New country-wide program aims to decrease air pollution by trucks

With millions of trucks hauling freight nationwide every day, this massive industry can pump pollution into the air at a dangerous pace. However, a new program is aiming to reduce emissions caused by short-haul diesel trucks, reports The State.

The initiative, called SmartWay, is starting to be implemented in places like South Carolina where diesel trucks are vastly prevalent. Program guidelines hope to replace the 250 trucks that are used at the local port which have old engines and parts. State officials say they hope to complete modifications by 2013.

SmartWay was established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to encourage large and small companies to move towards greener solutions in fleet management.

According to Environmental Leader, other regions of the U.S. have already begun to phase out their dirty trucks to make way for cleaner solutions for hauling. At the Port of Seattle in Washington State, some of the vehicles may not have to be scrapped. Instead, they can be eligible for a refund to improve emission quality from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
 

New country-wide program aims to decrease air pollution by trucks

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011