Last year, the international shipping industry generated 706 million metric tons of CO2 emissions, equal to burning nearly 80 billion gallons of gasoline and hitting pollution levels that would rank this sector as the world’s seventh-largest carbon emitter if it were a country. In an attempt to address this issue domestically, the U.S. government has announced a major funding initiative aimed at reducing emissions at American ports.
As part of the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is allocating nearly $3 billion toward green projects at U.S. ports.
These investments will go towards 55 zero-emission port equipment, infrastructure and planning projects across 27 states and territories, which the White House says will cut more than three million metric tons of carbon pollution annually — roughly the equivalent of the yearly emissions from over 700,000 gas-powered cars.
“Ports are the linchpin to America’s supply chain,” President Joe Biden said. “The new $3 billion funding we’re delivering today will make ports green all across America, cut port operating costs, strengthen supply chains, make American businesses more competitive and keep consumer prices down, slashing carbon pollution.”
These projects will implement carbon-free cargo handling equipment and vessels, as well as clean power systems, hydrogen fueling infrastructure and solar power generation, among other green technologies.
“Our nation’s ports are critical to creating opportunity here in America, offering good-paying jobs, moving goods and powering our economy,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. “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.”
This announcement comes after a three-day strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association earlier this month. The work stoppage came amid fears within the union about the potential impacts of automation on job security, concerns that Biden addressed while announcing this green port initiative, emphasizing that the new technology would not replace workers with automation.
“Making sure all new port equipment funded by the clean ports program will be operated and maintained by people, not by robots, is going to protect those jobs far into the future,” Biden stated.
