July 24, 2002      Sunnyvale, California  Since 1994



News


Sunnyvale is talking trash with its new CNG trucks

City acquires 24 methane-fueled trucks, hoping to cut emissions


By Scott Steinberg


Sunnyvale officials believe they have taken the next step toward a cleaner, safer atmosphere with the purchase of 24 compressed natural gas (CNG) refuse trucks for the city's waste management company.

Garbage, they can admit, has never smelled so good.

Although the CNG vehicles have already taken to the road, they will be showcased July 24 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Specialty Solid Waste & Recycling in Santa Clara.

"No one here did anything solo," said Rebecca Buldo, operations manager for Specialty. "To make this happen we worked very closely with the city. If it weren't for everybody, this wouldn't have gotten done."

It was a process that began in January 2000, when the city applied for clean air funds through the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The Air District awarded Specialty $1,200,000 for CNG conversion and $200,000 for a CNG filling station.

Julia Miller, vice mayor of Sunnyvale and a member of the Air District, is widely credited for keeping this a high-priority project.

"There is a tendency when running around Silicon Valley to forget about things, especially the air," Miller said. "When you can't touch it, when you can't see it, you don't care about it. But, of course, you can't live without it."

She added, "California is out to clean the air. As an environmentalist, this project has been my baby. We are taking 36 tons of horrible diesel fuel from the air annually and replacing it with cleaner fuels. I am very proud of that. Sunnyvale is on the cutting edge with the transformation. I hope other cities quickly follow suit."

Diesel fuel has been proven to emit 40 different particulates that cause cancer. CNG fuel, which is a form of methane gas, emits only carbon dioxide and water vapors.

What Sunnyvale is doing is very important, said Terri Trumble, regional director of the American Lung Association (ALA) and an environmental law professor at San Jose State University. "The Bay Area is not meeting emission standards," she said.

The ALA lobbies for stricter emission standards, pushing nationally for diesel reduction. It strongly supports the state Legislature's development of stricter emission laws.

"It just goes to show how scientific studies evolve," Trumble said. "In the late '70s, the federal government promoted diesel as a more efficient, cleaner-burning fuel."

But times have changed, and the city knows that. It has 30 CNG and five electric vehicles in its own fleet and was more than eager to aid Specialty in updating their vehicles.

Each Specialty truck cost $270,000, for a total of $5,480,000. Specialty was able to defray $1,200,000 of that with the state grant. The Air District gave an additional $200,000 for the filling station.

The filling station has three pumps for Specialty vehicles and one pump for public use. Specialty expects the public pump to open in two weeks. City officials have also applied to the Air District for an additional grant to defray the cost of replacing five more Specialty vehicles. The grant proposal was submitted in June. The city will know by August if they will receive $250,000.

Despite such a large-scale capital improvement project, there will be no rate impact on the customers, said Gale Bentley, a solid waste specialist for Sunnyvale. One reason is that air agencies are making it financially reasonable to convert to CNG; another is that the EPA and the state are making it financially difficult to keep diesel vehicles up to standard.

The CNG trucks have automated arms. Specialty hopes this convenience will ultimately keep rates down. The efficiency of the arms has enabled Specialty to cut one route from its service, going from 11 to 10 routes.

Buldo of Specialty said that the arms better serve the community and the collectors.

"The workers will endure less wear on their bodies, which means we will pay less workers' compensation benefits," she said. "This means we can keep rates as low as possible for customers."

Residents, however, must put their bins on the street instead of the sidewalk. This way the automated arms can clutch the bins and dump them into the maw of the truck.


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