Insights - September 2016 - 31

Sustainability News California Pushes Sustainable Freight Action Plan California Governor Jerry Brown unveiled a detailed version of the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan, designed to encourage the freight transportation sector to adopt green technologies. The plan outlines goals to promote zero-emissions technology and cleaner air at urban and low-income areas near ports. The plan is being reviewed by the public and stakeholders before projects or funding are advanced. The Governor's action follows closely on an announcement by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti of the appointment of an advisory panel tasked with reducing air pollution from the Port of Los Angeles through the expanded use of zero-emissions technology. The 10-member Sustainable Freight Advisory Board is made up of representatives from industry, environmental groups, labor and air quality agencies. It will advise the port on how to work with manufacturers to develop and deploy cleaner trucks, trains, ships and cargo-handling equipment. NS Adds New Low-Emissions Locomotives Norfolk Southern Railway announced it has added new lowemission locomotives and reduced unnecessary locomotive idling and as part of a five-year goal to improve fuel efficiency. The railroad's sustainability report, "What Efficiency Looks Like," details its efforts to achieve a "healthy balance between its business imperatives as a publicly traded company and its environmental and social commitments." Environmental performance highlights for the company for 2015 included: * Rollout of a new class of lowemission Eco locomotives at rail yards in Atlanta and Chicago; * Introduction of a custom plugin engine-heating system at rail yards that reduces unnecessary locomotive idling in cold weather; and * Adoption of a five-year goal to improve locomotive fuel efficiency, which will contribute to NS' goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. U.S. and Mexico Move Forward on Truck Emissions Reductions By 2020, the Mexican government will require new heavy-duty vehicles to meet Euro VI emissions standards, currently in use by the United States and European Union. Mexico now employs a weaker emissions standard known as Euro IV, which has led to higher ozone concentration levels throughout the country. Prior to that, new heavy-duty trucks will face the Euro V emissions standard, effective July 1, 2018. The industry had pushed for a three- to four-year gap between implementation of Euro V and Euro VI. In the United States, leaders at the American Trucking Associations expressed cautious optimism for the second round of the Obama administration's greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards for commercial trucks and its 10-year phase-in period which they hoped would not be unduly disruptive to fleets and manufacturers. Despite the fact that fuel prices are more than 50 percent lower than in 2008, fuel is still one of the top two operating expenses for most trucking companies, according to Chris Spear, president and CEO of ATA. The trucking industry worked with the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over the past three-anda-half years to ensure fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards took into account the wide diversity of equipment and operations across the trucking sector, Spear added. September 2016 | Intermodal Insights 31 http://www.hendrickson-intl.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Insights - September 2016