Page 36: of Marine News Magazine (March 2015)

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FLEET OPTIMIZATION

EPA’s SmartWay

Initiative Makes

Way on the Water

By Joseph Keefe

Since 2011, the EPA has fostered an initiative to protect public health and the environment and promote sustain- able economic growth by reducing pollution from thou- sands of short-haul trucks that service the nation’s ports.

Under the SmartWay dray truck initiative, carriers signed an agreement with EPA to track and reduce PM 2.5 emis- sions by 50 percent and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by 25 percent below the industry average over a three year period. Initial SmartWay partners included some of the nation’s biggest retailers. Since that time, retailers, truck- ing and rail companies and manufacturers have reduced fuel use, cut foreign oil imports by 50 million barrels and saved an estimated $6.1 billion in fuel costs.

SmartWay Wades into the Water

Encouraged by its success on land, the EPA has since be-

Courtesy: Theodore Griller gun a new Barge Freight component of the program, with

Ingram Barge Company announcing its participation in xhaustive studies by The National Waterways Foun- 2014. Ingram has been involved with the EPA in helping dation (NWF), a center for research and learning to develop, test and pilot the tool since 2010 and Ingram where industry leaders address public policy issues hopes that others will follow its lead in committing to im-

E related to America’s inland waterways system, conclude prove ef