Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) joined with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to retrofit 44 Newark, New Jersey school buses with emissions-reducing technology.  The low-emissions buses will serve over 400 students who attend 19 schools.

PSEG is providing half of the $200,000 funding to retrofit the 44 buses owned and operated by Camptown Bus Lines.  Environmental Services Worldwide (ESW) is providing the emissions reduction technology and Environmental Systems Products (ESP) is the provider of remote emissions measuring technology that will monitor and document the emissions reductions.  MJ Bradley Associates of Concord, MA developed and is managing the retrofit project.  Approximately 28 buses have already been completed, and the rest are expected to be finished by May of this year.

The modifications to the diesel engines include installation of diesel particulate reactors designed to reduce particulate matter emissions by 50% or greater, and crankcase ventilation filters to reduce oil drips and aerosol emissions.

The retrofits will significantly reduce emissions and exposure of children to fine particulates and other pollutants.  Diesel exhaust contains substantial amounts of fine particulates that pose a health risk due to their ability to lodge in the lungs, cause lung damage, and aggravate conditions such as asthma and bronchitis.  Children are one of the groups more at risk to this type of air pollution because their respiratory systems are still developing and they have a faster breathing rate.  Childhood asthma especially in urban neighborhoods is a growing public health concern.

When the program was announced in October 2004, NJDEP Commissioner Bradley E. Campbell said, "We are pleased that companies like PSEG and Camptown Bus Lines have voluntarily stepped up to the plate to achieve cleaner air for our school children.  On average, children spend an hour-and-a-half each weekday riding on school buses.  That amounts to more than 300 hours every year that Newark children will be breathing cleaner air."

PSEG Power President Frank Cassidy said, "We are especially proud of this project because it will directly and immediately improve the lives of children.  We commend Commissioner Campbell, NJDEP, and the others involved in this partnership.  We hope it stands as a model that will be replicated in other communities and that more and more children will be able to benefit."

PSEG, Cassidy noted, continues to advocate for new, more stringent national power plant emissions reductions requirements.  "However, we also know that the effort to achieve clean air goals will only be successful with the right combination of local and regional, as well as national strategies that include energy, transportation, and other sectors of the economy.  This project will significantly reduce exposure of children to a source of emissions they face on a daily basis.  It is an excellent example of a cooperative action that could make a real difference in the health of the children involved."

One of the unique aspects of this project is that each bus is being emissions-tested prior to installing the new technology, while remote sensing equipment will measure particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons emissions after the retrofits.  In addition, some of the buses will be fitted with onboard portable emissions testing systems that will provide second-by-second emissions profiles during operation.  The remote sensing technology has been used traditionally to analyze light duty motor vehicle emissions.  However, ESP, its manufacturer, has successfully used remote sensing devices on more than 400 diesel-powered transit buses in Boston, and Staten Island Ferry boats in New York.   The Newark school bus project is its latest application.  ESP is headquartered in East Granby Connecticut.