Centerlines - September 2008 - (Page 55) E N V IR O N M E N T OUR elected officials are pushing us to the cutting edge of what is going on internationally here. — Elizabeth Leavitt, director, aviation environmental programs, Sea-Tac Airport Airports can change ground procedures to reduce aircraft fuel burn. Collecting the Inventory Two consultants and two airport staff worked six months to complete the inventory. The Port collected data about all of the sources they own, with a focus on actual fuel consumed by these sources. Airline tenants, local regulatory agencies, airlines, industry groups and the public reviewed and gave input into the preparation of the inventory. The team used data from utility and purchase bills, emission factors from the power providers for the energy and published factors for fuels, to calculate the airport’s carbon dioxide emissions. The team used the Port’s automatic vehicle identification tracking system to track trips to and from the airport by service providers, from which carbon dioxide emissions could be calculated. A survey of equipment and usage formed the basis for ground support equipment emissions. The inventory team examined the ground transportation used by passengers, service providers, and airport employees and tenants. It used survey data and average round trip vehicle miles traveled to derive estimates for public-sector emissions. The FAA Emissions Dispersion Modeling System was used Sea-Tac dispenses more than 1.25 million gasoline gallon equivalents of compressed natural gas a year. to calculate fuel burn from aircraft movement below 3,000 feet. Cruise altitude emissions were derived from the fuel dispensed at Sea-Tac minus the below 3,000 feet value. In 2006, the inventory added up to 4.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from all sources, divided among three major categories: the airport, the airlines and the public. TRB GUIDEBOOK IN PREPARATION Recognizing that aviation authorities use different methodologies and accounting approaches for preparing aviation-related greenhouse gas inventories, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) is preparing a guidebook on uniform methods for preparing greenhouse gasses emissions inventories. It should be completed in September. TRB will publish a hard copy of the guide for sale. A free downloadable version will likely also be available. “The guidebook will help clarify a lot of the misunderstandings and difficulties in developing greenhouse gasses inventories at airports,” said Brian Kim, manager of air quality services with Wyle Labs in Arlington Va., which is developing the book. “It will also simplify the process.” For more information, visit www.trb.org. www.aci-na.org | CENTERLINES 55 http://www.trb.org http://www.aci-na.org
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