Port of NY/NJ Sidelining Older Trucks
Working with EPA, the port authority will phase out trucks made before 1994 as of Jan. 1, 2011.
One of the latest large U.S. ports to adopt a program to force out older, more polluting trucks is the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which has begun accepting preapplications for financial assistance from owners seeking to buy replacement trucks. The $28 million replacement program is designed to remove 636 trucks made before 1994 and replace them with lower-polluting trucks. EPA provided $7 million to assist. Seattle and Long Beach are among the other ports to remove these older trucks.
Pre-1994 trucks won't be allowed to visit the port's marine terminals beginning Jan. 1, 2011, and trucks that do not have engines that meet or exceed 2007 federal emission standards won't be allowed to visit beginning Jan. 1, 2017, according to the port authority's March 10 announcement.
"Trucks and equipment used at ports are a significant source of pollution in the communities that surround them," EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck said. "Efforts like the Port Authority’s new truck replacement program and the much broader sustainability agreement signed today will go a long way toward cutting this pollution and improving air quality and public health. Reducing dirty diesel emissions will protect the health of truck drivers and the workers at the port, along with the nearby community. I applaud the Port Authority for its leadership."
Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said the Clean Truck Program "will help build on our legacy as good environmental stewards."