http://www.cleanenergy.org/creating-a-cleaner-transportation-sector/

SACE | Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

Creating a Cleaner Transportation Sector

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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.

New federal emissions standards for diesel
engines were established in 2007, but do

not apply to existing "legacy" engines built before the rules were created.Due to their durability and long life, pre-2007 diesel engines are likely to continue to spew toxic emissions across the region for many years to come – until 2036 or later – unless retrofitted. We estimate that through CTMC we will retrofit 800 trucks between now and 2014, reducing the emissionsfrom each truck up to 90 percent and saving more than 11 million gallons of diesel fuel.
The transportation sector accounted for 27 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 2008. Diesel exhaust contains particulate matter, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and more than 40 chemicals that are classified as “hazardous air pollutants” under the Clean Air Act. In the Southeast, more than 16 million people live in approximately 62 counties that do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for eight-hour ozone. Most of these counties contain major transportation corridors where retrofitted trucks purchased or leased through CTMC will operate. During each year of the program, CTMC will prevent the emission of 8,758 tons of carbon dioxide; NOx emissions will be reduced by 184 tons; and
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.