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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.

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.