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CARB Regulation Promotes Adoption of Zero-Emission Buses

Levon Termendzhyan

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Levon Termendzhyan, the equity owner of Viscon USA and Viscon International, manufactures and distributes a diesel fuel additive that reduces particulate matter (PM) emissions. With the help of Levon Termendzhyan, the Viscon product has obtained a U.S. government purchase agreement and is verified and certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as a potential solution for the organization’s 2015 mandate that gasoline in the state must reduce CO2 emissions by 10 percent by 2020.

As part of its efforts to reduce the harmful effects of air pollution, CARB develops and implements numerous programs and regulations that fight climate change, including its recent Innovative Clean Transit regulation.
This first of its kind regulation requires public transit agencies around the state to transition to a zero-emission bus fleet by 2040. It was created with the goal of reducing emissions in the transportation sector, an industry that creates 40 percent of gas emissions and 80 to 90 percent of pollutants responsible for forming smog.
According to CARB, this transition to zero-emission buses will play an essential role in helping California meet its climate and air quality goals. The regulation is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19 million metric tons between 2020 and 2050, and lower harmful tailpipe emissions by more than 7,000 tons. These improvement are equal to removing four million cars from the road.
Today, eight of the state’s 10 largest transit agencies are operating zero-emission buses. However, CARB’s new regulation will rapidly increase the number of these buses from about 150 to 1,000 by 2020. While making this change may seem extreme, it is pivotal for controlling pollution in urban centers and various low-income communities throughout the state.