$3 billion announced to decarbonize American ports from new EPA grant program

Today, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) congratulates the ports awarded 55 grants across 27 states and territories from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Ports Program.

These funds will support 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.

“From the earliest stages of legislative development in Congress, America’s ports have been ecstatic about and committed to the vision of implementing a novel grant program for the port industry that will complement and strengthen existing plans to diversify how we power our ports,” stated Cary S. Davis, AAPA President and CEO. “These grant funding awards will usher in a cleaner and more resilient future for our ports and national transportation system. We thank our champions in Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration for committing to us and we look forward to working closely with our Federal Government partners to get these funds quickly deployed and put to work.”

“Our nation’s ports are critical to creating opportunity here in America, offering good-paying jobs, moving goods, and powering our economy,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “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.”

Now that these awards are announced, AAPA will continue working with EPA to ensure an efficient grant obligation process. Finally, through the implementation of cutting-edge projects, ports will once again show the Federal Government, the transportation industry, and port communities that a dollar invested in ports is a dollar well spent.

As the funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) comes to a close, the 55 Clean Ports Program awards will speak for themselves through emissions mitigated and technological progress. These awards will demonstrate to Congress that the Clean Ports Program should become permanent with annual appropriations.

Background info:

AAPA lobbied EPA extensively on behalf of the port industry from the earliest stages of program design to awards:

• Most recently, AAPA publicly commented in favor of EPA’s waiver from Build America, Buy America rules so port staff and grant writers had the time necessary to submit their best possible applications for the competitive grant;

• AAPA also worked with the bipartisan PORTS Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Randy Weber (R-Texas) to send a letter to EPA urging that funding be reserved primarily for maritime ports over rail and truck depots;

• At the beginning of February, AAPA led five other organizations in a letter to EPA stressing that “dry ports” should not be eligible for Clean Ports Program funding based on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) definition which “clearly differentiate 'ports' from 'truck/rail intermodal connectors.'” AAPA is grateful to EPA for implementing a cap so only 8% of funds can go to "dry ports";

• In November 2023, AAPA sent an initial letter emphasizing the fact that truck/rail intermodal connectors are already eligible for $30 billion in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the IRA;

• And AAPA submitted two comments to EPA in response to Requests for Information:

◦ Equipment availability, price, and performance;

◦ General program policies.