EPA grants $5 million to reduce truck idling

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $5 million in grants to decrease truck idling, which includes $3 million allocated to Texas to study idling reduction at truck stops and ports.

The Texas Transportation Institute grant was the largest-ever EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership grant and part of the $5 million grant package the agency announced Oct. 11. The institute, a Texas A&M University system member, will use the funds to study and deploy engine idling reduction technologies at truck stops and ports.

The remaining allocations were:

  • $500,000 to Ohio Department of Development to evaluate the best locations to deploy truck stop electrification in the state of Ohio, as well as to install and study the technology in at least one location.
  • $500,000 to Lane County, Ore. to install and evaluate 250 auxiliary power units along the Interstate 5 corridor, primarily on trucks in Washington, Oregon and California. This project is to help owner-operators and small fleets with no-interest loans to buy APUs.
  • $500,000 for the American Transportation Research Institute to demonstrate and evaluate mobile idle reduction technologies on 100 trucks.