Blue and Gold Fleet to Operate Test
By Wes Starratt, Senior Editor
Published: November, 2004
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.”
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.
