NEW YORK CITY (December 19, 2024) — The New York City Council introduced Bill LS 17648 today that calls for a feasibility study of zero-emission port operations by 2040 that includes all aspects of port transportation, maintenance, loading and unloading, ocean-going vessels, handling equipment, trucks and locomotives. The feasibility study would be delivered one year from enactment. Councilmembers Alexa Avilés and Shana K. Hanif are leading the bill’s introduction.

“I’m proud to introduce this legislation, alongside impactful partners such as Pacific Environment, to plan for a sustainable future in New York,” said Council Member Alexa Avilés (New York City Council District 38). “Conducting a feasibility study regarding the transition of our city’s ports to zero-emissions by 2040 is an important step forward for our climate future and one we need to consider urgently, especially as we consider a revisioning process at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal in an age of climate collapse. Let’s start this process and usher in a new era of sustainable waterfront industries in New York.”

The international maritime shipping sector is a huge polluter. If shipping were a country, it would be the sixth largest polluter in the world, emitting 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere annually. Fossil-fueled ports and ships also significantly impact the health of portside communities. Across the New York metro region, air pollution is estimated to cause over 21,000 cases of childhood asthma each year.

“Port cities like Los Angeles, Long Beach and Seattle have helped catalyze the transition to a cleaner ocean shipping industry, and New York has a crucial role to play as well. With federal climate action going to be stymied in the next four years, it is more important than ever for local governments to carry the torch forward on the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate progress,” said Dawny’all Heydari, Climate Campaign Advocate, Pacific Environment. “By introducing the call for a comprehensive feasibility study of zero-emission port operations by 2040 with Bill LS 17648, the New York City Council is addressing a critical need to modernize port activity while protecting New Yorkers’ health and combating climate change in a timely way.”

If the bill passes, the resulting feasibility study would:

• Evaluate the readiness of city ports to transition to zero-emission port operations;
• Identify whether a transition to zero-emission port operations can be completed by 2040;
• Evaluate the technology available to assist in this transition;
• Evaluate the investments needed to achieve this transition;
• Evaluate whether the port operations workforce is prepared to make this transition, and if not, whether training programs can be made available to the workforce;
• Evaluate whether it is practicable to provide incentives, such as reduced docking fees or docking order benefits, to zero-emission commercial marine vessels or commercial marine vessels that have significantly reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and criteria air pollutants;
• Evaluate whether it is possible for sufficient shore power to be provided to all commercial marine vessels by 2027; and
• Identify any barriers to achieving sufficient shore power to all commercial marine  vessels by 2027.

“The introduction of this bill represents a pivotal opportunity to study the potential for zero-emission solutions across ocean-going vessels, handling equipment, trucks, and locomotives. New York can lead the way in reimagining our ports for a sustainable future, and we look forward to seeing actionable policies emerge from this important effort,” said Fern Uennatornwaranggoon, Climate Campaign Director, Ports, Pacific Environment.

Background

The City of New York controls the Brooklyn-Port Authority Marine Terminal, Red Hook Container Terminal, South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, Manhattan Cruise Terminal, Hunts Point Terminal, and Atlantic Basin. According to the New York City Economic Development Corporation, in 2018, Brooklyn served 143,030 cruise passengers with 28 ship calls and Manhattan served 1,154,987 cruise passengers with 207 ship calls. The Red Hook Container Terminal moves around 100,000 TEUs of cargo per year.

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About Pacific Environment

Pacific Environment works to stop climate change and ensure healthy ecosystems for the benefit of people and our planet. We campaign to stop climate change by working to fast-track key industries toward zero carbon emissions. We focus on major global industries that have received less public attention but whose carbon emissions are significant and still growing: the maritime shipping and the petrochemical (plastics) industries. We engage multiple sectors including international policy makers, ports and portside communities, labor representatives, corporations and other stakeholders toward achieving a zero carbon shipping sector by 2040, with staff in the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Singapore. Learn more at PacificEnvironment.org.