Water Transit
Authority Gets Only Bay Area EPA Grant for Clean Diesel Project
Blue and Gold Fleet to Operate Test
By Wes Starratt, Senior Editor
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| Blue and Gold fleet
sails past Alcatraz and beyond, to where no ferry has
gone before in the world of clean water transit. |
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
provided a $71,000 grant to the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit
Authority (WTA) to test PuriNOx, a water-emulsified diesel fuel
produced by Lubrizol Corporation. The tests will be conducted on two
ferries operated by Blue & Gold Fleet for service to Alcatraz
Island. Lubrizol is providing an additional $12,000 for emissions
testing and fuel filter replacements.
Steve Castleberry, CEO of WTA, commented that “Two
million passengers per year ride these boats to Alcatraz Island. By
using this alternative fuel, passengers will see clean-burning smoke
stacks, and we will provide a healthier environment for the entire
Bay.”
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| Blue and Gold
Fleet’s CEO Ron Duckhorn, at the podium, spoke about the
partnership between his fleet, the Water Transit
Authority, Lubrizol, EPA, and the National Parks Service
that will allow Blue and Gold to operate their Alcatraz
boats on clean-burning PuriNox fuel for one year. |
Alcatraz Island is a part of the Golden Gate
National Recreation Area. Park superintendent, Brian O’Neil,
commented that, “We are pleased to see that EPA is assisting the
Blue and Gold Fleet to take the next step forward in its history of
sustainable practices … Both the EPA and the Blue and Gold Fleet are
important partners with the National Park Service in exploring new
methods of sustainable practices as it relates to our park
operations.”
The $71,000 grant is one of eight grants announced
by EPA on the West Cost, totaling more than $6 million in funding
from federal, state, local, non-profit, and industry participants
for the reduction of diesel engine emissions. The goal of the West
Coast Diesel Emissions Reduction Collaborative … a partnership
between federal, state, and local environmental agencies, community
and non-profit groups, and the private sector … is to secure $100
million to solve diesel pollution problems in the West.
