Cargo Business Techwire

Friday, March 4, 2016

Port of New Orleans receives EPA grant for Clean Truck program

The Port of New Orleans received a $727,000 "Clean Diesel" grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, as part of its Clean Truck Replacement Incentive Program, or Clean TRIP.

Drayage and short-haul truck owners who operate within the port's three-parish jurisdiction are now eligible to replace truck models between 1993 and 2006 with model year 2011 or new through the program.

"This program will enable truck owners to voluntarily invest in cleaner air by replacing older trucks," port president and CEO Gary LaGrange said in a

statement. "It will also enable us to initiate a community dialogue around air quality and opportunities for improvement."

The port's environmental department will oversee the program, ensuring the application process for replacements and upgrades is fair and transparent, a spokesman for the port said in a news release.

"The total project cost is $1.537 million, with $700,000 coming from mandatory cost share with eligible truck owners and $110,636 coming from the Port for administrative costs," according to the release.