South Carolina Port Sets Truck Replacement Program

A truck replacement program designed to cut diesel emissions has been included as part of a legal settlement between the South Carolina State Ports Authority and an environmental group over expansion at the Port of Charleston.

Under the terms of its agreement announced earlier this month with South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, the Ports Authority must create a voluntary program that will replace 85% of the pre-1994 trucks that enter the port by January 2014.

Studies by the Ports Authority show that 2,500 different trucks regularly come in and out of the port, said spokesman Byron Miller.

The settlement ended a four-year legal battle in the U.S. District Court of South Carolina over port expansion that included a new terminal and a dedicated truck route in and out of the port.