News
Our mission is to be responsible stewards of the environment by facilitating the implementation of practical and responsible solutions that reduce port truck pollution without disrupting the flow of commerce.
April 15, 2013
Port of Houston's Test Trucks Handle Like Golf Carts
Houston Chronicle - For decades, the image of the 18-wheeler has been that of a smoke-belching behemoth, the grinding gears and hissing brakes synonymous with the power of the diesel engine. But a 20-truck fleet powered by hydrogen fuel cells will begin rolling across the Port of Houston later this year in a test of whether the vehicles can improve air quality and still provide enough heavy lifting to handle cargo.
In the largest demonstration project of its kind, the electric fleet will unload containers from ships and deliver them to a Wal-Mart warehouse.
April 11, 2013
VPA's Sustainability Programs Earns Gold Medal
The Port of Virginia - The overall environmental and sustainability program that governs all of the cargo terminals owned, leased and operated by the Virginia Port Authority has won a gold medal in this year's Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards.
The VPA's award is for excellence in its sustainability program. The award recognizes organizations or facilities that can document the success of their sustainability program by providing evidence of 1) a culture of environmental sustainability; 2) recent accomplishments related to reducing their environmental footprint; and 3) a commitment to future sustainability-oriented actions.
April 8, 2013
Air Quality Report Shows Improvement in Equipment, Truck Emissions
South Carolina Ports - Newer, cleaner engines and cleaner fuels have helped reduce total pollutants from port equipment and trucks, according to an air emissions inventory commissioned by the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA). The inventory, which measured all port-related emissions in the tri-county region during the year 2011, is a follow-up to the port's first-in-the-region baseline study that quantified 2005 levels.
"Our voluntary air quality commitments include tracking and sharing progress over time," said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SCPA. "More recent efforts, including new international fuel standards as well as efforts by the maritime community mean that our air quality continues to show improvement."
April 8, 2013
Harmonizing Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles Could Boost Global Emissions Savings -- Report
Environmental & Energy Daily - Passenger cars have stolen the spotlight when it comes to getting impressive fuel economy, but heavy-duty vehicles around the world are also trucking toward better fuel efficiency spurred by a new set of standards.
The U.S. government completed its first-ever heavy-duty greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards in 2011. The program, which applies to tractor-trailers, large vans and vocational vehicles such as buses and dump trucks, begins in 2014, with increasing stringency through 2018.
March 7, 2013
2013 Retail Sustainability Report Showcases Retail Sustainability Trends
RILA - The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), has released its second Retail Sustainability Report today in sponsorship with Ernst & Young, an organization that is well recognized for its sustainability leadership. The 2013 report highlights progress towards the industry’s evolving sustainability objectives and identifies a class of top-performing characteristics.
The 2013 Retail Sustainability Report provides a snapshot of activities and trends across RILA’s membership, portraying a detailed view of the industry’s adoption of sustainability programs. Those programs achieve a wide range of benefits from improved customer loyalty to decreased costs to more resilient supply chains. The report’s data was drawn from responses to a survey completed by RILA member companies. The survey’s respondents collectively represent more than 65,000 locations and $1 trillion in global revenue.
March 4, 2013
Zero Emission Technology Coming To Houston
CRT Press Release - The U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded the Houston Galveston Area Council (HGAC) $3.4 million to demonstrate a new zero emission engine technology project for heavy duty trucks that will operate at the Port of Houston. The project represents the largest demonstration of heavy duty hydrogen fuel cell electric hybrid trucks (i.e. trucks that carry containers) to date. This innovative demonstration project was developed through a collaborative process with committed stakeholders that included HGAC, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Vision Industries Corporation, Total Transportation Services, Inc. (TTSI), and Air Products.
March 4, 2013
Gina McCarthy Gets EPA Head Nomination From Obama
Huffington Post - President Barack Obama officially nominated Gina McCarthy to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday. McCarthy, if confirmed, would replace Lisa Jackson, who announced at the end of December that she would be stepping down.
McCarthy previously served as the assistant administrator of the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. The office develops policies and regulations for limiting air pollution and radiation exposure.
Click here to read about Administrator Gina McCarthy's press conference with CRT announcing the launch of the US EPA SmartWay Drayage Partnership
January 24, 2013
RILA Releases Sustainable Product Transportation Brief
RILA - The Retail Industry Leaders Association released a report outlining the breadth of retail strategies used to reduce the environmental impact of product transportation. The two-page white paper was developed from a recent survey of RILA members, and describes how retailers are implementing sustainable transportation programs in their business operations.
A variety of collaborations have developed to help retailers address the environmental impacts of transportation. Working with these organizations provides retailers with additional resources and education. Key partnerships include the Coalition for Responsible Transportation, which works with its private sector members ³in partnership with America's ports to establish clean action plans to develop and implement industry-supported clean truck programs that are both environmentally and economically sustainable.
January 10, 2013
American Shipper: Jaxport Joins CRT to Address Truck Emissions
American Shipper - A group of shippers is partnering with the Port of Jacksonville in a voluntary initiative to reduce air pollution caused by shuttle trucks serving the Florida port and their warehouses.
The Jacksonville Port Authority said Monday it has joined the Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT), representing cargo owners, trucking companies, ocean carriers and partners such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Retail Industry Leaders Association.
The CRT, building on its expertise implementing market-based approaches to emission-reduction in other cities, will help Jaxport this year develop a replacement program for older trucks, Coalition Executive Director James Jack, said in an interview.
October 24, 2012
United States Environmental Protection Agency Honors Coalition for Responsible Transportation Members
CRT Press Release - The Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT) today announced that three of its members, BestBuy, HP and Lowe’s, were honored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as recipients of the 2012 SmartWay Excellence Award.
SmartWay is the U.S. EPA’S flagship program for improving fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution from the transportation supply chain industry. EPA’s SmartWay Excellence Awards recognize high performers that are leading the freight industry to a clean, efficient and more sustainable future. The awards honor SmartWay partners that are helping set efficiency benchmarks for how shippers and their carriers are moving products and goods in the North American freight sector.
September 1, 2012
Shippers Leading Initiative for Cleaner Drayage Trucks
AAPA Seaports Magazine - As members of the maritime community know, it is tough to have a conversation about environmental sustainability at ports these days without the topic of drayage trucks coming up.
Though just one of many sources of diesel pollution at ports, drayage trucks have, in recent years, become a focal point for residents of port communities, environmental groups and regulators.
But, perhaps more importantly, the most intense pressure to move to cleaner, lower-polluting equipment is coming from the shipping industry itself.
August 10, 2012
Coalition for Responsible Transportation Honors TOTE’s Groundbreaking Move to Convert its Ships to Alternative Fuels
CRT Press Release - The Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT) today commended one of its members, Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE), for becoming the first container shipping line to announce that it is converting its ORCA class vessels to use Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as their primary fuel source. The conversion will advance the use of alternative fuels technology in container shipping and accelerate the use of natural gas as a cleaner domestic energy source.
April 17, 2012
Port of Charleston Increases Incentive for Truck Replacement
South Carolina Ports Authority - The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) is encouraging local truck owners to replace their older trucks with newer, cleaner rigs and is doubling the financial incentive for their participation. Eligible truck owners can now get a $10,000 incentive, plus the scrap value of their pre-1994 truck, to use toward the purchase of a 2004 or newer model.
There also will be a mobile office set up at the port's Wando Welch Terminal each week to make it even easier for truckers to learn more about the benefits of upgrading their rigs, such as improved fuel efficiency, lower maintenance costs and decreased air emissions.
Seaport Truck Air Cleanup Southeast, or STACS, is a voluntary truck replacement program launched last fall that provides truck owners who are frequent port users a financial incentive to replace pre-1994 model trucks with 2004 or newer models.
March 19, 2012
Major Retailers Call for Greater Carbon Footprint Transparency from Transport Sector
Carbon Positive - Some of the largest retail companies worldwide are turning the focus of their corporate sustainability responsibilities to the logistics sector of their supply chains.
During a presentation to the Globe 2012 conference, entitled Supply Chains in the 21st Century: Transparency, Standards & Responsible Souring, Bob Willard, author of The Sustainability Advantage told delegates: "Transportation is the 'eye of the storm' as it touches on all things, including the reduction in carbon, risk and managing reputation."
Large corporations such as Walmart are joining industry bodies such as the Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT), an initiative aimed at addressing environmental issues caused by the shipping and trucking industries.
February 21, 2012
Clean Trucks Now Haul All Containers at Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
Port of Los Angeles - Every local short-haul drayage truck calling at America's busiest port now meets the strictest clean air and safety standards of any major port in the world.
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have reached the final milestone of their Clean Truck Program, an unprecedented initiative that has slashed diesel particulate emissions from trucks serving the Port by 89 percent since 2005.
Studies comparing overall emissions for 2010 with those of 2005 show a 92 percent reduction of sulfur oxides, an 89 percent of diesel particulate matter, and a 77 percent reduction of nitrogen oxides – the primary pollutants associated with smog and unhealthy air.
February 20, 2012
Driving Away Dirty Drayage
American Shipper - A growing number of ports, following in the footsteps of Los Angeles and Long Beach, have developed voluntary programs to replace older drayage trucks as part of broader efforts to minimize the impact of their operations on local air quality.
Several port authorities and states have provided incentives, supported with grants from the Environmental Protection Agency, designed to leverage private sector investment in late-‐model trucks.
January 26, 2012
First of its kind report highlights retail sustainability leadership and innovation
RILA - The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has released the first ever industry-wide Retail Sustainability Report today. The 2012 report highlights sustainability leadership in the retail industry and discusses retail’s environmental, social, and community impacts – those impacts within a company’s four walls, in the products they sell, and in the broader communities they touch.
“As one of the leading industries to embrace sustainability, it is becoming a core consideration for the retail industry,” said Adam Siegel, RILA vice president of sustainability and retail operations. “Retailers are working to incorporate sustainability into their strategy, operations, workforce engagement, and connection to consumers and communities."
November 15, 2011
Clean-air Program Offers Cash to Get Old Trucks Off the Road
USA Today - A program implemented this year by South Carolina Ports Authority, in conjunction with the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control and with funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency, makes it feasible for independent operators to scrap old trucks for newer ones that not only produce significantly less toxic emissions but also gets a couple of more miles to the gallon. The EPA's new SmartWay initiative, which provides much of the funding for these programs, focuses on trucks that make short hauls from ports to distribution centers and railheads, because many of them are older and dirtier than most trucks used on long trips.
July 4, 2011
SMARTways
The Journal of Commerce -The Environmental Protection Agency last week announced an important extension of its SmartWay Transport Partnership to include drayage trucking and included in the plan the Coalition for Responsible Transportation and the Environmental Defense Fund. Those groups bring under the SmartWay umbrella big shippers including Lowe’s, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Home Depot, Hewlett-Packard, J.C. Penney and Nike.
Those shippers will commit to using cleaner trucks to haul at least 75 percent of their port freight while trucking companies will agree to reduce particulate matter emissions 50 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions 25 percent below the industry averages over the next three years.
June 28, 2011
Groups Launch National EPA SmartWay Drayage Program
CRT Press Release - The Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the launch of the EPA SmartWay Drayage Program, a new goods movement initiative designed to clean up the air in and around our nation’s ports. The announcement came at a press conference held earlier today at the Port of Charleston, S.C..
The new SmartWay Drayage Program builds a partnership between a numerous goods movement stakeholders including major national retailers, trucking companies, port communities, environmental groups and the U.S. EPA to solve a critical health and environmental challenge: how to reduce harmful air emissions from port drayage trucks.
June 26, 2011
Funding SmartWay a Smart Move
Politico - The Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay program is set to announce a new initiative Tuesday designed to reduce air pollution, improve local and community health and increase sustainability for all the trucks at our nation's ports. This initiative is a significant step forward in addressing emissions from port trucks, which are responsible for as much as one-third of all emissions generated at ports. Since an estimated 87 million Americans live near port areas, this program is expected to help achieve significant public health goals - including reductions in particulate matter and smog-forming pollution.
February 23, 2011
Shipping Industry Leaders Announce Clean Air Partnerships With Top U.S. Ports
CRT Press Release - The Coalition for Responsible Transportation announced today that three of the nation's largest ports - The Georgia Port Authority, the South Carolina State Ports Authority and the Virginia Port Authority - have joined CRT as Charter Port Members. This announcement marks the first time that CRT's membership has expanded to include public sector representatives, and will allow CRT to serve as a forum for ports around the country to collaborate with leading cargo owners, trucking comapnies ocean carriers and CRT's partner organizations including the Environmental Defense Fund and the Retail Industry Leaders Association to identify and implement best practices to reduce port-related diesel emissions.
January 31, 2011
Breathing Easier, Nationally
The Journal of Commerce - There's no dispute that the program a Southern California's Ports has worked remarkably well, achieving initial goals for emissions reduction two years ahead of schedule. Importers that endorsed the effort several years ago are convinced they played an important part of that success The shippers, many of them retailers importing merchandise, defied conventional wisdom in 2007 when they form the Coalition for Responsible Transportation and announced support for the Los Angeles-Long Beach Clean Air Action Plan and its clean-trucks component.
January 31, 2011
Breathing Easier, Nationally
International Maritime - There’s been no shortage of argument and legal battling over the clean-trucks programs at Southern California’s ports, but there’s no dispute that the program has worked remarkably well, achieving initial goals for emissions reductions two years ahead of schedule. Importers that endorsed the effort several years ago are convinced they played an important part in that success.
The shippers, many of them retailers importing merchandise from Asia, defied conventional wisdom in 2007 when they formed the Coalition for Responsible Trans- portation and announced support for the Los Angeles-Long Beach Clean Air Action Plan and its clean-trucks component. The group has since expanded its program to Oakland, Seattle-Tacoma and New York-New Jersey and is looking to broaden the effort.
December 17, 2010
South Carolina Completes Truck Survey
South Carolina State Ports Authority - Continuing its efforts to reduce port-related air emissions, the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) has completed the first truck survey in the Southeast and is collaborating on a regional program aimed at helping truck owners replace the oldest trucks. To reduce emissions and assist truck drivers in replacing their pre-1994 trucks, the SCPA is collaborating with CRT and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on a program that would cover ports across the region.
