Move Is On to Help Truck-Stops Go Green
from Weekend Edition - Sunday, Sunday , December 19, 2004
A new technology could reduce air pollution from diesel trucks and save fuel. Truck-stop electrification allows resting drivers to power their rigs without keeping the engines running. Environmental officials estimate that idling diesel trucks generate thousands of tons of nitrous oxide pollution each year. Rusty Jacobs of member station WUNC reports.
http://www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfId=4235397My jaw dropped when I heard this story. NPR should have stated a disclaimer when the ran this story: "Newt Gingrich -- the many who tried to destroy us and succeeded by turning us into a cheerleader for consumption -- has a direct financial interest in the success of one of the companies who benefit from the following advertisement."
A new company, IdleAire, has installed special equipment at two locations: the Hunt's Point produce market in New York City and at a rest area on the New York Thruway. A heating and cooling device is hung from an overhead gantry and inserted into a truck's window. Electrical and phone hookups are also available. The installation avoids trench digging but takes space, and the overhead gantries are supported by vertical columns that can be obstacles to big-rig maneuvering. IdleAire reportedly has former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as a spokesman, which may lead to political {and media} support for its concept.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Newt+Gingrich+truck-stop+electrification&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8