The following is the text of a news release from the American Waterways Operators:
(ARLINGTON, Va.) — The American Waterways Operators, a 350-member trade association representing the U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge industry, announced today that it joined the SmartWay Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and stakeholders in the transportation industry that provides a framework to assess and improve environmental and energy efficiency of goods movement within supply chains.
Since 2004, nearly 3,000 partnering organizations have slashed their collective fuel costs by $16.8 billion, reducing foreign oil imports by 120.7 million barrels. This fuel savings has eliminated 51.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, 738,000 tons of oxides of nitrogen and 37,000 tons of particulate matter from the nation’s air emissions. By joining SmartWay, AWO is committing to educate its members about the program’s benefits and encouraging their participation as SmartWay partners.
“This program is a natural fit for AWO and our member companies,” said Tom Allegretti, AWO’s president and CEO. “Water transportation is inherently the nation’s safest and most environmentally-friendly way of moving commerce. More than that, AWO members take great pride in pushing the envelope as environmental leaders, constantly striving to improve upon their strong environmental record and achieve zero harm on the waters on which they operate.”
“We are excited to partner with EPA and look forward to furthering the good work of the SmartWay program,” Allegretti continued.
The American Waterways Operators is the national trade association representing the tugboat, towboat and barge industry which operates along the rivers, coasts, Great Lakes and harbors of the United States. Barge transportation serves the nation as the safest, most environmentally friendly and most economical mode of freight transportation. For more information about AWO, visit www.americanwaterways.com.
