Pace chairman responds to criticism
In response to the July 13 letter to the editor from U.S. Representative Mark Kirk and Highland Park Mayor Michael Belsky regarding Pace's decision not to use federal stimulus money to purchase buses with diesel-electric hybrids, it's time to clear the air.
With all due respect, their numbers simply don't add up. For starters, attacking a transit agency to make a point about fighting fuel usage and improving air quality is incongruous, considering each Pace bus can take 50 cars off the road. The comparisons made relating to the fuel economy of diesel and hybrid buses are an apples to oranges comparison, because the figures he cites compare 40-foot hybrid buses with 40-foot diesel buses. However, the buses Pace purchases are 30 feet in length and actually get better fuel mileage than the 40-foot hybrids he heralds.
Pace approached Congressman Kirk for five straight years requesting federal funding to add hybrid buses to our fleet, and each time the request was ignored. We've done the research to prove that buying more of the considerably less expensive diesel buses for the available funding we have will result in a greater net improvement in air quality. Emissions control technology for diesel buses has advanced to the extent that the difference in the amount of particulate matter found in exhaust from buses is essentially negligible between diesels and hybrids.
Their letter also ignores a fact we have repeatedly conveyed to them: Pace is committed to testing not only hybrid vehicles but other "green" technology. They are asking Pace to commit to hybrid buses without performing what we feel is due diligence to investigate the feasibility of other technologies.
Finally, they ignore the fact that Pace has applied for federal TIGGER grant money to receive 20 hybrid-powered vehicles for our fleet. If the congressman would redirect some of his energy toward advocating in favor of our grant application, we're confident the venture would be successful. We're also hopeful that we can work with - not against - Congressman Kirk and Mayor Belsky in the future as we move forward in implementing green technology.
Richard A. Kwasneski
Pace Chairman of the Board
Arlington Heights