State & Local Toolkit - Evaluation
Evaluation
Regardless of the metrics used, reporting results is important to tracking your effectiveness. There are many ways to evaluate Clean Diesel Programs including the number of engines retrofitted, hours of idling reduced, number of partners engaged, and total funds granted. However, the quantity of emissions reduced is the most common means of evaluation. The information here discusses how to calculate emissions reductions, records that should be kept, credits that might be claimed, and reports that should be written to document the performance of the program.
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Record Keeping
Measuring results and verifying clean diesel investments require good tracking and reporting mechanisms. Contracts and grants commonly require reporting diesel emissions reductions.
California’s Carl Moyer program does a pre- and post-inspection for its grant-funded activities and requires annual reports from grantees. The Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) and most EPA diesel emission reduction grants require quarterly and final reports.
Typical data required for calculating emissions reductions and cost effectiveness of clean diesel projects include:
- Vehicle type and model
- Engine model year
- Year of retrofit
- Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) (onroad engines) or horsepower (nonroad engines)
- Type of retrofit technology
- Type and quantity of emissions reduced (EPA Verified Technologies List)
- Fuel type
- Usage information (fuel consumption, mileage, hours of operation)
- Cost of technology and installation
Examples:
- Texas Emission Reduction Plan (TERP) Example Grant Contract (PDF) (39pp, 127KB)
- Guidance for Recording the Usage of TERP Grant-Funded Equipment
- San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s Heavy Duty Program contains links to Terms and Conditions, Payment Procedures (PDF) (5pp, 41KB, November 2006) and other administrative documents.
- Pittsburgh Healthy School Bus Fund administrative forms for the diesel retrofit rebate program.
Emissions Inventory & Reductions Quantification
For a broad look at air emissions sources and inventories, organizations can use the National Emissions Inventory. EPA has developed emission inventory models specifically for air pollutants from mobile sources. For specific questions about the models listed below contact: mobile@epa.gov or nonroad@epa.gov.
Note that California uses a different set of models for its regulatory programs. You will find these at the California Air Resource Board's Mobile Source Emissions Inventory Program.
These models can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of retrofits and other strategies to reduce harmful emissions.
Diesel Emissions Quantifier
The Diesel Emissions Quantifier (DEQ) is a user-friendly, interactive tool that can estimate the emission reductions and cost effectiveness of clean diesel projects. This quantifier is useful for project-level calculations, but should not be used for formal State Implementation Plan (SIP) or conformity processes.
SmartWay Transport Partnership
SmartWay tracking systems allows a company to quantify the environmental performance of its fleet operations. They are used to become a SmartWay Partner. Partnership types:
Technical EPA Models
Users with air quality modeling experience may wish to use EPA’s more technical models for quantifying the benefits of retrofit projects.
Claiming Emissions Credits in Air Quality Plans
Some entities are also interested in claiming emissions credits in air quality efforts such as State Implementation Plans (SIPs) and conformity. EPA has provided several guidance documents for claiming emissions credit for diesel emissions reductions.
- Diesel Retrofits: Quantifying and Using Their Benefits in SIPs and Conformity (PDF): Guidance for State and Local Air and Transportation Agencies (69 pp, 531K, EPA420-B-06-005, June 2006)
- EPA’s Diesel Retrofit SIP and Conformity Guidance (PDF) (7 pp, 195K, EPA420-F-06-034, June 2006) summarizes key points of the SIP and conformity retrofit guidance.
- SmartWay SIP and Conformity Guidance (PDF) (35 pp, 306K, EPA420-B-07-004, June 2007) describes how to quantify and use reductions in nitrogen oxides (NOx).
- Truck Guidance Fact Sheet (PDF) (3 pp, 106K, EPA420-F-07-045, June 2007)
- Guidance for Quantifying and Using Long Duration Truck Idling Emission Reductions in State Implementation Plans and Transportation Conformity (PDF) (33 pp, 379K, EPA420-B-04-001, January 2004) provides information about reducing emissions from trucks.
- Guidance for Quantifying and Using Long Duration Switch Yard Locomotive Idling Emission Reductions in State Implementation Plans (PDF) (24 pp, 726K, EPA-420-B-09-037, October 2009) provides information about reducing emissions from locomotives.
Reporting Program Results
Reporting on program successes and challenges is an important component of demonstrating accountability, good governance, and program sustainability. The examples below provide models to publicize program activities.
- The National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC) Progress Report (PDF) (982K, 28 pp, EPA420-R-06-009, June 2006)
- Carl Moyer Program Status Reports
- TERP Report to the Texas Legislature
- Washington State Clean School Bus Program - 2005 Report to State Legislature (PDF). (48pp, 496KB)