A new program will help put Manitoba transportation companies on the path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Ron Lemieux and Science, Technology, Energy and Mines Minister Jim Rondeau announced today.
The new program is being supported with $500,000 in provincial funding.
“Trucking in our province is a major driver of our economy and this new ‘GrEEEn’ program will be a triple win, offering incentives to those who are more efficient, improving our environment and benefiting the economy as a whole,” said Lemieux. “Trucking companies that take advantage of this program will notice a positive impact on their bottom line and should feel proud that they are doing something more to preserve our environment.”
“Every step we take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is a step in the right direction,” said Rondeau. “This new program is also a flexible way for Manitoba’s trucking industry to combine new technologies that enhance their efficiently and reduce emissions.”
Under the new program, the provincial government will provide incentives to Manitoba trucking companies to upgrade their fleet in environmentally friendly ways. Companies that take advantage of the program will be eligible for rebates of up to 25 per cent, to a maximum of $2,500 per tractor or trailer. Eligible upgrades include aerodynamics for tractor and trailer units, low-rolling resistance tires and anti-idling technologies.
“A more energy-efficient trucking industry is more competitive, so this new program will help us attain that objective,” said Bob Dolyniuk of the Manitoba Trucking Association. “In addition, the goals of the program also support employment growth and contribute to the viability of our industry.”
Objectives of the GrEEEn Trucking program include:
• promoting technology and innovation as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation industry,
• helping the private sector to implement greenhouse gas emission reduction technologies, and
• supporting job growth and contributing to a healthy provincial economy.
“We developed this program in consultation with the Manitoba Trucking Association and I’m proud to say that many trucking companies in the province have already taken it upon themselves to implement ways in which they can green their fleet. This program will encourage them to continue moving in that direction,” said Lemieux.
The GrEEEn Trucking program is one of 60 specific actions designed to reduce greenhouse gases that is included in Beyond Kyoto, Manitoba’s updated climate change action plan. The plan helps support the Climate Change and Emissions Reductions Act, which was passed in June 2008.
For more information on this program visit www.gov.mb.ca/mit.
