Reducing Air Pollution at
Land Ports of Entry
Juan Carlos Villa
Agenda
 Objective
 Data requirements to Estimate Air Quality at Land
POEs
 Strategies to Reduce Air Emissions from
Transportation
 Air Emission Reduction Best Practices at POEs
 Recommendations for Expanding Best Practices on
North American Borders
Objective
Identify and prioritize best practices implemented in
North America and elsewhere to improve air quality,
transportation flows and border community and
human health
Data Requirements to Estimate Air
Quality at Land POEs
Vehicle emissions measurement is based on two key
elements:
• Vehicle activity in terms of volume of activity per
time or distance,
• Emission factors in terms of mass per time or
distance
Strategies to Reduce Air Emissions
from Transportation
1. Fuel Technologies
Reduce dependence on highly polluting
fossil fuels.
2. Vehicle Technologies
Air emissions associated @ POEs can
be reduced by:
• Reducing the loads (weight, rolling
and air resistance, and accessory)
• Increasing the efficiency
Strategies to Reduce Air Emissions
from Transportation
3. System Optimization/Operational
Efficiency
Operational strategies that change the
way vehicles are used.
4. Smart/Sustainable Growth
Activity reduction refers to direct or
indirect reduction in vehicles miles
traveled
Strategies to Reduce Air Emissions
from Transportation
System Optimization/Operational Efficiency
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
restricting speed
improving driving practices
optimizing routing to reduce backtracking and empty miles
reducing shipment frequency
decentralizing supply chain origins
improving local distribution systems
decreasing non-revenue-producing payload such as excess
packaging
• increasing the use of longer/heavier trucks and longer trains
• increasing the use of double stacked trailers or containers on
trains
Air Emission Reduction Best Practices at POEs
Air Emission Reduction Best Practices at POEs
Vehicle Retrofit: Strategies de Reduce Particulate Matter
at the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo Border Crossing
With funding from the BECC and in coordination with
SEMARNAT’s Transporte Limpio program, TTI analyzed
various truck retrofit technologies to reduce
particulate matter (PM) from drayage trucks at the
U.S./Mexico border.
San Diego-Tijuana Diesel Emissions Reduction
Demonstration Project
EPA funded a scoping study to evaluate the costs and
effectiveness of emission control retrofit technologies
on Mexican heavy-duty diesel vehicles operating in the
San Diego County-Tijuana border region
DOC: Diesel
oxidation catalysts
Air Emission Reduction Best Practices at POEs
SmartWay and Transporte Limpio
SmartWay® Program is public-private initiative,
Transporte Limpio is managed by SEMARNAT
and the SCT.
Washington State and British Columbia Initiatives
to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the
Cascade Gateway, Anti-Idling Program
Reducing idling at the border as well as
supporting the efforts of other international
organizations in reducing congestion and
environmental impacts.
Air Emission Reduction Best Practices at POEs
Port Anti-Idling Program
EPA through the SmartWay initiative
launched the EModal Port Community
System for Drayage. EModal reduces the
amount of time trucks spend waiting in
queues at terminal gates by establishing
terminal appointments
Truck Stop Electrification
Electrified parking spaces, allows truck
drivers to provide power to necessary
systems without idling.
Air Emission Reduction Best Practices at POEs
Border Trusted Traveler Programs
CBP’s improved passenger experience, while
enhancing security and increasing systemwide efficiencies: Global Entry, NEXUS,
SENTRI, FAST
Ecodriving
According to the UN Environmental Program, ecodriving is a
driving style that significantly reduces fuel consumption and thus
emissions. The ‘eco’ in ecodriving refers to a driving style that
takes into consideration ecological and economic benefits, which
significantly reduces fuel consumption and GHG emissions at the
same time.
Recommendations for Expanding Best
Practices on North American Borders
• Work with existing North American transportation
planning groups (e.g., the US-Mexico Joint Working
Committee and the US-Canada Transportation Working
Group) to create an information sharing network of best
practices at land POEs.
• Disseminate and organize seminars of best practices in the
three official languages in North America: English, Spanish,
and French.
• Quantify the contribution of land border air emission
reduction initiatives to inform policy.
• Disseminate land border crossing data through the
network.
Thanks, Gracias
Juan Carlos Villa
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
979-862-3382
Mex. 55-3994-9970
J-villa@tamu.edu