Emissions analysis of the Port Drayage Truck Replacement Program and local air quality: The case of the Port of New York and New Jersey

Abstract

This paper quantifies the expected amount of emissions reduction from the Port Drayage Truck Replacement Program (TRP) at the Port of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). The TRP is a voluntary subsidy program to replace old heavy-duty diesel trucks with newer diesel engine-year models that have better fuel economy and lower emissions. Using the Port Authority’s data from their 2019 Port Emission Inventory and monthly Port Truck Pass reports in 2020, this research calculates the on-terminal idling emissions based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model. If all eligible trucks are replaced, annual NOx emissions would be reduced by 12.8 percent (98.5 tons), and PM2.5 by 1.6 percent (5.2 tons). This result underscores the important impact of TRP implementation to local air quality, especially for the near-port residents. It is inferred that the near-port populations include lower income populations with higher asthma rates where nitrogen oxides (NOx) could be reduced below the hazardous level after TRP implementation. Overall, considering the marginal benefits, costs, and time, TRP remains potentially the most affordable and practical interim policy to immediately reduce the local emissions among other alternative fuel options.