BOARD MEETING DATE: October 1, 2010
AGENDA NO. 6
PROPOSAL:
Execute Contract for 2010 Leaf Blower Exchange Program
SYNOPSIS:
At its May 7, 2010 meeting, the Board approved release of a Program Announcement to solicit competitive bids from manufacturers of low-emission leaf blowers. This action is to award a contract to Pacific STIHL to conduct the 2010 Leaf Blower Exchange Program in an amount not to exceed $269,925 from the Rule 2202 Air Quality Investment Program Fund.
COMMITTEE:
Mobile Source, September 24, 2010, Recommended for Approval
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with Pacific STIHL to exchange up to 1,500 backpack leaf blowers in an amount not to exceed $269,925 from the Rule 2202 Air Quality Investment Program Fund (27).
Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer
Background
As part of Rule 2202 On-Road Motor Vehicle Mitigation Options, affected employers may elect to participate by funding the Air Quality Investment Program (AQIP) which is an AQMD-administered restricted fund. Investment can be either $60 annually per employee reporting to the worksite during the 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. peak window, or $125 triennially per employee. The restricted monies are to be used by the AQMD to fund proposals that achieve mobile source emission reductions that would otherwise have been achieved by implementing a rideshare program.
Upon registering under this option and submitting the designated investment amount, an employer is considered to be in compliance with the Rule, and there is no need for the employer to take further action to reduce mobile source emissions. The collected monies are used to fund alternative mobile source emission reduction strategies that reduce mobile source emissions at a more cost-effective rate which could potentially result in greater overall emission reductions.
An amount of $496,146 is available for new projects (Table 1). Staff recommends that $269,925 of the available funding be used toward the 2010 Leaf Blower Exchange Program.
Proposal Evaluation
At its May 7, 2010 meeting, the Board approved release of a Program Announcement (PA #2009-09) to solicit bids from potential manufacturers/suppliers of low-emission/low-noise backpack leaf blowers to provide between 1,000 and 1,500 new backpack leaf blowers at a discounted price to be used for the AQMD’s 2010 Leaf Blower Exchange Program. Only one bid (Pacific STIHL) was received by the specified deadline. The STIHL blower meets the Blue Sky standard emission levels required by the Program Announcement.
The primary goal of this project is to replace existing backpack blowers currently used by commercial landscapers/gardeners within the South Coast Air Basin with backpack blowers which have significantly reduced emission and noise levels. The current CARB emission standard is 72 grams of HC + NOx per kilowatt hour. The STIHL BR500 model has been certified by CARB at 13 grams of HC + NOx per kilowatt hour. The 13 gram per kilowatt hour exceeds CARB’s Blue Sky criteria of 36 grams for product in its displacement category. The cost-effectiveness of this project will be $1.08 per pound. Because of its low-emission levels and low-noise level rating, Model BR500 was used in the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Leaf Blower Exchange Programs. Staff recommends the STIHL BR500 model be used in the 2010 Leaf Blower Exchange Program. Table 2 provides the specification and pricing information, and Table 3 provides the Emission Bank status.
Outreach
In accordance with AQMD’s Procurement Policy and Procedure, a public notice advertising the RFP/RFQ and inviting bids was published in the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, the San Bernardino Sun, and Riverside County Press Enterprise newspapers to leverage the most cost-effective method of outreach to the entire South Coast Basin.
Additionally, potential bidders may have been notified utilizing AQMD’s own electronic listing of certified minority vendors. Notice of the RFP/RFQ has been mailed to the Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses and various minority chambers of commerce and business associations, and placed on the Internet at AQMD’s website (http://www.aqmd.gov). Information is also available on AQMD’s bidder’s 24-hour telephone message line (909) 396-2724.
Benefits to AQMD
This program will exchange up to 1,500 old 2-stroke leaf blowers for new 4-stroke blowers. The STIHL BR500 leaf blower has been certified by CARB at 13 grams of HC+NOx per kilowatt hour. This is about 1/5th of the level of the current emission standard (72 grams) that CARB has established for new leaf blowers of that size sold in California.
Based on a conservative assumption that leaf blowers are used 4 hours per week, this exchange will result in emission reductions of 91,384 pounds per year of HC+NOx. The cost-effectiveness of this exchange program will be $1.08/pound.
Resource Impact
Total cost of expenditure for the proposed project shall not exceed $269,925 from the Rule 2202 Air Quality Investment Program Fund (27). Table 2 provides pricing information.
Attachments (DOC, 63k)
Table 1 – Total Available Funding
Table 2 – Leaf Blower Specifications and Pricing
Table 3 – Emission Bank Status and Benefits