Green

PHOTO/Kelsey Fi T zgerald

Reno bus driver  Michael Burge has  driven one of RTC’s  colorful electric  buses for three  years.

Clean fleets

Program works to reduce local air pollution through alternative fuels

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The Biggest Little City keeps getting bigger, and with more vehicles on the streets, air pollution is likely to increase. For nearly a year, Chris Lynch and Tabitha Aspling of the University of Nevada, Reno’s Business Environmental Kelsey Fitzgerald Program have been working to organize local vehicle fleet managers and other interested stakeholders into what they hope will be a solution to some of this pollution—a Clean Cities coalition for the Reno-Tahoe region. Clean Cities, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, is a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing petroleum use in transportation. As part of the program, coordinators in cities across the U.S. build networks of people committed to sharing information and resources on alternative fuels. If Lynch and Aspling are successful in their endeavor, the Reno-Tahoe region will be recognized as one of almost 100 other Clean Cities located around the U.S.— an important step in creating a local commitment to keeping our air clean. So far, Lynch and Aspling have assembled a team of 42 local stakeholders, many of whom manage vehicle fleets (groups of vehicles owned by a business, government agency or other organization). Many fleets include vehicles that are on the road all day, every day, like taxis, buses or garbage trucks. Cumulatively, these vehicles can produce a lot of pollution. To support the Clean Cities effort, Washoe County Health District Air Quality Management Division has provided grant funding. Lynch and Aspling are now developing a program plan, where they will set goals for For more information how many gallons of petroleum-based fuels they hope to displace. They also on the Clean Cities plan to hold stakeholder meetings and educational “lunch-and-learn” events program, visit throughout the year, where they will share information on alternative fuels www1.eere.energy. with interested stakeholders. gov/cleancities/index. html “There’s been a lot of technology development in the last decade, and there are lots of new opportunities,” Lynch said. “I think that’s one of the key things about something like Clean Cities. It creates a platform for getting For more information out information and getting fleet managers talking to each other, and sharing about the reno- problems and solutions.”

Tahoe Clean Cities coalition, contact UNr’s Business Ozone, in particular, is in the spotlight right now. Ground-level ozone is created when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds from vehicle environmental emissions come into contact with sunlight, and is considered harmful to Program: human health. www.unrbep.org/ On Oct. 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency passed a new ozone standard, lowering the accepted level of ozone in the air we breathe from 75 parts per billion to 70 ppb. According to the most recent data from the Washoe County Health District Air Quality Management Division, Reno’s ozone level for the 2013-2015 period was 71 ppb, meaning that we will have to reduce our ozone levels to meet the new standard. “Clean Cities can help accelerate the retirement of older, dirtier engines, and replace them with newer, cleaner engines,” said Daniel Inouye, branch chief for the Washoe County Air Quality Management Division. Many of the stakeholders in the Clean Cities coalition are already using alternative forms of fuel, says Lynch, and he looks forward to getting more on board. Waste Management, for example, is using compressed natural gas in their trucks. The Regional Transport Commission has four electric buses, and more on the way. The Washoe County School District is using propane as an alternative to diesel fuel. Ω

2015 Northern Nevada Pro Bono Week Schedule 2015 Northern Nevada Pro Bono Week Schedule

October 23, 2015 (Friday) October 23, 2015 Ask a Lawyer/Self Help Clinic – Winnemucca (11:00 – 2:00) (Friday) Humboldt County Courthouse, October 24, 2015 (Saturday) Commissioners Chambers October 24, 2015 Law Fair – Ask A Lawyer (10:00 – 3:00) (Saturday) Shoppers Square Mall, Reno October 26, 2015 Champions of Justice Luncheon (11:30 – 1:30) (Monday) Peppermill Naples Ballroom

Ask a Lawyer/Self Help Clinic – Winnemucca (11:00 – 2:00) Humboldt County Courthouse, Commissioners Chambers Law Fair – Ask A Lawyer (10:00 – 3:00) Shoppers Square Mall, Reno Champions of Justice Luncheon (11:30 – 1:30) Peppermill Naples Ballroom Human Trafficking CLE (9:00 – 5:00) State Bar Center (for legal professionals only) Now You are a Guardian of a Minor - What’s Next? (5:30 – 7:00) Second Judicial District Court Ask a Lawyer/Self Help Clinic (10:00 – 4:00) Second Judicial District Court Ask a Lawyer/Yerington (10:00 – 3:00) Nevada Legal Services Office Yerington 720 S. Main Street, #A, Yerington Ask a Lawyer/Self Help Clinic – Elko (2:00 – 4:00) Elko Public Library, Elko Sealing Criminal Records Education Clinic – Gardnerville (1:30 – 3:30) Gardnerville Community & Senior Center Ask a Lawyer/Self Help Clinic – Carson City (9:00 – 12:00) Supreme Court Law Library Sealing Criminal Records – Elko (2:00 – 4:00) Elko Public Library, Elko Wills/Estate Planning – Gardnerville (10:00 – 11:30) Gardnerville Community & Senior Center Ask a Lawyer/Self Help Clinic – Gardnerville (12:00 – 3:00) Gardnerville Community & Senior Center Starting a Small Business Education Clinic – Carson City (1:30 – 3:30) Ormsby Room – Carson City Sheriff’s Office

October 26, 2015 (Monday)

October 27, 2015 (Tuesday)

October 27, 2015October 28, 2015 (Wednesday) Now You are a Guardian of a Minor-What’s Next ? (5:30 – 7:00) (Tuesday) Second Judicial District Court

October 28, 2015 Ask a Lawyer/Self Help Clinic (10:00 – 4:00) (Wednesday) Second Judicial District Court Ask a Lawyer/Yerington (10:00 – 3:00) Nevada Legal Services Office Yerington 720 S. Main Street, #A, Yerington Ask a Lawyer/Self Help Clinic – Elko (2:00 – 4:00) Elko Public Library, Elko

October 29, 2015 (Thursday)

Sealing Criminal Records Education Clinic – Carson City (1:30 – 3:30) Ormsby Room – Carson City Sheriff’s Office

October 29, 2015 Ask a Lawyer/Self Help Clinic – Carson City (10:00 – 4:00) (Thursday) Supreme Court Law Library Sealing Criminal Records – Elko (2:00 – 4:00) Elko Public Library, Elko Wills/Estate Planning – Gardnerville (10:00 – 11:30) Gardnerville Community & Senior Center Ask a Lawyer/Self Help Clinic – Gardnerville (12:00 – 3:00) Gardnerville Community & Senior Center Starting a Small Business Education Clinic – Carson City (1:30 – 3:30) Ormsby Room – Carson City Sheriff’s Office

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