Eco-friendly truck legislation delayed

     AUGUSTA – Rep. Richard Cleary, D-Houlton, filed an appeal recently asking legislative leaders to reconsider their delay on his proposal to offer incentives to operators of environmentally efficient tractor-trailer trucks.  Cleary received word at the end of October that his proposal was one of hundreds that would not be considered during the short 2008 legislative session.
     When legislative leaders met on Oct. 25, they accepted only one quarter of all of the proposed legislation for the 2008 legislative session.  Leaders will reconsider Cleary’s eco-friendly truck bill on Nov. 15, and he will have the opportunity to make a case for the bill to be heard by the Transportation Committee in January.
     Environmentally friendly tractor-trailer trucks are equipped with idle-reduction devices, low rolling resistance tires, aerodynamic equipment and exhaust after-treatment devices. 
     “There is a national trend toward use of these anti-idling units,” said Cleary.  “The problem is that the equipment used to make these trucks more efficient adds hundreds of pounds to the weight of the truck, reducing the truck’s cargo weight.”
     Cleary’s proposal would remove the disincentive for operators to add these tools to their trucks, and give them an additional 400 pounds in cargo weight.
     Appeals hearings are scheduled for Nov. 15 before the 10-member Legislative Council, made up of the Senate President, Speaker of the House, and leaders from both major parties.