Additional Resources Save and Share Have questions about CMAQ? Click here to view our some commonly asked questions and answers about the program

 

   Email This

   Print This

   Subscribe

Cost Effectiveness Comparisons For Various CMAQ-Eligible Emissions Reduction Programs

Diesel retrofits are one of the most cost-effective emissions reductions strategies eligible for funding under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program. The following chart compares cost-effectiveness data from specific diesel retrofit projects with data collected by both the Washington (DC) Council of Governments and the Transportation Research Board measuring the cost-effectiveness of other typical CMAQ-eligible projects.

Cost Per Ton of Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) Reduced

1. Data collected by government agencies overseeing specific diesel retrofit projects. Cost-effectiveness for each project depends on factors including: age and type of equipment being retrofit; off-road vs. on-road applications; Tier 0, 1, or 2 technologies; and other factors. Readers are encouraged to review source materials for assumptions.
   
   Examples cited are:
   
   Repower Lumber Loaders – South Coast Air Quality Management District project repowering 15 self-propelled lumber loaders (Los Angeles)
   
   Retrofit Transit Buses – Metropolitan Transportation Commission project retrofitting 1100 transit buses with Cleaire Longview ® (San Francisco Bay Area)
   
   Repower Off-Road Engines – California Air Resources Board project repowering off-road engines, such as graders and forklifts (nonattainment areas statewide)
   
   Repower Construction Equipment – South Coast Air Quality Management District project repowering 18 heavy-duty construction equipment engines (Los Angeles)
   
   Replace Older Trucks – Gateway Cities COG project replacing 250 pre-1983 heavy-duty diesel trucks with 1994 and newer trucks (southeast Los Angeles County)
   
   
2. Median cost-effectiveness estimate from the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) 2002 study The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program: Assessing 10 Years of Experience, page 341. Cost-effectiveness depends on numerous factors including participation levels, capital and operating costs, transit ridership, and other factors. See TRB report for methodologies and assumptions.
   
   
3. Cost-effectiveness calculations made by the Washington (DC) Council of Governments for specific projects. All projects shown in cost per ton of NOx using 2005 emissions factors. Details on projects include:
   
   Speed Limit Enforcement – 95 miles of enforcement in Northern Virginia
   
   Taxicab Replacement with CNG – Project replaced 100 cabs
   
   Bike Racks on Transit Buses – Bike racks on all buses
   
   Bus Replacement with CNG – Calculation made on 100 CNG buses