Thanks to a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, combined with $300,000 in existing State funds, the Port of Baltimore will invest $500,000 to continue its popular program to improve air quality by replacing old diesel trucks that are used to haul freight around port facilities with newer, cleaner trucks.  The Port’s Dray Truck Replacement Program provides owners and operators of short-haul dray trucks up to $20,000 to purchase newer, cleaner trucks that meet or exceed 2007 Environmental Protection Agency emission standards. The funding is expected to replace approximately 22 older diesel trucks. To date, the program has helped replace approximately 100 older dray trucks with later and cleaner models, reducing annual air emissions by approximately 108 tons of nitrogen oxides, 29 tons of carbon monoxide, four tons of particulate matter, and four tons of hydrocarbons. “The Dray Truck Replacement Program has proven to be an effective tool at reducing air emissions and cleaning the air at and around the Port of Baltimore,” said Barbara McMahon, the Maryland Port Administration’s manager of safety, environment, and risk management.  “We encourage truck owners to take advantage of this opportunity to purchase a cleaner-running truck.”   The Dray Truck Replacement Program requires scrapping the vehicles to ensure they are taken out of service.  To qualify for the program, trucks must be in working condition and currently serve the Port of Baltimore, with a model year between 1990 and 2003. Applications are prioritized through a set of criteria that includes the age of the truck and the number of trips it takes to and from the Port of Baltimore.