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Local short-haul truck owners working the Port of New Orleans will soon be able to apply for financial incentives to replace older model trucks with 2011 or newer models.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded the Port of New Orleans a $727,000 Clean Diesel grant for its voluntary Clean Truck Replacement Incentive Program, or Clean TRIP. The grant will assist short-haul and drayage truck owners servicing cargo terminals and warehouses within the port’s three-parish jurisdiction, enabling them to replace older truck models between 1993 and 2006 with model year 2011 or newer through a cost share program.
"This program will enable truck owners to voluntarily invest in cleaner air by replacing older trucks," said Gary LaGrange, port president and CEO. "It will also enable us to initiate a community dialogue around
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air quality and opportunities for improvement."
The port’s Environmental Department, led by Amelia Pellegrin, will develop, lead, implement and manage the program, including developing a fair and transparent application process. The total project cost is $1.5 million, with $700,000 coming from mandatory cost share with eligible truck owners, and $110,636 coming from the port for administrative costs. Key local partners in the two-year program include the Regional Planning Commission, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, University of New Orleans and the Environmental Defense Fund.
Port officials and partners will now work to develop and implement the program and will initiate community outreach efforts with the trucking industry in the spring.
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