SACE | Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Creating a Cleaner Transportation Sector
In 2010, SACE was awarded $5 million from the U.S. EPA to create our "Clean Trucks Make Cents" (CTMC) program. This program funds loans that create the opportunity for truck drivers to purchase or lease pre-2007 tractor-trailer trucks that have been retrofitted with pollution control devices and idling reduction technology. SACE is partnering with Rush Truck Centers to manage CTMC; Rush is the primary vendor of these greener trucks, which are available at their retail locations throughout the Southeast.
17 tons of particulate matter will be avoided, leading to fewer negative health impacts in these affected communities.
Until now, the current costs of technology have made retrofits for existing tractor-trailer trucks prohibitive for many truck owners. SACE’s CTMC program is designed to increase finance options for drivers and small business owners so that they can afford to purchase cleaner, greener trucks. By making this clean technology more widely available, we will dramatically increase the numbers of retrofitted trucks on the road, and reduce toxic emissions from old tractor-trailers.
Through our partnership with Rush Truck Centers and EPA, SACE is creating a model for cleaning up our transportation system and minimizing health impacts related to transportation. Cleaner trucks on the road will emit fewer pollutants into the atmosphere; lessen our dependence on foreign oil; and produce less carbon dioxide, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change while protecting public health at the same time.