The Village of Croton-on-Hudson announced the launch of a Renewable Diesel (RD) pilot program for three of its heavy-duty vehicles today, positioning the Village as one of the first municipalities in Westchester County to adopt this cleaner technology. This transition is set to significantly lower both greenhouse gas pollution and nitrogen oxide pollution, with potential for expansion to the entire Village fleet pending the pilot’s successful results.
The pilot program is already demonstrating substantial environmental benefits, most notably an impressive 65-67% cut in CO2 emissions for the pilot vehicles. This single step, when calculated based on the entire municipal fleet’s annual diesel use (about 28,000 gallons), translates to an annual reduction of approximately 186 metric tons (MT) of CO2 per year. This one change alone accounts for roughly 12.5% of the municipality’s total carbon footprint.
In addition to cutting carbon emissions, the RD pilot is delivering reductions in regulated air pollutants. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions for the three trucks are 11.5% lower. NOx are harmful air pollutants that contribute to respiratory issues, smog, and ground-level ozone. Based on the fleet’s fuel consumption, this pilot is expected to reduce NOx by about 2,045 pounds per year.
Renewable Diesel has been used in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego, where the fuel is widely used in city fleets. New York City has fully transitioned its entire heavy-duty vehicle fleet to the fuel, with other areas like North Brunswick, New Jersey, and Erie County, New York (currently a pilot program) also making the switch. Earlier this year, Westchester County launched a renewable diesel fuel pilot program as part of a four-season trial to test the use of this fuel alternative on the airport’s ground service equipment fleet.
Renewable diesel is a “drop-in” replacement for petroleum diesel. That allows an immediate reduction in greenhouse gas and tailpipe emissions without having to modify existing vehicles or fueling infrastructure.
“By using proven tools like renewable diesel today, Croton-on-Hudson is taking immediate action to reduce emissions. With the launch of this renewable diesel pilot, the Village of Croton-on-Hudson is charting a course to a cleaner future for all,” said the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC) in a statement.
”Reducing emissions from our transportation sector is essential to combating the climate crisis and reducing air pollution. We applaud the launch of Croton-on-Hudson’s renewable diesel pilot program. Renewable diesel provides immediate environmental and health benefits, which is why we should be doing everything we can to encourage its use, including a statewide clean fuel standard” said Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters.
“We are in a climate emergency and we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without delay. This pilot delivers significant, measurable results for our community. Renewable Diesel has the potential to help us combat the climate crisis by slashing greenhouse gas pollution, but it improves air quality by reducing harmful NOx pollutants. While we transition to an electric fleet, we should be exploring the cleanest fuel sources possible,” said Croton-on-Hudson Mayor Brian Pugh.
“In addition to its reductions in climate-changing emissions, RD greatly reduces the tailpipe emissions of black soot from diesel vehicles, cleaning the air we breathe,” said Lindsay Audin, chair of the Croton-on-Hudson Sustainability Committee, which researched and spearheaded conversion to RD.
The Village of Croton-on-Hudson is New York State’s top-ranked Clean Energy Community, scoring 18,200 points on the NYSERDA Scorecard. Key environmental achievements include completing a Solar Canopy and Battery Energy Storage System at the train station, featuring almost 10,000 panels that generate 4.2 MW of clean power and revenue. The Village also installed a solar array and heat pump controls at its Washington Engine firehouse to cut fuel oil use, and added four EV chargers at the DPW garage, showcasing its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
