By Sean McNally, Senior Reporter This story appears in the Oct. 18 print edition of Transport Topics.
A coalition of industry groups, including American Trucking Associations, touted its own voluntary efforts toward improving environmental sustainability as part of its push toward what it called “responsible” energy policies.
The Consumer Energy Alliance released a report in conjunction with a forum in Washington where member organizations discussed their efforts on sustainability.
According to ATA and the CEA report, eliminating bottlenecks in the 437 most congested urban areas would cut carbon emissions from trucks by 45.2 million tons over the next decade.
CEA President David Holt said the report and forum “provide an opportunity for various business sectors and municipal governments to communicate to their peers, as well as to our nation’s legislative leaders, how they are successfully confronting the energy challenges and opportunities they face.”
“Sustainability is a growing concern nationwide, and the trucking industry is proud of our continuing efforts to reduce fuel consumption and our carbon footprint,” said Rich Moskowitz, ATA vice president and regulatory affairs counsel.
In 2008, ATA endorsed a sustainability plan that included increasing highway capacity, reducing congestion, limiting speeds to 65 miles per hour nationwide, reducing idling and increasing fuel efficiency through the use of technology and increasing truck size limits.
Overall, ATA’s plan would reduce “fuel consumption by 86 billion gallons . . . and reduc[e] the carbon footprint of all vehicles by nearly a billion tons over 10 years.”
In the CEA report, the American Highway Users Alliance endorsed as ways to reduce carbon emissions the Obama administration’s tougher vehicle efficiency rules; programs aimed at turning over the current vehicle fleet in order to get more fuel-efficient cars onto the roads; and improved driver training.
Deutsche Post DHL said the logistics industry “is already responding to increased environmental awareness and consumer demand for greener products.”
Those responses, DHL said, include more efficient placement of distribution centers, shifting to more locally sourced goods and increased use of alternative fuels.
“Our hope,” Holt said, “ is that by showcasing successful sustainability practices, we can advance the congressional dialogue on developing responsible energy policies focused on leveraging responsible management of our domestic energy resources — wind, solar, nuclear, coal, oil and natural gas — to provide a better tomorrow and a stronger future for consumers.”
