Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/15908
APU fi nancial incentives Leased operators may fi nd their fl eets offer similar incentives, and APU manufacturers such as Cummins and Thermo King, among others, often provide affordable fi nancing programs. SmartWay Transport Partnership: grants, low-interest loans This public-private collaboration aimed at increasing trans- portation effi ciency is led by the U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency, which disperses federal money to many state-run programs. The partnership’s main site is a good resource for information about grants and low-interest loans. At the SmartWay Finance Center website (www.SmartWay- FinanceCenter.com), you can fi ll out a single application for loan or lease funding for a SmartWay-certifi ed APU that will go to all participating private lenders and lease companies. www.epa.gov/smartway, (734) 214-4767 Assistance Program offers a low-interest loan program to small state-based businesses investing in any pollution-reduction/ waste-control program, including idle reduction technology. Primary contact: Liz Rusk, (501) 682-0709 Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Business Assistance Program, www.adeq.state.ar.us/poa/businessasst.htm, (888) 233-0326 California: grants, low-interest loans California-based owner-operators selecting an APU may qualify for grant assistance through the Carl Moyer Pro- gram of fi nancial incentives if they choose one of certain zero-emissions options, such as battery-powered devices. The grants are administered through local air quality districts. Cali- fornia’s small-business loan program may also be a good source of low-interest funding. The California Air Resources Board operates a one-stop hotline for truck-related information at the number below. California Air Resources Board, www.arb.ca.gov (click “the Truck Stop” on the left), (866) 634-3735 Maine: low-interest loans ■■■■ States offering grants, rebates or low-interest loans. A Cascade Sierra Solutions initiative provides rebates from $100 to $1,000 to puchasers of SmartWay-certified APUs who are based in these New England states. Cascade Sierra Solutions: loans, rebates Oregon-headquartered Cascade Sierra Solutions began with a focus on providing owner-operators in Washington, Oregon and California (or operating along the I-5 corridor) with information about idle-reduction and other effi ciency-boosting technologies. From the CSS website, or working with a repre- sentative at one of its four locations at truck stops along I-5, you can apply for a U.S. Small Business Administration loan or obtain information on regional programs. CSS is launching a 20 percent rebate program for owner- operators nationwide who purchase shorepower-capable APUs under the Shorepower Truckstop Electrifi cation Project. You can become a CSS fl eet member for $25 a year. The member- ship fee “helps pay for our communications network and for our people to keep getting out there and fi nding these grants,” says CEO Sharon Banks. www.cascadesierrasolutions.org, (866) 345-3390 Arkansas: low-interest loans The state Department of Environmental Quality’s Business 50 OVERDRIVE SEPTEMBER 2010 The Effi ciency Maine program offers low-interest loans for up to $35,000 investment in effi ciency-boosting equipment to Maine-based small businesses – the current interest rate is 1 percent. (See also Cascade Sierra Solutions’ “Great SmartWay Rebate Program.”) Effi ciency Maine, www.effi ciencymaine.com, click “For Small Business” under “At Work,” (866) 376-2463 Massachusetts: loans Microfi nance institution Accion offers loans to small businesses in Massachusetts (see also New York) for investing in effi ciency- boosting equipment like APUs. Interest rates of 8.99 percent are available for loans of up to fi ve years. Accion USA, www.accionusa.org, click “Small Business Loans & Resources,” (866) 245-0783 Minnesota: low-interest loans The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, through its Small Business APU Loan Program partly funded by the Midwest Clean Diesel initiative of the EPA, offers low-interest loans to state-based owner-operators and small fl eets. Primary contact: Mike Nelson, (800) 985-4247, michael.nelson@state.mn.us Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, www.pca.state.mn.us, search “Small Business Assistance,” (800) 657-3864 New York: loans See Massachusetts. Accion USA also offers its loans to New York small business haulers. (Continued on Page 61)