Tuesday, September 27, 2011

South Carolina port launches voluntary clean truck replacement program

The South Carolina State Ports Authority announced it has launched a new voluntary program at its Charleston container-handling complex that includes a $5,000 incentive for truck owners that call there to replace older, pre-1994 rigs with cleaner-burning trucks built in 2004 and beyond.

The port authority’s Seaport Truck Air Cleanup Southeast (STACS), funded by the SCSPA and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) through a grant by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), also includes the scrap value of the older trucks.

“Trucks are the backbone of any port, so our goal is to help drivers and truck owners purchase newer and more efficient rigs,” said Jim Newsome, chief executive officer of the SCSPA in a statement.

“This is a great extension of DHEC’s air partnership with the Ports Authority, which began in 2007,” said Myra C. Reece, chief of DHEC’s bureau of air quality.

According to EPA estimates, the transition to newer trucks at the Port of Charleston would reduce emissions by approximately 60 percent.

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