EPA seeks data verification for SmartWay

   While the Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector General Arthur Elkins said the agency is pleased with the results of SmartWay, its voluntary fuel economy and sustainability program, it’s seeking ways to validate and verify the carrier-provided data.
   The EPA needs to independently review the self-reported information from the 2,900 carriers currently in the program, so it can base future efforts on data that is reported and structured both correctly and uniformly.
   The agency is currently putting a verification system in place.
   Smartway was started in 2004 and has saved participating carriers more than 50 million barrels of oil so far by encouraging them to use of fuel-saving technologies and strategies. Elkins credited Smartway with speeding up the development and introduction of further fuel-savings technologies.
   The agency plans to publish “best practices” guidance on the SmartWay Website by the end of August 2013.