By CAREN HALBFINGER AND GREG CLARY
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: November 6, 2004)

WHITE PLAINS ­ Government can lead the way toward cleaner air by setting more stringent emissions standards and fuel requirements for its buses, cars and trucks, speakers at a conference on air quality said yesterday.

"If the public sector doesn't demonstrate this technology works, you'll never get the folks at Federal Express, etc., to do it,'' said Herb Fox, a consultant on bus pollution from the New York Institute of Technology.

About 60 people, including some Rockland residents and regional transportation officials, attended the conference at Pace Law School, which was sponsored by Federated Conservationists of Westchester County.

Rockland County is proceeding slowly with hybrid technology to ensure that it gets the best value, said Michael Gurski, the county's Department of Public Transportation transit administrator.

Earlier this year, Gurski's department purchased two hybrid cars to see how they perform and are working with a bus consultant to find a way to incorporate the technology into the Transport of Rockland and other county fleets.

"The alternatives now are very expensive to buy and maintain," Gurski said.

"The two cars we bought are performing well and getting 30-plus miles to the gallon. There are some developments on the horizon that may be beneficial to us."

Government also can help by writing requirements for cleaner vehicles into its construction contracts and offering incentives to businesses that use such vehicles, Andrew Darrell, New York regional director of Environmental Defense, told the audience.

Hybrid buses, which run on a combination of electricity and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, can cost as much at $175,000 more than regular buses that use diesel fuel. But though these hybrids cost more to buy and maintain, Darrell said, diesel-fueled buses, which pollute more, have an environmental cost to the riding public and surrounding communities.

Displaying two handkerchiefs ­ one with a sooty spot that had been placed in front of the tailpipe of a regular school bus, and another that was white and clean and had been placed before a tailpipe on a bus using ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel ­ Darrell pointed out the cost to the health of the surrounding community.

"It's not cheaper for the public," Darrell said. "The health-care costs of pollution are high. These pollutants are triggers of asthma."

Another way to ease the congestion that causes air pollution is to have a more connected regional mass transit system, said Maureen Morgan, director of the East-West Rail Project of the Business Council of Westchester.

"The state depends on a connected region," said Morgan, adding that 89 percent of state taxes are collected in the New York City region that includes Westchester, Rockland and Putnam.

Morgan is promoting the concept of a railroad link among the five north-south railroad lines in Rockland and Westchester, which could run across a redesigned bridge that could replace the Tappan Zee Bridge.

George and Tanya Sherman of South Nyack, who live near the Tappan Zee Bridge, told the gathering they were worried that plans to build a new crossing would not include public transit and would ultimately just mean more cars and pollution for the area.

The New York State Thruway Authority and Metro-North Railroad are studying whether and how to replace the bridge, while including a mass-transit component. County officials on both sides of the river have vowed to fight any new crossing that doesn't include public transit.

"If there's no mass transit on the bridge, what we'll see on I-287 is what we'll see everywhere," she said. "When people have the option to take a train rather than drive, people will take it."

Clean air ideas
Experts say government can lead the way by:
• Buying hybrid buses that use electricity and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel.
• Requiring cleaner vehicles as a contract requirement.
• Promoting carpooling and bicycling.
• Supporting mass transit with shuttle buses.
• Identifying ways to reduce airport emissions.
Individuals can help by:
• Walking, rather than driving, when possible.
• Taking trains, subways and buses.
• Supporting leaders who promote clean-air solutions.