Editorial: Never be content with a B

Saturday, June 3, 2006 | 7:40 a.m.

We are so used to seeing Nevada score badly in national studies of its public services that we grimaced upon receiving the "School Bus Pollution Report Card" published by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Now we are sorry for prejudging the state's score. Nevada shared the top grade with Alaska, Connecticut, Maine and New York. Most states scored well below Nevada's overall grade of B and its ranking of "above average" in two critical categories - commitment to operating cleaner school buses and current effectiveness in reducing the pollution they help create.

The Clark County School District, which now operates 1,200 school buses but is adding an average of 100 a year to keep up with growth, was specifically cited. The district's "use of biodiesel blends reduced total state school bus soot by 6 percent in 2005," the report said.

Biodiesel began as a School District pilot project in summer 2001, and by September 2002 the district had converted almost all of its fleet to the fuel. It consists of 80 percent regular diesel and 20 percent recycled cooking oil collected from area restaurants.

The Union of Concerned Scientists formed in 1969 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Today it has a membership of more than 100,000 scientists and citizens. The organization is concerned about school bus emissions because diesel exhaust is harmful to health, with children being particularly vulnerable.

Diesel exhaust can cause cancer and contribute to severe respiratory problems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. "Children are more susceptible to air pollution than healthy adults because their respiratory systems are still developing and they have a faster breathing rate," the EPA says on its Web site.

Diesel fumes are made dark by their high carbon (soot) content. These voluminous emissions cause more than health problems. They are a leading contributor to global warming. They reduce general visibility. They damage buildings. They also help create acid rain, which pollutes lakes.

While Nevada received a B, the state should strive for an A. No state came close to receiving that grade because their school buses were not equipped with the latest technology, which cuts soot emissions by 90 percent, according to the report.

Biodiesel alone cannot do the job. School districts need major funding help from the Legislature so that they can retrofit their buses, or buy new ones with the latest pollution controls. For the health of our children, and the health of all Nevadans, we hope the 2007 Legislature budgets enough money to at least begin a program to provide Nevada's school districts with cleaner buses.