Greater Boston Breathes Better
greater boston
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breathes
better
Success Stories
Introduction
Greater Bostc
is a public-p
partnership that
in the Greater Boston are;
an- pollution
construction.
Construction projects allow us to sustain,
maintain, restore and expand important
structures and systems such as buildings,
bridges, and roadways. Unfortunately,
construction equipment (like all diesel
engines) emits fine particles, known
as particulate matter (PM), which can
significantly contribute to air pollution
and pose a serious public health risk. Fine
particles can aggravate asthma and other
respiratory problems and contribute
to lung damage and premature death.
People with existing heart disease,
asthma or other respirator)' problems are
most sensitive to the health effects of fine
Several GB3 partners have taken steps to
reduce the impact of diesel exhaust on
public health, and improve air quality
in Greater Boston with innovative clean
diesel strategies, including, the adoption
of contract bid specifications requiring
retrofits, idle reduction policies, and the
use of cleaner fuels.
The following are three case studies
of organizations and institutions in
Greater Boston who have demonstrated
their commitment to protecting both
public health and the environment with
programs to reduce emissions during
construction.
Dana-Farber Yawkey
Center for Cancer Care
As a leader in cancer research and treatment,
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute chose to
protect public health during construction
of the Yawkey Cancer Center in Boston,
by incorporating clean diesel strategies.
By implementing construction practices
that reduce diesel emissions, the Institute
minimized the impact of the construction
on its patients, staff, visitors, residents of
the nearby community, and those involved
111 the construction.
Early in the planning process, Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute (DFCI) hired Walsh
Brothers, Inc. (WBI) to manage the project.
Together DFCI and WBI decided to
include an emissions control element in the
construction plan.
Project specifications require construction
companies to comply with idling reduction
requirements and achieve air pollution
reductions of 42 percent for hydrocarbons
(HC), 31 percent for carbon monoxide
(CO), and 20 percent for particulate matter
(PM). Subcontractors use a combination of
"Implementing a Clean Diesel
Program was a natural choice for
Dana-Farber. We are proud to be at
the forefront of this new development
in healthcare facility construction.
We are pleased that our actions
will reduce potentially harmful
emissions and have a positive impact
on the quality of life for our patients,
staff, visitors, and the surrounding
community. This undertaking perfectly
complements and reinforces Dana-
Farber 's mission to provide expert
care to cancer patients. "
-Joseph Bassi, Senior Project
Manager, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Facilities Management and
Construction
retrofit technologies, such as diesel oxidation
catalysts (DOCs) and cleaner fuels to achieve
these specifications.
Walsh Brothers works with all subcontractors
to ensure that equipment arrives at the work
site retrofitted. Ultra-low-sulfur-diesel
(ULSD) fuel is provided onsite via the
subcontractors' vendors. Over the five-year
time frame of the project (2006-2011), 25-
30 pieces of equipment will be retrofitted,
including excavators, cranes, loaders, and
pumps. The retrofit devices range in cost
from $800 to $7,000. Subcontractors are
instructed to build the cost of retrofitting
equipment and additional cleaner fuel costs
into their bids, so the entire cost of the
program is assumed by DFCI. There have
been no reports of changes in equipment
performance or fuel consumption.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is pleased
with the outcome of the joint endeavor, and
has added clean diesel/emissions reduction
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
March 2008
EPA-901-F-08-001
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requirements to its Institutional Master Plan.
As a result, all future Dana-Farber projects
will call for clean diesel specifications.
Dana-Farber believes that the added cost
of the program, a fraction of the total
project cost, is more than worth the public
health benefits realized.
Central Artery/Tunnel
Project (The Big Dig)
The Big Dig began exploring the option of
retrofitting equipment in September 1998
because of the close proximity of the equipment
to residential communities, medical facilities, as
well as other sensitive receptors. This program
initially sought to retrofit 50 pieces of construction
equipment. However, due to the number
of vehicles used in the tunnel construction,
additional equipment was retrofitted which
resulted in more than 100 pieces of construction
equipment participating in the program.
Equipment targeted for retrofitting was
located near sensitive receptors such as
residential communities and hospitals,
used in tunnel work for health and safety
consideration of the workers, and any
equipment that was
slated to remain on
the project work
site for the longest
duration of the
contract life.
DOGswere selected
for this project
because of the
reduction in HG,
GO and PM, the
ease of installation,
and the relatively
inexpensive cost.
The reduction of
HG also helped to alleviate odor associated
with diesel engines. Installation was
relatively easy, with a downtime of about
two hours, and contractors did not have to
perform any additional maintenance on
the equipment. According to contractor
experience, the equipment retrofitted has
not experienced any adverse operational
problems.
Along with DOGs, the MTA explored the
use of lower emission diesel fuel, specifically
LUBRIZOL's PuriNOx product. Switching
to the new fuel resulted in lower NOx
emissions and reduced smoke. The only
performance problems reported by
operators were that the vehicle required
slightly more power in deep mud and that
slightly more fuel was consumed.
An idling policy was established and
enforced, requiring all operators to turn
off equipment that was not in active use.
Also, any dump trucks that were idling
while waiting to load or unload were
not allowed to idle for more than five
minutes.
Prior to the project, there were two major
concerns expressed by contractors. The first
was the potential effect on the equipment
warranty. The second was whether the
emission control equipment would affect
the performance of the construction
equipment. However, after using the
retrofitted equipment, contractors did
not experience any adverse operational
problems and did not have to perform any
additional maintenance.
Harvard University
Greater Boston is a hub for many things,
including some of the countries most
prestigious academic
». institutions.
Harvard University
has campuses in
Cambridge and
Boston and will
soon be significantly
expanding its
campus in Allston.
In August of 2007,
Harvard University
took another
step to "green"
its operations by
announcing that
all construction
companies working on its campus must
take three important steps to reduce
emissions from diesel construction vehicles:
(1) install emissions control devices that
reduce particulates and other tailpipe
pollutants, (2) burn only ULSD fuel, and
(3) follow all relevant anti-idling laws.
Specifically, Harvard will require the use
of advanced pollution control technologies
that are verified by EPA or certified by
the manufacturer to provide minimum
emissions reduction of 20 percent for PM,
40 percent for GO, and 50 percent for HG.
These measures will improve the ambient
air quality for people living and working in
and near Harvard's campus.
While Harvard has committed to a standard
that is similar to requirements used by the
Big Dig and Logan Airport, the Allston
Science Complex will serve as a test-run
by requiring emissions control devices
on small equipment. Specifically, while
Harvard is requiring that all projects retrofit
equipment with 60 horsepower (hp) engine
or larger, the Science Complex requires
retrofits on equipment down to 15 hp.
Because of the large number of vehicles
that will be used, and the long duration that
those vehicles will be onsite, the Science
Complex will demonstrate the benefits of
using emissions control devices on a full
range of equipment sizes.
"Transportation Services was
pleased to work with the Harvard
Green Campus Initiative to first
pilot retrofits on Harvard-owned
vehicles, and then collaborate
with Harvard's various schools
and the contractors who regularly
work with the University to build a
consensus that a retrofit requirement
was appropriate for all Harvard
construction projects."
-David Harris, General Manager,
Operations & Finance, Harvard
University Transportation Services
For more information please visit:
rov/NE/eco/gb3/
/cliesel/construction/
www.masspike.com/bigdig/
background/airpollution.html
www.northeastdiesel.ora;
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