Biden-Harris administration awards $3 billion in Clean Ports grant

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has directed a $3 billion grant to fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure as well as climate and air quality planning for US ports.

These grants were made possible under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

The EPA announced the selection of 55 applicants across 27 states and territories to receive nearly $3 billion through EPA’s Clean Ports Program. These grants will support the deployment of zero-emission equipment and infrastructure and climate and air quality planning projects at ports across the country.

The grants are funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act – the largest reported investment in combating climate change and promoting clean energy in history – and aim to advance environmental justice by reducing diesel air pollution from US ports and surrounding communities.

According to the EPA, the latest funds will improve air quality at ports across the country by installing clean, zero-emission freight and ferry technologies along with associated infrastructure, eliminating more than 3 million metric tonnes of carbon pollution, equivalent to 391,220 homes’ energy use for one year.

“In the US, 39 million people live within three miles of a port,” said Fern Uennatornwaranggoon, Climate Campaign Ports Director at Pacific Environment.

“Frontline and fenceline communities continue to pay the price for fossil fuels with their health and it’s long past time to address pollution at the ports. We congratulate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on providing funding to clean up shipping and port operations.

“We look forward to being a resource for the ports in their path to decarbonisation and moving ports to a zero-emission future by 2030.”

“We thank the Biden-Harris administration for providing this much-needed funding under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022,” added Antonio Santos, Federal Climate Policy Director at Pacific Environment.

“Investing in these port projects is a welcome step, but these efforts are still just a drop in the bucket for what’s needed to fully decarbonise the US maritime sector. Stronger regulatory policies and additional funding at the federal level are crucial to moving the industry toward a zero-emissions future in line with holding the 1.5 degree Celsius goal in the Paris Agreement.”

Earlier this year, the Biden Administration announced that it would issue an Executive Order to improve port cybersecurity in the US.