direction.
The idle reduction policy is just one example of what the city is doing to improve the air quality in Central Indiana. Earlier this year, the city received a $100,000 grant through the EPA's Great Cities Partnership program that funded the retrofitting of 53 pieces of road and non-road equipment in the DPW diesel fleet with a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC).
DOCs help reduce harmful emissions such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter that are precursors to the formation of ground-level ozone and fine particles.
Also, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management provided DPW with an additional $200,000 to expand the diesel retrofit initiative to include 175 school busses in the Indianapolis Public Schools' fleet.
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