Port of LA wins $400-million electrification grant

The US Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Port of Los Angeles more than $400 million to support its switch to electric cargo handling equipment – a major boost to efforts aimed at curbing pollution at America’s busiest port.

The Clean Ports grant, announced Tuesday, is part of a larger $3 billion plan to deploy zero-emissions equipment at the nation’s ports, which are key sources of greenhouse gas and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Port of Los Angeles received the largest award, receiving $411 million in federal funds. The port and its private partners have generated an additional $236 million in funding related to zero-emissions initiatives.

“This transformational investment will greatly advance our efforts to meet our ambitious zero-emissions goals, improve regional air quality and combat climate change while accelerating the transformation of the port industry nationwide,” said Gene Seroka, the organization’s executive director. at the Port of Los Angeles.

The historic funding, funded through the Biden administration’s De-Inflation Act, will greatly accelerate the port’s efforts to replace diesel-powered equipment with electric alternatives.

This grant is expected to finance the purchase of more than 400 pieces of equipment for transporting goods, such as yard tractors and forklifts. The funding also aims to increase the number of battery-powered trucks and expand charging infrastructure at the port.

This investment will help the port avoid burning 3.5 million liters of diesel every year, according to port officials. It will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 tonnes and planet-warming carbon emissions by 41,500 tonnes per year.

“Our ports are the lifeblood of our economy – critical places that support our supply chain, drive trade, create jobs and connect us all,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who visited the port in March. “But we cannot ignore the challenges facing the communities that live and work near these ports. These communities often face serious air quality challenges due to diesel pollution from trucks, ships and other port equipment.”

Six other California ports were also awarded federal funds: Oakland, Oxnard, San Diego, San Francisco, Stockton and Redwood City. The Port of Long Beach, however, which operates next to the Port of Los Angeles and is the second busiest in the country, was not on the list of recipients of the announced grants.

The Port of Los Angeles – called America’s Port – serves as an important gateway between Asia and the United States. From furniture to electronics, about $300 billion worth of goods pass through this desert port every year. These jobs provide tens of thousands of jobs for dock workers, truck drivers and other workers who help move this cargo.

But the port’s activity is one of the region’s biggest non-consistent sources of smog. Although the port has significantly reduced diesel emissions and nitrogen oxides by using cleaner fuels and engines over the past two decades, it now faces its most difficult challenge to date: implementing zero-emissions technology.

The new funding will help propel it towards its ambitious goal of going all-electric by 2030. The port has over 2,100 pieces of cargo handling equipment – about 72% of which are diesel powered and 9% electric. .

The Clean Ports subsidy could eliminate more than a quarter of diesel engines. It will assist port tenants in purchasing 337 yard tractors that carry containers at the port; 56 top handlers who load and pack cargo; and 24 forklifts.

The trucks, cargo ships and trains that transport these goods continue to produce pollution and heat the planet.

More than 22,000 trucks are registered to serve the Port of Los Angeles. 90 percent use diesel. Less than 2% are zero-emission, and include 332 electric trucks and 51 hydrogen fuel cell trucks.

The EPA grant will fund financial incentives for trucking companies and operators to purchase an additional 250 electric freight trucks. It is also expected to include the installation of 300 electric chargers, two solar arrays and 10 battery storage systems.

“San Pedro Bay communities have struggled with the impact of shipping-related pollution for far too long, so we congratulate the Port of Los Angeles on its major award of the EPA Clean Ports Grant for making meaningful progress toward its zero-discharge goal. ,” said Ed Avol, who is on the board of the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation, an organization that works to prevent pollution in harbors. “The Harbor Community Benefit Foundation looks forward to working with the harbor to achieve that goal without delay.”

In July, the EPA announced another historic $500 million in federal funding for the State’s Air Quality Control Program, which plans to promote the adoption of zero-emission trucks, vans and other vehicles.

The Port of Los Angeles partnered with Yusen Terminals LLC, Everport Terminal Services, TraPac, Fenix ​​Marine Services, APM Terminals and the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation for the grant application.

The port’s petition was supported by elected officials, government agencies, business groups, environmental justice representatives, community groups and labor unions.

Beyond the environmental benefits, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union stressed that the funding will be used for human resources that will not automate and eliminate jobs. This includes $50 million for community benefits, including training for residents who are interested in learning how to use and maintain this new device.

“The men and women of the ILWU are thrilled to learn of this $400 million investment, by the US EPA, in the environmental and economic well-being of our members and the local community,” said Gary Herrera, president of ILWU Local 13. zero-emission is the gold standard for the operation of seaports not only because it protects good jobs while cleaning the air, but it is also very efficient and cost-effective in terms of port operations, while also providing. necessary safeguards against cyber threats to our national security. “