The Port of Seattle has scrapped 200 older, higher-emissions trucks since the launch of the Scrappage and Retrofits for Air in Puget Sound (SCRAPS) program.

The program was launched last November with the goal of taking at least 250 container-hauling, or "drayage," trucks with pre-1994 engines off the road.

"Removing 200 of the dirtiest trucks from the road is a big milestone," said Tay Yoshitani, Port of Seattle CEO. "Truck drivers have been able to invest in newer, cleaner trucks - trucks that improve air quality for our neighbors while moving cargo through our gateway to markets across the globe."

Through the program, truckers receive $5,000 or the blue book value of their truck -- whichever is greater -- in return for scrapping their old truck.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency developed the SCRAPS program using grant funding from the Port of Seattle and contracted its implementation to Cascade Sierra Solutions, an Oregon-based non-profit organization. The program was designed to support the goals of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, which aims to lower emissions from all sectors of maritime operations.

The program uses a combination of grant funding from the Port of Seattle, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the Clean Air Agency. Truckers have the option of taking their buy-back money and purchasing a newer truck with loan assistance from Cascade Sierra Solutions, purchasing their replacement truck from a third party, or leaving the drayage trucking industry altogether, as nearly 10 percent of the participants have done.

As of its most recent accounting period last month, the program has spent $910,000 to take pre-1994 trucks off the road.

"Every dirty truck scrapped through this program makes a difference for our air quality, and more importantly, to the health of those who live and work in areas adjacent to the port," said Jim Nolan, interim executive director of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. "The two hundred trucks scrapped to date will remove 2.8 tons of toxic particle pollution from the air each year, and no doubt save lives."