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Southeast Diesel Collaborative Leadership Award Winners Announced

Release Date: 09/17/2013
Contact Information: Dawn Harris Young, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main), harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

ATLANTA – Today at the Southeast Diesel Collaborative (SEDC) 8^th Annual Partners Meeting in Atlanta, GA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 Acting Deputy Regional Administrator Beverly Banister and Office of Transportation and Air Quality Deputy Division Director Jim Blubaugh, on behalf of the SEDC, presented the SEDC Leadership Awards to the 2012 winners. The awardees are:

Saddle Creek Logistics Services, Lakeland, Florida - SEDC Industry Leadership Award for

· Purchasing 40 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks in 2011 and an additional 62 CNG trucks by the end of 2013, which represents an investment of $17 million in a cleaner fueled fleet,
· Positioning the entire company owned fleet of 300 trucks to be operating on CNG by 2014,
· Reducing fuel use by limiting truck speeds to 65 miles per hour, implementing idle reduction measures, optimizing performance through satellite monitoring, using tire auto-air inflation systems, adding trailer skirts to improve tractor aerodynamics, improving truck utilization, and continuous driver training.

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) - SEDC Community Leadership Award for

· Installing 24 electric rubber tire gantry cranes with plans to have all 169 GPA cranes electrified by 2022, to make GPA the first North American port to introduce this cleaner and more efficient technology,
· Installing automatic equipment stop/start units on 11 legacy switch locomotives,
· Reducing truck congestion and improving efficiency by installing an automated gate system and extending gate hours,
· Reducing fuel use by 290,860 gallons and 3,347 tons of harmful air emission annually by these efforts.

The Mecklenburg County, NC GRADE Program - SEDC Visionary Champion Leadership Award for

· Successfully completing 176 retrofit and replacement projects during the five years since GRADE was launched in 2007 with an initial $500,000 investment by the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners,
· Leveraging $2 million for projects, including U.S. EPA and Department of Transportation funding, to replace or retrofit construction, mining, forestry and airport equipment,
· Implementing the first airline rebate program in the US, reducing over 349 tons of nitrogen oxides from 66 pieces of ground support equipment at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

The efforts by Saddle Creek Logistics Services, the Georgia Ports Authority, and the Mecklenburg County, NC GRADE Program demonstrated exemplary leadership in the use of latest clean diesel technologies, and serve as a role model for others to follow in effective collaboration and partnership to reduce diesel emissions.

This is the fifth year the SEDC Leadership Council has presented the Leadership Awards to recognize exemplary projects in emissions reductions in EPA Region 4. Nominated parties are judged on their effectiveness in meeting the SEDC’s goal to reduce emissions from existing diesel engines and the work done in several sectors to reduce these emissions. Previous years’ winners include United Parcel Service, Coca Cola Enterprises, Ingram Barge Company, Staples, North Carolina Solar Center, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Miami-Dade County, Florida Government, Alabama Department of Transportation, and Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition.

Organized in early 2006 by EPA Region 4, the Southeast Diesel Collaborative has enjoyed unprecedented success in bringing together leaders from federal, state and local governments, organizations, industry and academia to reduce diesel engine emissions across the eight southeastern states. Focused on promoting energy independence, a cleaner environment and growing, sustainable economies, this partnership offers wide ranging health and economic benefits to the public fleet, freight and non-road sectors.

The Southeast Diesel Collaborative is part of EPA’s National Clean Diesel Campaign, a program combining regulatory measures with voluntary initiatives to reduce the pollution emitted from diesel engines across the country. Visit the Southeast Diesel Collaborative website at: www.southeastdiesel.org.

Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4

And on Twitter: @USEPASoutheast