The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today, March 10, announced the phasing-out of the oldest diesel trucks servicing port facilities by Jan. 1, 2011 – replacing them with cleaner vehicles to help improve the air quality in surrounding communities.

The Port Authority and EPA collaborated with the Natural Resources Defense Council, industry, labor and community groups to develop this new program that starting next year will replace 636 trucks made before 1994 that regularly service the port. This move is designed to cut soot pollution from these trucks by two-thirds and smog-forming pollution in half. By 2017, the program also will replace all of the more than 4,500 trucks that regularly service the port with engines made before 2007. Engines made after 2007 are certified to the EPA’s highest soot standards and are 95 percent cleaner than older trucks.

The program provides $28 million in joint financial assistance from EPA stimulus funds and the Port Authority to help drivers switch from their pre-1994 trucks to cleaner, more efficient vehicles. Specifically, trucks drivers will be eligible for a 25 percent grant toward the total purchase price of a replacement truck, as well as low-interest financing – 5.25 percent over five years – for up to 75 percent of the total purchase price. Drivers that regularly call on the port’s marine terminals are eligible for assistance. Information about the program and about the application process is available at the Truck Replacement Center at 1180 McLester St., Elizabeth, N.J., or online at www.replacemytruck.org, or in Spanish at www.cambiamicamion.org.

“Today we’ve launched a plan to eliminate some of the dirtiest diesels in our midst and make the port more sustainable,” said Richard Kassel, director of NRDC’s Clean Fuels and Vehicles Project and co-chair of the work group that designed the new program. “Nobody drives a 30-year-old truck because they like the exhaust – they drive them because they can’t afford to buy a newer truck. With this program, drivers will get the financing incentives they need to upgrade from their old, dirty diesel vehicles to newer, cleaner and more reliable trucks. This means fresher air for drivers and for neighboring communities – from Elizabeth, to Newark and New York. We look forward to building on today’s announcement to ensure that we’re moving goods throughout our region in the cleanest, most competitive and sustainable way possible.”

The program is partly funded by a $7 million EPA grant, with the remainder coming from Port Authority funds. “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,” says EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck said, “Trucks and equipment used at ports are a significant source of pollution in the communities that surround them. 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.”

The initiative was the result of months of discussions undertaken by members of the Port Authority’s Truck Working Group, a broad coalition comprising members of state and private sector environmental organizations, trucking groups, labor and the maritime industry. “The Clean Truck Program is the latest in our efforts to achieve cleaner air at and around our port,” says Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia. “On top of our other investments – including $600 million to build on-dock rail and $60 million to acquire and preserve environmentally sensitive property – we believe this program will help build on our legacy as good environmental stewards.”

The Retail Industry Leaders Association – a partner with the Coalition for Responsible Transportation, which assisted the port in the CTP’s development – applauded the announcement. CRT is known for its financing model that helped truckers acquire new vehicles to meet the requirements of the CTPs in the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. RILA partnered with CRT in 2009 to expand efforts to reduce diesel emissions in and around our nation’s ports. “The Port of NY/NJ clean truck program seizes upon the demonstrated commitment of the shipping industry to work collaboratively with the port authorities and the communities to improve air quality without unnecessarily interrupting the flow of commerce,” said Katherine Lugar, RILA executive vice president for public affairs.