EPA Lauds Private Partners for Improving Fuel Economy, Reducing Greenhouse Gases - Wal-Mart, Office Depot and IBM Among Winners

EPA yesterday recognized 34 businesses and organizations with its 2007 SmartWay Excellence Awards for environmental leadership in reducing fuel consumption and lowering greenhouse-gas emissions from big trucks.

“Recipients of this year’s SmartWay Excellence Awards are showing the financial and environmental values of cutting petroleum use in their transportation operations,” said Marcus Peacock, deputy administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Through their voluntary participation in the SmartWay Transport Partnership, these companies are supporting EPA in moving the nation forward to a healthier and more secure future.”

The second annual SmartWay Excellence Awards were presented during the annual conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals in Philadelphia. This year’s recipients have integrated a broad range of innovative fuel-saving strategies and technologies into their freight and fleet operations, leading to reduced energy consumption and cleaner air. Improvements include installation of auxiliary power units, which eliminate the need to idle an engine all night to heat or cool the cab while a driver sleeps.

Because of three-year commitments to upgrade their trucks with auxiliary power units, energy efficient tires, enhanced trailer aerodynamics, and other improvements, SmartWay partners are saving 600 million gallons of diesel fuel -- a cost benefit of almost $2 billion -- and eliminating nearly seven million metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming.

The SmartWay® Transport Partnership is an innovative collaboration between EPA and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution.

EPA launched SmartWay in 2004 to address the environmental and economic challenges surrounding growth in the freight industry. Through the program, EPA is now working with more than 600 businesses to improve both their bottom line and the environment by offering technical assistance, tools for evaluating opportunities to lower fuel use and emissions, and help in locating financing for the purchase of fuel-saving equipment and technology.