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University of Oregon Alumni Association
Winter 2006
Idle Thinking
Banks is a rare breed: heart of a trucker, soul of an environmentalist, mind of an accountant, handshake of a politician, résumé of a career bureaucrat—and now, business card of a CEO as founder of Cascade Sierra Solutions. The new Coburg-based nonprofit company is devoted to trimming dangerous diesel pollution while helping truckers earn their livings.

Merced Sun-Star
November 16, 2006
Lawmakers hope to fund clean air fight with $100M a year
WASHINGTON -- California lawmakers hope to secure $100 million a year in federal funds to help clean up San Joaquin Valley air pollution. It's ambitious. It's also just the start. In a Capitol Hill strategy session Wednesday, lawmakers agreed they will seek $100 million a year annually through the year 2020. That adds up to some $1.3 billion or more for attacking the region's ozone and particulate matter mess. Equal levels of state funding also will be sought.

The Oregonian
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Metro area chokes on off-road rigs' fuel: Two-thirds of the soot over Portland comes from diesel exhaust, which poses a health risk and could lead to cancer
Those backhoes and bulldozers prowling Portland's construction sites are more than a traffic nuisance: They are a cancer-causing health hazard. "Exposure to diesel is one of the leading health risks from breathing outdoor air in Oregon," said Kevin Downing, diesel programs manager for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Construction equipment belches more diesel exhaust into metro-area air than all tractor-trailers, buses and other diesel vehicles combined -- nearly 500 tons of soot a year, according to DEQ. An Oregon environmental advocacy group calls diesel exhaust the state's No. 1 air-quality problem.

EPA
May 22, 2006
Six Oregon School Districts graduate to cleaner buses thanks to a $150,000 EPA grant $150,000 in EPA funding with $27,054 in matching funds
Students at the Eugene, Springfield, Harrisburg, South Lane, Blachly and Central Linn School Districts will be breathing easier, thanks to a $150,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “Clean School Bus USA” grant. The EPA grant – together with $27,054 from state and local partners – will allow the six school districts to purchase and install Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOC). A total of 95 buses will be retrofitted with DOCs. The grant will also provide funding for cleaner fuel alternatives such as Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) or biodiesel.

E-Wire
May 9, 2006
3C and The Climate Trust Announce First Trans-Atlantic GHG Offset Deal Sourced from US-Based Projects
The Climate Trust and 3C, with legal counsel provided by Baker & McKenzie, announced today the first sale from the US to Europe of Voluntary Emission Reductions (VERs) of greenhouse gases, also known as greenhouse gas offsets (GHG Offsets). The GHG Offsets purchased by 3C come from US-based truck stop electrification projects that The Climate Trust acquired via a competitive selection process.

Governor of Oregon Press Office
February 16, 2006
Governor advances program to reduce diesel pollution through fuel-saving anti-idling technology
The Energy and Engine Technology Corporation introduced its “auxiliary power unit” (APU), which enables diesel-powered semi-trucks to power their onboard systems without idling, reaping huge savings for trucking operators and substantially reducing air pollution. The Oregon Department of Energy provided a “state energy loan” of $860,000 to the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority to pay for installation of APUs in more than 100 trucks. The Authority also took advantage of a tax credit of $360,000 to offset project costs. The Oregon Department of Energy will provide an additional state energy loan of $2.5 million to install another 250 APUs.

Oregonian (OregonLive.com)
Friday, October 1, 2004
Project aims to have engines idle no more. Oregon and other West Coast governments join to finds ways of cutting unnecessary diesel emissions.
Over the rumble of idling engines at a Portland truck stop, federal and state officials Thursday described a sweeping new push to cut diesel pollution on the West Coast. Efforts in Oregon start with a $6 million project to eliminate the need for truckers to idle their engines while stopped -- a practice that keeps engines warm and air-conditioners running but that consumes about a billion gallons in fuel each year nationwide and spews tons of toxic pollutants. "The technology is available. What we need to do is make it accessible," said Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will supply $200,000 for work by Oregon State University on the truck idle reduction project.

Oregon Public Broadcasting Radio
Friday, October 1, 2004
Eco-Friendly Truck Stop
Governor Ted Kulongoski this week helped introduce a new program to install electrical connections at state truck stops along Interstate 5. The program is an important step in a West Coast initiative to curb global warming. It's called the Oregon Truck Stop Electrification Project. What it amounts to is providing RV like hookups at truck stop parking places. Governor Kulongoski says it saves truckers money because they can turn off their big diesel engines at night and use electricity for heat, microwaves and TVs. Ted Kulongoski: It can cost as much as a $1.80 an hour in fuel costs alone to idle the truck. Truckers also know that sleeping in a truck that is idling emitting diesel fumes is hard on the environment and it is bad for their health. Kulongoski says the program will also reduce noise pollution around truck stops. He's hoping to have 600 of these electrified parking places installed soon.

Bend.com (OR)
Thursday, September 30, 2004
State - Feds Launch I-5 Truck Emissions Project
Gov. Ted Kulongoski was joined Thursday by officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to announce the West Coast Diesel Emissions Reduction Collaborative, a joint effort of federal, state and local government agencies as well as private-sector interests and non-profit organizations from California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and British Columbia to reduce air pollution emissions from diesel sources. This new collaborative arose in part out of the Global Warming Initiative the governor launched in 2003 with the governors of California and Washington to address the issue of global warming and to curb greenhouse emissions. The EPA identified this effort as an opportunity to create a wider West Coast corridor program for truck stops as part of a still larger effort to reduce diesel emissions in several sectors, including marine and railroads.

Corvallis , OR Gazette Times
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Plan Launched for West Coast Diesel Emissions
Environmental officials launched a partnership with industry Wednesday to curb cancer-causing diesel emissions spewing into the West Coast's skies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $6 million worth of voluntary projects in California, Oregon and Washington, with most of the money coming from the federal government. The EPA said it hoped to ultimately secure $100 million over five years for future projects.

Eugene OR Register Guard
Friday, October 1, 2004
Air Regulators Celebrate Anti-Fume Initiative
At a truck-stop ceremony on Thursday, Lane County air pollution regulators celebrated the ways they've found to reduce diesel fumes. They also basked in the attention of Michael Leavitt, who's the top official at the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Leavitt made a surprise appearance at the Coburg Truck 'n' Travel event. One Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority initiative is a $860,000 program to equip long-haul trucks plying the Interstate 5 corridor with mini engines that truckers can use to keep their cabs comfortable while they sleep - rather than idle their main engines for hours, as they do now.