US provides $3bn for the Clean Ports Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have today announced the 55 successful applications who will share  $3 billion in Clean Ports Program grants, provided by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

The announcement will be made today when President Joe Biden visits Baltimore, where a bridge collapse killed six construction workers earlier this year.

The grants will improve and electrify port infrastructure at 55 sites nationwide while supporting an estimated 40,000 jobs, reducing pollution and combating the climate crisis. 

The goals of the Clean Ports Program are to: 

• Build a foundation for the port sector to transition over time to fully zero-emissions operations, positioning ports to serve as a catalyst for transformational change across the freight sector.  
• Reduce diesel pollution (including criteria pollutants, GHGs, and air toxics) in near-port communities, especially those with environmental justice concerns. 
• Help ensure that meaningful community engagement and emissions reduction planning become a part of port industry standard practices. 

Applicants were aiming to secure funding opportunities in either the the Climate and Air Quality Planning (CAQP) Competition or the Zero-Emission Technology Deployment (ZE Tech) Competition. The vast majority of the funding has been given to projects in the latter category.

Funding has been provided for a range of purposes, such as supporting the purchase of zero-emission equipment, including over 1,500 units of cargo handling equipment, 1,000 drayage trucks, 10 locomotives, and 20 vessels, as well as shore power systems, battery-electric and hydrogen vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure, and solar power generation.

Most projects also include community engagement and workforce development activities.

Initial estimates of tailpipe reductions from this new equipment are estimated to be over 3m tonnes of CO2, 12,000 tonnes of NOx, and 180 tonnes of PM2.5 in the first 10 years of operation.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said: ‘Our nation’s ports are critical to creating opportunity here in America, offering good-paying jobs, moving goods, and powering our economy. Today’s historic $3 billion investment builds on President Biden’s vision of growing our economy while ensuring America leads in globally competitive solutions of the future. Delivering cleaner technologies and resources to U.S. ports will slash harmful air and climate pollution while protecting people who work in and live nearby ports communities.’

Congressman Kweisi Mfume from Maryland said: ‘The tremendous projects selected for these federal funding awards will improve air quality and combat climate change by dramatically diminishing the Port of Baltimore’s greenhouse gas and toxic pollutant emissions via installation of zero-emission cargo handling equipment and trucks, while also bolstering the Maryland Port Administration’s overall emissions reduction strategy.

‘These extraordinary federal investments into our Port are consistent with our collective duty to preserve the planet – while also continuing to uplift the Port of Baltimore’s workforce and surrounding communities in the transition to a zero-emissions facility. As exemplified by this compelling announcement, the historic Inflation Reduction Act continues to tackle the climate crisis with fierce urgency right here in Baltimore.’