U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) said this week that the Clean Truck Replacement Incentive Program (Clean TRIP) at the Port of New Orleans has received a federal grant for important upgrades.
The $727,000 grant will be used to upgrade the port's aging short-haul trucks.
In June, Vitter wrote to Faye Swift, the Grants and Policy Team Leader of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA), to encourage the EPA to authorize the funds needed to upgrade or replace trucks that contain older technology that spews more emissions than newer vehicles.
The funds will benefit the port’s private contractors, who can buy new vehicles or retrofit current ones so that there are fewer emissions released from diesel-burning short-haul trucks.
“The Port of New Orleans plays a crucial role in our regional and national economy, and as it continues to grow and compete as one of the largest ports in the world, their efforts to both enable economic growth and improve their environmental performance are commendable,” Vitter said. “This grant will allow truck owners to modernize their fleets in order to keep up with the port's thriving economy, while also reducing the industry’s impact on our vulnerable coastal environments.”
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