Nag hmo, peb muaj cov yawm ntawm kev koom tes hauv ib qhov kev tshwm sim xovxwm featuring lub Itasca, muaj 45 xyoo, 65-taw towboat, muaj thiab ua los ntawm upper River Services (URS). Tsaug peb tes num green Fleet — ib huv Minnesota teg num — thiab ib tug koom tes ntawm URS, Teb Chaws Asmeskas environmental Protection Agency (EPA) thiab tej teg num teg num (EI), tus Itasca outdated, diesel-fueled engines thiab generators tau hloov nrog "greener" lwm txoj.

Lub sij hawm ntev tej yam yuav yog qhov sib npaug ntawm kev noj 16,000 lub tsheb tawm ntawm txoj kev txhua xyoo.

Peb tes num ntsuab Fleet

Peb tes num ntsuab Fleet yog ib qhov kev pab cuam uas muab kuab paug tswj cov khoom rau diesel tsheb tsawg los yog tsis muaj nqi rau fleets. Technologies txo emissions los decreasing idling, kho exhaust los yog hloov tag nrho engines nrog tshiab, ntxuav hloov. Txij thaum peb tes num ntsuab Fleet inception nyob rau xyoo 2005, kev nqis peev uas los ntawm ob tug pej xeem thiab ntiav sectors muaj pub EI thiab minnesota Pollution tswj lub koom haum los yeem retrofit ntau tshaj 4,600 diesel tsheb, xws li 3,200 tsheb thauj mus kawm ntawv, lub xeev no. Qhov no yog cov kuab paug sib npaug ntawm tshem tawm ntau tshaj 750,000 tsheb los ntawm Minnesota txoj kev.

Hli Nelson, tsoom txoov ntawm URS, tham txog tau pog thaum nws kawm txog peb tes num ntsuab Fleet tab sis chiv tsis xav tias nws yuav ua tau ib haum rau nws lub koom haum vim nws kuj me me. URS muaj thiab koomtxoos rau cov laus towboats nrog ib nruab nrab hnub nyoog ntev nce 50 xyoo. Nelson tus tsis ntseeg yog sai alleviated thaum nws kawm txog cov kev them nyiaj yug muaj los ntawm EI, nrog rau kev pab nyob rau hauv kev ruaj ntseg nyiaj los ntawm cov EPA.

"Nws tsis yog ib txwm nyiaj txiag xyaum rau cov lag luam upgrade tsheb xws li cov Itasca nrog cov khoom huv," hais Droessler. "Yog leveraging pej xeem thiab lwm yam kev nqis peev uas, Ntxuav cua Minnesota pab sau cov kis ntawm dab tsi yog feasible rau cov lag luam thiab yog dab tsi rau lub zej zog thiab zej zog."

Minnesota Cua Zoo thiab Kev Noj Qab Haus Huv Ramifications

Nyob rau hauv Minnesota, peb muaj kuj huv cua uas, raws li cua Huv Minnesota, tau zoo tuaj lawm 10 xyoo dhau los, ces peb muaj hmoo kom muaj cov EPA ua kev nqis peev uas nyob rau hauv peb lub xeev.  "Lwm lub xeev nyob rau hauv peb thaj av ntawd yog soj ntsuam txog tej teeb meem zoo uas yog txoj kev tshaj li cas peb pom ntawm no [hauv Minnesota]," hais Frank Acevedo, mobile qhov kev pab cuam tus thawj tswj nrog lub EPA. "Tus Disease fact tias lub xeev twb tau txais cov kev sib raug zoo ua hauj lwm thiab tau nrhiav tau tej yaam num kom txo emissions yog qhov tseem ceeb."

Raws li Dave Benke nrog lub Minnesota Pollution tswj lub koom haum, huab cua kuab paug tseem tej yam tib neeg nyob rau hauv Minnesota, tshwj xeeb tshaj yog nyob rau hauv cheeb tsam xws li Minneapolis thiab neeg dawb Huv Paul. Cov teeb meem stem ntawm me thiab tsawg regulated qhov chaw, xws li cov laus, muaj kuab paug diesel engines. Qhov no yog ib qho nce rau hauv ob lub plawv thiab respiratory teeb meem. Feem ntau cov neeg uas muaj xim, cov neeg laus, cov me nyuam uas uncontrolled asthma thiab cov neeg nyob rau hauv cov neeg txom nyem. "Pollution yog sawv daws qhov teeb meem. Nyob rau hauv cov zej zog lam tau lam ua uas xav tias cov teebmeem ntau tsaug yeej xav tau kev pab los ntawm peb,"hais Benke.

Ib nco nyob hauv lub Bucket/dej

Thaum dej shipping yog touted rau nws muaj peev xwm tsiv mus nyob ntau yam khoom siv tsawg zog thiab ntawm tus nqi tsawg dua, muaj tseem chav rau kev txhim kho. Lub Itasca no tsuas tus thib ob towboat los ntawm peb tes num ntsuab Fleet. Tus Becky Sue, kuj muaj thiab ua los ntawm URS, muaj ib tug zoo overhaul hauv 2015. Tej yam yog qhov sib npaug ntawm kev noj 12,000 lub tsheb tawm ntawm txoj kev txhua xyoo.

Raws li Bill Droessler, senior thawj coj ntawm peb tes num kev loj hlob thiab huv cua ntawm EI, muaj tseem 175,000, tej zaum txhiab, cov laus diesel-fueled tugboats nyob rau hauv lub lag luam thoob lub xeev thiab thaj av ntawd. "Qhov no yog ib tug nco nyob rau hauv lub thoob – los yog tus dej nyob rau hauv rooj plaub no," ntxiv Droessler.