A coalition of governments and businesses has launched a program to clean up diesel emissions in the Seattle area.

The Puget Sound Diesel Solutions Program will involve 50 percent of government vehicles and 30 percent of large commercial fleets in the four-county region, including Boeing's private fleet. It is expected to reduce diesel particulates and other pollutants in the upgraded fleets by 90 percent, reduce overall particulate emissions in the area by 14 percent to 25 percent, and help the region comply with federal clean air standards.
Christine Todd Whitman, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, called the program "a national model of public-private partnership."
The voluntary effort will involve 5,000 existing engines in public and private buses, trucks, refuse haulers, highway maintenance vehicles and other equipment.
The cornerstone of the upgrades is the use of new ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, which enables the use of particulate traps. The fuel, produced by Tosco, is five years in advance of national laws that will require its use. Officials believe the program will also create a market for the fuel in the Pacific Northwest so other companies and government agencies can take advantage of the cleaner fuel.
The fuel will initially be 8 cents per gallon more than the regular diesel refinery price. Particulate traps cost between $4,000 and $7,500 per vehicle. The EPA has committed up to $2 million over the next few years to help pay for this project.
Participants include Cummins, Detroit Diesel, the Diesel Technology Forum, EPA Region 10, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, King County, the City of Seattle, the Washington Department of Ecology Air Program, the Manufacturers of Emissions Controls Assn., Boeing and Tosco.