{"id":15987,"date":"2017-03-02T16:46:03","date_gmt":"2017-03-02T21:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=15987"},"modified":"2017-03-02T16:46:03","modified_gmt":"2017-03-02T21:46:03","slug":"epa-smartway-and-clean-truck-standards-save-u-s-businesses-millions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/03\/02\/epa-smartway-and-clean-truck-standards-save-u-s-businesses-millions\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA SmartWay and Clean Truck Standards Save U.S. Businesses Millions"},"content":{"rendered":"

(This post originally appeared on EDF+Business<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/strong>American businesses benefit tremendously from the robust voluntary and regulatory programs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These programs are now under threat of massive budget cuts and regulatory rollbacks. \u00a0In the coming weeks and months, the experts at EDF+Business will examine what a weakened EPA means for business.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s safe to say that the EPA isn\u2019t having the best week. Whether it was new administrator Scott Pruitt vowing to slash climate and water protections<\/a> at CPAC or this week\u2019s reveal that President Trump wants to slash a reported 24 percent of its budget<\/a>, the EPA has taken a beating recently. However, what may not be as obvious is that slashing EPA\u2019s budget and reducing funding to key programs actually hurts businesses that have greatly benefitted from EPA programs.<\/p>\n

A key example of how the EPA bolsters business is freight. In the freight world, the EPA has done a lot for companies\u2019 bottom lines while protecting human health and that of the planet. Companies seeking to reduce freight costs and achieve sustainability goals across supply chains receive immense value from the EPA. \u00a0Two key programs that provide this value are the U.S. EPA SmartWay program and the Heavy-Duty Truck Greenhouse Gas Program.<\/p>\n

A compelling value proposition for business<\/strong><\/h4>\n

SmartWay was created in 2004 as a key part of the Bush Administration\u2019s<\/a> approach to addressing clean energy and climate change. The program has grown from fifteen companies at its start to nearly 4,000 companies today<\/a>. The program attracts strong private sector participation because it offers a clear and compelling value proposition: freight shippers gain access to information that enables them to differentiate between freight carriers on emissions performance.<\/p>\n

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This saves shippers money and cuts carbon emissions. Freight carriers participate in the program to gain access to large shippers, such as Apple, Colgate-Palmolive and Target.<\/p>\n

The EPA SmartWay program is not only a popular program that is delivering billions of dollars of annual savings to the U.S. economy, it is also a core strategy for companies to reduce their freight emissions. The agency has calculated<\/a> that since 2004, SmartWay partners have saved:<\/p>\n