EPA's SmartWay Partnership and Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative to Kick Off Campaign to Cut Air Pollution From Idling Trucks

CHICAGO, Nov. 27, 2007; The following is being issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5:

WHAT: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay Transport Partnership program and EPA Region 5's Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative will launch their "Idle Free Quiet Zone Campaign" at a media event Nov. 28 in Detroit. The campaign is designed to promote emission reductions by reducing truck idling and to save energy wasted during idling. EPA will be joined at the event by representatives of Natural Resource Canada's ECOenergy for Fleets program, which originally developed the FleetSmart "Idle Free Quiet Zone Campaign" and launched it in Canada in 2001. Representatives of the two programs signed a memorandum of understanding two years ago to promote reductions in truck idling, which is a significant problem at truck stops in both countries. EPA will also recognize a few of its SmartWay partners from both countries.

WHO: EPA Region 5 Air and Radiation Division Deputy Director Cheryl Newton, Natural Resources Canada ECOenergy for Fleets Program Manager Bob Smith, Lisa Goldstein from Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision and trucking industry representatives from the United States and Canada.

WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Main Conference Room, Renaissance Global Logistics, 4335 W. Fort St., Detroit, Mich.

Information about EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership Program is at http://www.epa.gov/smartway. Information about EPA Region 5's Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative is at http://www.epa.gov/midwestcleandiesel/.