Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced Tuesday that it has become an affiliate partner in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay Program that aims to make the freight transportation industry cleaner and more efficient.
Businesses including trucking companies, dealers, rail carriers, logistics companies, commercial manufacturers and shippers will be eligible to join the program, which will benefit from cooperation between the private sector, the DEP and the EPA.
“Our partnership with the private sector is vital to the success of the SmartWay program,” Commissioner Patricia Aho said. “We are fortunate that the transportation community is volunteering to work with us in an effort to find successful strategies that will help their industry, Maine’s economy and protect our environment.”
Nationally, the program has been underway since 2004 and has saved over 120.7 million barrels of oil and $16.8 billion dollars in fuel costs. Businesses in Maine that enroll in the program will receive information about technologies like aerodynamics; idle reduction; and transportation, energy and environmental benchmarking tools that will allow them to go green and be more cost-effective.
“We are proud to be a part of the trucking industry’s ongoing commitment to sustainability through the SmartWay partnership,” Maine Motor Transport Association CEO and President Brian Parke said. “The work done by SmartWay and its carrier, shipper and affiliate members has proven effective to find ways to reduce carbon emissions and save fuel using the proven techniques endorsed by the program.”
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