Radiation | YPGG - Why Green?

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is honoring 40 truck carriers as industry leaders in supply chain environmental and energy efficiency with its annual SmartWay Excellence Awards at the 2018 American Trucking Associations Annual Management Conference & Exhibition in Austin, Texas. Awardees represent the top performing, environmentally-responsible SmartWay carriers that move more goods more miles with lower emissions and less energy. Today’s awardees demonstrate how businesses in this crucial economic sector can save on fuel costs, shrink their emissions footprints and contribute to healthier air in the communities they serve.

“Today, EPA is honoring top-performing SmartWay Carrier Partners with this year’s 2018 SmartWay Excellence Award for their leadership in moving more goods with less fuel,” said EPA Office of Air and Radiation Assistant Administrator Bill Wehrum. “These companies inspire others in the freight sector to invest in innovative technologies and business practices that save fuel, cut costs and protect the environment.”

The 2018 SmartWay Freight Carrier Excellence Award recipients are:

ABF Freight System, Inc.

Arlo G Lott Trucking Inc

C.A.T. Inc.

C.R. England, Inc.

Cliff Viessman, Inc.

Contract Transportation Systems, Co. (Sherwin Williams)

CRST Dedicated Services, Inc.

CRST Expedited, Inc.

Doug Andrus Distributing LLC

Duncan and Son Lines, Inc.

Eagle Transport Corporation

Grammer Industries, Inc.

Halvor Lines, Inc.

Hirschbach Motor Lines

Hub Group

J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.

K & S Carriers, LLC

Knight Transportation, Inc.

Logistics Trans West Inc. - Logistiques Trans West Inc.

Meijer Logistics LLC

Navajo Express, Inc.

New World Van Lines

NFI Industries

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.

Owens & Minor Distributing, Inc.

Palmer Moving and Storage

Penske Logistics, LLC

Raven Transport

Saia Motor Freight Line, LLC

Schilli Corporation

Schneider

Sheehy Mail Contractors, Inc.

Southeast Transportation Systems, Inc.

Swift Transportation Co. of Arizona, LLC

Thompson Emergency Freight Systems

Truline Corporation

UPS Small Package

Werner Enterprises

White Arrow LLC

Woody Bogler Trucking Company

Background

EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership is a market-driven initiative that empowers businesses to move goods in the cleanest, most energy-efficient way possible to protect public health and reduce emissions. Demonstrating a commitment to environmental responsibility and freight efficiency through SmartWay provides for a more sustainable and competitive business environment.

Since 2004, SmartWay Partners have avoided emitting more than 103 million metric tons of harmful air pollution, while saving more than 215 million barrels of oil and $29.7 billion in fuel costs – equivalent to eliminating annual energy use in over 14 million homes. SmartWay partners also help protect clean and healthy air by significantly reducing pollution that contributes to smog, including fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides.

For more information about SmartWay Excellence Awards, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/smartway/smartway-excellence-awardees

For more information about SmartWay, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/smartway

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formally withdrew the proposed rulemaking for uranium and thorium mill tailings from January 19, 2017.

“In a rush to regulate during the waning hours of the previous administration, the Agency proposed a regulation that would have imposed significant burdens on uranium miners and the communities they support,” said Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Today’s action is an important step in rebalancing EPA’s role with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s with respect to protecting public health and the environment alongside supporting modern methods of uranium extraction.”

“Today’s announcement is the right decision,” said Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso. “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission – our nation’s principal nuclear regulator – has said there is no health or safety justification for EPA’s midnight rule. The NRC has regulated in situ uranium recovery for nearly 40 years. The agency has never found an instance of ground water contamination that would be addressed by this rule. I’m glad the Environmental Protection Agency has acknowledged this reality. I applaud it for withdrawing this punishing and unnecessary regulation on America’s uranium producers.”

The proposal – issued just hours before President Trump took office – raised serious concerns from federal partners including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and stakeholders about the Agency’s legal authority under the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978.

Today’s action underscores that EPA believes existing regulatory structures are sufficient at this time to ensure the protection of human health and the environment at current uranium in-situ recovery (ISR) activities.

In addition to questions about legal authority and EPA's belief that regulatory structures already in place are sufficiently protective under current conditions, EPA is withdrawing the proposed regulation because the once anticipated influx of new ISR license applications is not likely to materialize.

Today’s withdrawal has no impact on EPA’s regulation of radiation. To review a pre-publication version, click here.