Fond du Lac Diesel Retrofit Project

1. Fond du Lac Diesel Retrofit Project Summer 2008

2. How Project Came About • Region 5 informed us about some extra funds ($25,000) that were available for community diesel retrofit grants, so we applied. • There were delays in the funds being awarded due to some changes in Region 5 internal procedures. • Funds also ended up being “swept” for Homeland Security and later re-allocated. • FdL also experienced some staff turn-over, which slowed things down. • Once grant money was awarded, FdL had six months to complete the work.

3. Project Tasks, Selecting Target Construction vehicles were chosen for proposed retrofits because: • Lots of construction activity is currently taking place on the Reservation, so the vehicles are in heavy use. • There are enough Reservation-owned diesel vehicles to make the grant worthwhile. • Fleet is located next to tribal school and government buildings, meaning many people are exposed to the exhaust. • Construction had previous experience with a retrofitted vehicle during indoor work at our casino expansion. This assured them that the product was effective.

4. Project Tasks, Writing Grant Application • Twenty-one construction vehicles were listed in the grant proposal. • This number was based on the available funding and existing cost/vehicle information. • Vehicles with the highest number of annual operating hours and largest engines were chosen.

5. Other Selection Possibilities to Consider • School buses are also a Reservation – owned diesel fleet, however, FdL’s school buses were recently retrofitted by Project Green Fleet through a grant obtained by FdL’s Head Start program. • We considered retrofitting forestry vehicles, but there aren’t many and some are too old for retrofit (i.e. particulate emissions are so high that filter would become plugged).

6. Project Tasks, Getting the Work Done • Tribal lawyer and Reservation Business Committee approved the Request For Proposal. • RFP’s were sent to five CARB-certified vendors for retrofit of twenty-one off-road vehicles. All were recommended by Green Fleet. • Three vendors responded, at costs much higher than anticipated in the twenty-one vehicle proposal. The remaining two vendors did not service off-road vehicles. • Vendor was chosen. RBC approved recommended vendor. Tribal lawyer wrote the final contract. MBE/WBE forms had to be completed. • Based on updated costs in the responses to the RFP, FdL pared the list of twenty-one vehicles down to twelve, based on the judgment of Construction staff.

7. Equipment Retrofitted • Three excavators, two excavator/loaders, five dozers, one skid steer, and one dump truck. • All fitted with DOC mufflers. • Engine sizes ranged from 59-370 HP. • Manufacturers were Caterpillar, John Deere, Cummins, and IZZU, model years ranged from 1993-2002.

8. Technical Considerations • The DOC muffler is an integrated catalytic converter and muffler combination. They are large and heavy, so must be properly braced. • Vehicles’ existing exhaust systems should be inspected prior to retrofit and upgraded if necessary. Two maintenance issues occurred related to this. • Improper bracing caused one exhaust pipe failure problem. • The installation technician used flexible hose on the exhaust, which later burned some hydraulic hoses. The assembly was re-configured by construction mechanics. • Two mufflers plugged a few months after installation and the mufflers were removed (oil burning issues).

9. Technical Considerations, Continued • One vehicle needed to have a piece of its hood cut away to accommodate the muffler so maintenance could be performed. • Retrofits above the vehicle hood made it difficult to access the engine for maintenance and repairs. • Construction mechanics said the vendor was not readily available for help and repairs. • FdL mechanics would rather have been trained to do the installations themselves. However, we were not aware if this was an option.

13. Lessons Learned • Retrofit works best on vehicles that do not burn oil and are newer than 2004. • The exhaust systems need to be able to handle the additional weight of the DOC muffler. Repair in advance of the retrofit. • Schedule retrofit for the off-season so vehicles aren’t tied up when they are needed for work. • Try to get vendor recommendations from those who have used them.

14. Lessons Learned, Continued • May want to try to get the vendor who manufactures the vehicles to do the retrofit. • Be sure to get realistic cost estimates before applying for grant. Costs are often unknown until the bids come in. • Need to make sure the staff who will use or maintain the vehicles are supportive of the retrofit. • Give yourself flexibility in the RFP, (i.e. “FdL reserves the right to choose the vehicles to be retrofitted if bids exceed funds…” and “FdL reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal…”).

15. Resources • Minnesota Environmental Initiative Project Green Fleet www.projectgreenfleet.org • Laura McKelvey – EPA OAQPS, 919-541-5497 • Mary Munn, FdL Tribal Air Coordinator, 218-878-8012 or • Joy Wiecks, FdL Air Quality Technician, 218-878-8008.