The Environmental Protection Agency will announce the availability of its Smartway Transport Partnership to the entire supply chain at next month's inaugural Greening the Supply Chain Conference, June 9-10 at the Sacramento Convention Center.


The Smartway Transport Partnership is a voluntary partnership between various freight industry sectors and the EPA that establishes incentives for fuel efficiency improvements and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

The announcement will be made by Cheryl Bynum of the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality. Bynum will present opening comments at the inaugural conference, then present material on The Smartway Transport Partnership. By 2012, the Smartway Transport Partnership aims to cut 33 million to 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions per year. The initiative will also result in fuel savings of up to 150 million barrels of oil annually.

The three primary components of the program are creating partnerships, reducing all unnecessary engine idling, and increasing the efficiency and use of rail and intermodal operations.

Partnerships with companies and organizations are the foundation of the program. The EPA welcomes any company or organization that will improve the environmental performance of their freight operations. Key Partners are companies that ship products and the truck and rail companies that deliver these products. Partners commit to measure and improve the efficiency of their freight operations, using EPA-developed tools that quantify the benefits of a number of fuel-saving strategies.

More info: www.epa.gov/smartway/