The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting nominations for its first annual SmartWay Excellence Awards for companies and organizations who made significant contributions to protecting the environment through innovations in transportation.

The awards are open to any SmartWay partner to recognize efforts to increase energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in the freight industry.

Presentation of the awards will occur in late October at the American Trucking Association annual conference in Dallas, Texas and the National Association of Environmental Managers in Savannah, Ga.

By 2012, EPA’s Smartway partnership aims to reduce 33 million to 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions annually. Partners include truck carriers, freight shippers and rail carriers, among others.

For more information, visit the SmartWay Excellence Awards webpage.

2/17/2006