The Port of Tacoma announced new eligibility criteria to allow more diesel engine trucks to qualify for a voluntary program offering truck owners a financial incentive to purchase newer lower-emissions trucks to improve regional air quality. The broader criteria aim to increase participation and help truck owners meet the Port of Tacoma Clean Truck Program’s 2015 standard.
According to the port, the Tacoma Truck Scrappage and Replacements for Air in Puget Sound (Tacoma ScRAPS) program has scrapped about 40 trucks since opening last fall. The program is operated through a partnership between the City of Tacoma and Cascade Sierra Solutions at a Tacoma Tideflats location.
Based on the revised criteria, the program is now open to truck owners who own a Class 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 truck with a pre-1998 model year engine that operates in Pierce County. Previously, only Class 8 trucks with pre-1994 model year engines operating in the Tacoma area were eligible.
Launched in 2009, the truck program takes a market-based approach to convert the drayage fleet to cleaner trucks and meet goals set by the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy. Currently, trucks serving port terminals are required to have model year 1994 or newer engines. By 2015, 80 percent of trucks serving the port are required to have model year 2007 or newer engines.
Depending on the model year of the trucks scrapped and purchased, owners may qualify for incentives of $2,500 to $20,000 to replace their older trucks. To find out if a truck qualifies, call 253-617-3201 or visiting the Tacoma ScRAPS office at 2002 Stewart St. in Tacoma between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Tacoma ScRAPS program is funded through a $2.5 million federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) grant, with $707,000 in matching funds from the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Air Quality Program.
The CMAQ program, administered jointly by the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, provides about $9 billion in funds to support a variety of transportation-related environmental projects across the nation that improve air quality and relieve congestion.
