Aimed at reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the Port Authority and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have launched a financial incentive program to replace up to 636 of the oldest, most polluting trucks serving the marine terminals at the Port of New York and New Jersey with newer, cleaner models.
The Port of New York and New Jersey joins the ranks of several other U.S. ports including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, and Tacoma that have banned older, polluting trucks from servicing their terminals.
The $28-million Clean Truck Program is aimed at getting owners of pre-1994 drayage trucks that regularly serve the port's marine terminals to purchase newer vehicles. The program is partly funded by a $7 million EPA grant, with the remainder coming from Port Authority funds. Pre-applications can be filled out online at http://www.replacemytruck.org or at http://www.cambiamicamion.org (Spanish).
The agency also announced a truck phase-out plan. All pre-1994 model trucks would be banned from the Port Authority marine terminals beginning January 1, 2011, and trucks not equipped with engines that meet or exceed 2007 federal emissions standards will no longer be able to serve the marine terminals starting on January 1, 2017.
Under the program, truck drivers will be eligible for a 25 percent federal grant toward the purchase price of a replacement truck, averaging between $20,000 to $60,000, and low-interest financing (5.25 percent over five years) for up to 75 percent of the total purchase price. The trucks must be model years 2004 to 2008 equipped with an engine model year from 2004 to 2007.
In addition to reducing emissions, truck operators can also benefit from the more energy-efficient engines, cutting fuel costs by up to 20 percent, according to the Port Authority.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) supports the Port of New York and New Jersey for adopting an emissions reduction program that will reduce the number of high-polluting trucks serving the port. RILA is a partner with the Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT), which helped the Port of New York and New Jersey, as well several other U.S. ports, in the development of their Clean Truck Programs.
The Truck Replacement Program is part of the Clean Air Strategy for the Port of New York and New Jersey targeted at reducing emissions from all port-related sources and improving air quality in the region.
Other initiatives under the Clean Air Strategy include the Ocean-Going Vessels Low Sulfur Fuel Program, which encourages the use of low-sulfur fuel through financial incentives, the Locomotive Retrofit Program, which will retrofit two switcher locomotives serving the port with ultra low-emitting GenSet technology, and the Cargo Handling Equipment Fleet Modernization Program, aimed at replacing existing cargo handling equipment with new equipment that meets federal on-road air-emission standards, or the most recent federal off-road emissions standards.
