The Environmental Protection Agency is launching a new program, under its SmartWay Transport Partnership, designed to cut pollution from trucks servicing U.S. ports.
The initiative will focus on dray trucks – large diesel trucks used at port facilities to haul freight from cargo ships to nearby local distribution points. The EPA says that many dray trucks in use at ports today are older and dirtier than trucks used on highways, and contribute to air quality concerns at ports and surrounding areas.
Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for the office of air and radiation, will unveil the initiative on Tuesday at the Wando Welch terminal in Mount Pleasant, S.C., together with EPA regional administrator Gwen Keyes Fleming, South Carolina State Ports Authority president and CEO Jim Newsome, and other officials.
The SmartWay Transport Partnership brings together major freight shippers, trucking companies, distribution firms and trade associations in an effort to reduce emissions. The partnership aims to save 1.5 billion gallons of fuel, $3.6 billion in fuel costs, 14.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, 215,000 tons of nitrogen oxides and 8,000 tons of particulate matter.
A few of the nation's ports have already introduced programs to reduce emissions from drayage vehicles. At the Port of Seattle, all drayage trucks must have engines from 1994 or later, and must display a "green gateway" sticker to show they are registered with the port.
Picture credit: Port of Tacoma
