A new voluntary program in the Tacoma Tideflats offers truck owners a financial incentive to purchase newer, lower-emission trucks to improve regional air quality and meet the standards of the Port of Tacoma’s Clean Truck Program.

The Tacoma Truck Scrappage and Replacements for Air in Puget Sound (Tacoma ScRAPS) program targets heavy-duty trucks with pre-1994 model year engines that operate in the Tacoma area. The program is operated through a partnership between the City of Tacoma and Cascade Sierra Solutions.

Eligible truck owners receive a $30,000 incentive when they scrap their pre-1994 truck and purchase one with a model year 2007 or newer engine. Truck owners who scrap a pre-1994 truck and purchase one with model year 1994 to 2006 engines will receive a $5,000 incentive.

Truck owners interested in learning if they qualify for the program should call (253) 617-3201 or visit the Tacoma ScRAPS office at 2002 Stewart St. in Tacoma between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The City of Tacoma and Cascade Sierra Solutions will give an overview of the program at the Port of Tacoma Commission meeting Nov. 3 at noon in Room 104 of The Fabulich Center, 3600 Port of Tacoma Rd. The meeting will also be available live and on demand from the Port’s Web site at http://www.portoftacoma.com/webstreaming .

The Tacoma ScRAPS program is funded through a $2.5 million federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) grant, with $400,000 in matching funds from the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Air Quality Program.

The CMAQ program, administered jointly by the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, provides about $9 billion in funds to support a variety of transportation-related environmental projects across the nation that improve air quality and relieve congestion.

The Tacoma ScRAPS program supports the Port of Tacoma’s Clean Truck Program. Launched in 2009, the truck program takes a market-based approach to convert the drayage fleet to cleaner trucks and meet goals set by the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy.

Currently, trucks serving Port of Tacoma terminals are required to have model year 1994 or newer engines. By 2015, 80 percent of trucks serving the Port are required to have model year 2007 or newer engines. Model years 1994 and 2007 marked new air emission standards for trucks by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Learn more about the Port’s truck program online at http://www.portoftacoma.com/truck-program .