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State & Local Toolkit: Program 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 funds granted. However, the quantity of emissions reduced is the most common means of evaluation.
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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 (see EPA verified emissions reductions)
- 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)
- TERP Contract Helpful Facts (PDF) (5 pp, 27KB)
- 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
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.
National Mobile Inventory Model (NMIM)
NMIM develops estimates of current and future emissions inventories for highway motor vehicles and nonroad equipment. The model has full retrofit modeling capabilities and serves as a graphical user interface for current versions of MOBILE6 and NONROAD models.
MOBILE Model
MOBILE is used for inventories and emissions information of on-road vehicles. This tool helps predict gram per mile emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and toxics from cars, trucks, and motorcycles under various conditions.
NONROAD Model
The NONROAD model is an emissions inventory model for small and large nonroad vehicles, equipment, and engines. NONROAD is primarily used for estimation of air pollution inventories by professional mobile source modelers, such as state air quality officials and consultants.
Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES)
MOVES is a tool in development, but will eventually replace both MOBILE6 and NONROAD models. This system will estimate emissions for on-road and nonroad sources, cover a broad range of pollutants, and allow multiple scale analysis, from fine-scale analysis to national inventory estimation.
Emission Reduction Quantification
These models can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of retrofits and other strategies to reduce harmful emissions.
National Mobile Inventory Model (NMIM)
NMIM can also be used to quantify retrofit emissions benefits for air quality planning efforts, such as State Implementation Plans (SIP) and conformity efforts. Information about using NMIM to quantify retrofit benefits can be found in the report: Diesel Retrofits: Quantifying and Using their Benefits in SIPs and Conformity (PDF): Guidance for State and Local Air and Transportation Agencies (69pp, 529K, EPA420-B-06-005, June 2006).
Diesel Emissions Quantifier
The Diesel Emissions Quantifier 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 FLEET Model
Shippers, Carriers, and Logistic allows a company to quantify the environmental performance of its fleet operations. It should not be used for formal State Implementation Plan (SIP) or conformity processes.
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.
- Retrofit Guidance: 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)
- Fact Sheet: EPA's Diesel Retrofit SIP and Conformity Guidance (PDF) (7 pp, 195K, EPA420-F-06-034, June 2006)
- Truck Idling Guidance: 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)
- Switch Yard Rail Guidance: Guidance for Quantifying and Using Long Duration Switch Yard Locomotive Idling Emission Reductions in State Implementation Plans (PDF) (25 pp, 343K, EPA420-B-04-002, January 2004)
- Truck Guidance: SmartWay SIP and Conformity Guidance (PDF) (35 pp, 306K, EPA420-B-07-004, June 2007)
- Truck Guidance Fact Sheet (PDF) (3 pp, 106K, EPA420-F-07-045, June 2007)
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)