WASHINGTON, DC (October 29, 2024) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the recipients of the Clean Ports Program Grants. These grants were made possible under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 which provided $3 billion to fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure as well as climate and air quality planning for U.S. ports. 

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 investment in combating climate change and promoting clean energy in history— and will advance environmental justice by reducing diesel air pollution from U.S. ports and surrounding communities while promoting good-paying and union jobs that help America’s ports thrive.

According to the EPA, the funds announced today 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 tons of carbon pollution, equivalent to 391,220 homes’ energy use for one year. 

Statements from Pacific Environment: 

“In the U.S., 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 ports operations. We look forward to being a resource for the ports in their path to decarbonization 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,” said 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 decarbonize the U.S. 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.”

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