Waynes World - September 2008
"SMARTWAY" PROGRAM LOOKS TO
REDUCE GREENHOUSE GASES, AND...
CALIFORNIA GLOBAL WARMING
SOLUTIONS ACT OF 2006
by Wayne Schooling
In today’s economy, everyone has heard of fuel surcharges, but have you ever heard of a Clean Air Surcharge? Well, it just might be in the future. Yes, global warming has come to California truckers (and any truckers coming into the state). The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has proposed a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gases from heavy duty vehicles, which is based on the EPA’s SmartWay Program. This proposed regulation will require the use of SmartWay technologies on all Class-8 trucks and equipment pulling 53-foot long box-type trailers operating in California.
Now you say, “How can they enforce this?” The answer is simple. CARB is proposing that all California warehouse shippers and receivers be part of their enforcement strategies. All of the distribution centers in California would be subject to this rule if they receive or load the specified equipment, and these warehouses will be subject to the largest penalties from CARB if they don’t comply. Now I can hear all of you saying, “Fuel is high enough, and now they are going to make me buy more stuff for my truck. What’s next?” Well, what if I told you that this program just might lower the cost of fuel for everyone, and at the same time, save you money. In fact, I can show you just how much money you can save before you buy anything. You could possibly save as much as $13,000 a year.
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez from Los Angeles started this bill (known as AB 32) back in 2005 and it was passed in August of 2006. Governor Schwarzenegger signed the bill in September of 2006. The reasoning behind this bill is California’s massive and growing economy. Would you believe that the state of California is the 12th largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world (yes, the world), despite leading the nation in energy efficiency standards and protecting the environment? Now don’t get me wrong, I like clean air as much as anyone, but I have to wonder why everyone keeps picking on the people in the transportation industry who are using the only thing available to them to make a living. Wouldn’t it make more sense for the governments of the world to offer manufacturers some incentive to develop a stronger, cleaner, non-polluting, more efficient engine? Then, and only then, would everyone benefit.
AB 32 requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to:
• Establish a statewide greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions cap for 2020, based on 1990 emissions, by January 1, 2008;
• Adopt mandatory reporting rules for significant sources of GHG by January 1, 2008;
• Adopt a plan by January 1, 2009 indicating how emission reductions will be achieved from significant GHG sources via regulations, market mechanisms and other actions;
• Adopt regulations by January 1, 2011 to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in GHG, including provisions for using both market mechanisms and alternative compliance mechanisms;
• Form an Environmental Advisory Committee and an Economic and Technology Advancement Advisory Committee to advise CARB;
• Ensure public notice and opportunity for comment for all CARB actions;
• Prior to imposing any mandates or authorizing market mechanisms, CARB must evaluate many factors, including but not limited to impacts on the economy, the environment and public health.
If everything goes as planned, this initiative could result in fuel savings of up to 150 million barrels of oil annually. That's not too shabby. Since this bill is based on the EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, and many of you might not know exactly what that is, I thought I would take a little space here to inform you about this program. But first, let’s look at the pollution caused by the transportation industry, which is what triggered this program in the first place.
Ground freight transportation, as most of you know, is the movement of goods with trucks and rail, which has formed a solid foundation for America’s economic prosperity and competitive advantage. The U.S. uses nearly 7 million trucks and 20,000 Class-1 locomotives to transport over 9 billion tons of goods each and every year. But these benefits are not without costs.
Moving freight accounts for 20% of all energy consumed in the transportation sector. Trucks carry about 66% of all freight shipped in the United States, while rail carries about 16% (pipelines and air transport account for the rest). Together, truck and rail transport now consume over 35 billion gallons of diesel each year.
While burning fuel is necessary to move goods efficiently by truck and rail, some of that fuel is wasted due to inefficient practices such as excessive idling and using trucks with poor aerodynamic design. That wasted fuel translates into wasted money for freight companies and increased emissions into the environment.
Burning this fuel produces carbon dioxide, the most prevalent of all greenhouse gases. These gases create a “blanket” that prevents ultraviolet rays from leaving the earth, thusly warming the planet. What the transportation industry must do is reduce the 35 billion gallons of diesel fuel it burns per year, which produces over 350 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a voluntary partnership of various freight industry sectors and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that has established incentives for fuel efficiency improvements and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The SmartWay program is working with states, banks and several other organizations to develop innovative financing options that help in the purchasing of these fuel and emission-saving devices. There is even a Package Savings Calculator on their website that can show you how much money you can save by utilizing SmartWay approved technologies. For more information about the SmartWay program, visit their website at www.epa.gov/otaq/smartway or NTA’s site at www.ntassoc.com. Both of these websites are informative and worth a visit.
~ NTA remains a name you can trust. Our website (www.ntassoc.com) is your official U.S. DOT Internet Training Site and we are administrators of a Nationally Accredited Drug and Alcohol Program. If you have any questions, call me at (562) 279-0557 or send me an e-mail to wayne@ntassoc.com. Until next month, “Drive Safe – Drive Smart!”