High Ambition Climate Collective’s Allyson Browne urges US ports to seize the opportunities presented by the EPA Clean Ports Program for bold climate action, equity and sustainability
Global momentum for maritime decarbonisation has reached US shores, presenting US ports with a clarion call for climate action. In February, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled the Clean Ports Program first Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Funded by a monumental $3 billion, the program marks a significant stride in the nation’s commitment to decarbonising the maritime and related freight sectors with priority focus on advancing environmental justice for port communities. At its core, the Clean Ports Program aims to accelerate the transition of US ports towards zero-emission operations while addressing the adverse environmental and public health impacts of port-related pollution. This funding infusion represents a bold investment in zero-emission port equipment, infrastructure, and climate and air quality planning, which will help position US ports as leaders of innovation and climate action progress in the global maritime industry.
The Clean Ports Program sets out three key goals:
• Build a foundation for the port sector to transition over time to fully zero-emission operations, positioning ports to serve as a catalyst for transformational change across the freight sector.
• Reduce diesel pollution (criteria pollutants, GHGs, and air toxics) in near-port communities.
• Help ensure that meaningful community engagement and emissions reduction planning are port industry standard practices.
Designed to catalyse a comprehensive transition of US ports towards zero-emission operations, the program lays out a dual approach through its Zero-Emission Technology Deployment and Climate and Air Quality Planning Competitions. This approach ensures that ports at various stages of their sustainability journey can engage meaningfully with the program – whether they are leading in zero-emission technology deployment or at the beginning of their climate action planning journey.
Under the Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition, ports can secure funding to invest in zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure, such as electric cargo handling equipment, shore power systems and zero-emission vessels. By reducing mobile source emissions, including criteria pollutants, air toxics and greenhouse gasses (GHG),
"Ports can secure funding to invest in zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure, such as electric cargo handling equipment, shore power systems, and zero-emission vessels."
Ports can significantly improve air quality and public health outcomes for communities living in close proximity to port facilities. Moreover, by positioning themselves as leaders in environmental innovation, ports can enhance their competitiveness and attract new business opportunities in the emerging green economy. Meanwhile, the Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition offers ports the opportunity to develop comprehensive climate and air quality plans that lay the groundwork for long-term emissions reductions and sustainability initiatives. Through activities such as emissions inventories, strategy analysis, community engagement, and resiliency measure identification, ports can build the capacity and infrastructure necessary to transition to zero-emissions operations over time. By integrating environmental justice considerations into their planning processes, ports can ensure that their transition to sustainability is equitable and inclusive, benefiting all communities, especially those that have historically borne the brunt of environmental burdens of port and industrial pollution.
Central to the ethos of the Clean Ports Program is the Justice40 Initiative, which mandates that 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments must flow to disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by pollution. This whole-of-government approach is jointly led by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy, and the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council convened by CEQ. The initiative and its implementing programs, including the Clean Ports Program, represent a pivotal opportunity to address long-standing inequities faced by communities living in the shadow of port pollution, aiming to significantly improve community health and well-being while rectifying past wrongs and fostering a healthier, more equitable future.
As ports endeavor on this transition, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Arup developed a comprehensive roadmap, Practical Pathways for Port Decarbonisation and Environmental Justice: Guidance for US Ports and their Partners. The guide offers actionable steps and best practices that align with the goals of the Clean Ports Program, serving as a valuable resource for ports to
Ports can significantly improve air quality and public health outcomes for communities living in close proximity to port facilities. Moreover, by positioning themselves as leaders in environmental innovation, ports can enhance their competitiveness and attract new business opportunities in the emerging green economy. Meanwhile, the Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition offers ports the opportunity to develop comprehensive climate and air quality plans that lay the groundwork for long-term emissions reductions and sustainability initiatives. Through activities such as emissions inventories, strategy analysis, community engagement, and resiliency measure identification, ports can build the capacity and infrastructure necessary to transition to zero-emissions operations over time. By integrating environmental justice considerations into their planning processes, ports can ensure that their transition to sustainability is equitable and inclusive, benefiting all communities, especially those that have historically borne the brunt of environmental burdens of port and industrial pollution.
Central to the ethos of the Clean Ports Program is the Justice40 Initiative, which mandates that 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments must flow to disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by pollution. This whole-of-government approach is jointly led by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy, and the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council convened by CEQ. The initiative and its implementing programs, including the Clean Ports Program, represent a pivotal opportunity to address long-standing inequities faced by communities living in the shadow of port pollution, aiming to significantly improve community health and well-being while rectifying past wrongs and fostering a healthier, more equitable future.
As ports endeavor on this transition, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Arup developed a comprehensive roadmap, Practical Pathways for Port Decarbonisation and Environmental Justice: Guidance for US Ports and their Partners. The guide offers actionable steps and best practices that align with the goals of the Clean Ports Program, serving as a valuable resource for ports to navigate their path to zero emissions. It underscores the importance of integrating environmental justice into decarbonisation efforts, ensuring that the transition is not only environmentally sustainable but also equitable.
In addition to its environmental and public health benefits, the Clean Ports Program is poised to yield significant economic impacts, driving innovation, job creation, and economic growth in the maritime sector. By investing in clean technologies and infrastructure, the program will stimulate demand for green goods and services, spurring innovation and entrepreneurship in the emerging clean energy economy. Furthermore, by enhancing the competitiveness of US ports and reducing regulatory uncertainty, the program will attract private investment and foster long-term economic development in port communities across the country.
The Clean Ports Program aligns with broader efforts by the Biden Administration to tackle emissions in hard-to-abate sectors, including transportation and shipping. This includes the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) program to accelerate the commercial-scale deployment of clean hydrogen to generate clean, dispatchable power, create new forms of energy storage, and decarbonize heavy industry and transportation; and the Administration’s National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, which aims to establish a nationwide network of zero-emission freight corridors supported by investments in infrastructure, technology, and policy incentives. By leveraging synergies among these initiatives, the Administration seeks to accelerate the transition to zero-emission transportation systems and advance its climate goals while creating economic opportunities, supporting healthier communities, and promoting environmental justice.
In the broader global context, the Clean Ports Program serves as an example of domestic leadership in addressing maritime emissions. Moreover, this historic funding provides US ports and their tenants a considerable opportunity to make bold strides towards achieving the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) ambitious goal set in its revised GHG reduction strategy of 2023 – to reach net-zero GHG emissions by or around 2050, with interim targets in 2030 and 2040. The Clean Ports Program’s strategic objectives also mirror the imperatives outlined in the IMO’s 2023 Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships and the IMO’s vision of a decarbonised maritime industry. As discussions continue at the IMO to define binding measures for GHG reduction in shipping, initiatives like the Clean Ports Program offer tangible pathways for progress, demonstrating the potential for coordinated action to drive meaningful change in the maritime sector. By fostering the deployment of zero-emission technologies and enhancing climate and air quality planning at US ports, the program exemplifies a proactive approach to mitigating shipping emissions and advancing environmental sustainability.
Certainly, this does not detract from the need for the IMO’s basket of mid- and long-term GHG reduction measures, which will be imperative to advancing global decarbonisation and ensuring that the industry achieves the zero-by-2050 goal. Rather, as the IMO develops these technical and economic elements, the industry and policymakers must consider the impact and influence of national and regional policies like the EU Emissions Trading System and FuelEU Maritime and monitor progress from investment packages like the Clean Ports Program in order to design the most equitable and aggressive measures to achieve zero emissions. For example, we can already glean from the development of the FuelEU Maritime regulation that GHG intensity must be measured on a Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) or Well-to-Wake (WtW) basis to drive an effective and equitable decarbonisation trajectory. Transport & Environment elaborates on this critical distinction in its Briefing Analysis on the interaction of CII with GFS.
As the maritime industry charts and navigates its course towards zero emissions, the Clean Ports Program stands as a beacon of domestic leadership and global progress, and serves as a catalyst for tangible change. Yet, the journey towards sustainable ports and maritime operations cannot be undertaken alone by one or even a few nations in isolation. It demands unwavering commitment and collaboration from government, industry, and community partners, united in the pursuit of innovation, environmental justice, and transformative trade practices. Together, US ports possess the potential to spearhead this movement towards an equitable and climate-positive future: a collective endeavor poised to uplift all stakeholders and set a precedent for generations to come – a rising tide to lift all boats