The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently released two environmental policies.
The first policy commits the agency to the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, while the second policy sets the goal of cutting direct greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.
The policies will be presented to the agency’s board of directors for formal adoption in November. Once adopted, they will make the port authority the first U.S. transportation agency to set a net-zero target for all emissions.
“With this important commitment to net-zero by 2050, the Port Authority is stepping up to the seriousness of the climate crisis,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “Delivering on the commitments made in 2018 when we became the first U.S. transportation agency to embrace the Paris Climate Agreement, and with the new policy goals and initiatives announced today, the agency is fully committed to acting aggressively to do our part to mitigate the effects of climate change.”
In addition, the authority also detailed initiatives, called the Clean Dozen 2.0, designed to accelerate progress in reducing emissions. These initiatives address electrification, renewable and sustainable fuels, and sustainable buildings, and energy efficiency. They build on a set of 12 climate-focused projects launched in 2018.