ON Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would make $3 billion in grants available through the Clean Ports Program to tackle climate change and improve air quality at U.S. ports.
The money, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, will fund the purchase of zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure investments, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a press conference with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
“Our nation’s ports are among the busiest in the world, helping us to create good jobs here in America, move goods, and grow our economy,” Regan said. “Today’s historic funding announcement reflects President Biden’s vision of growing our economy while ensuring America leads in creating globally competitive solutions of the future. Today we’re making $3 billion available to install cleaner and more efficient technologies while cutting air pollution to protect the people who work at and live near ports.”
The EPA said it was releasing two Notices of Funding Opportunities – a nearly $2.8 billion Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition to directly fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure to reduce source emissions at ports. Eligible uses include human-operated and maintained zero-emission cargo handling equipment, and harbor craft and other vessels, as well as electric charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure, among other things. Additionally, the EPA said it will fund a $150 million Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition to fund climate and air quality planning activities at U.S. ports. Together, the EPA said, the funding opportunities would advance next-generation, clean technologies that will safely and efficiently drive goods and passenger movement at American ports, while reducing pollution.
“Our country’s ports feed our supply chains to put food on our tables, keep our businesses running and provide for our everyday needs,” Cooper said. “We are deeply grateful to the Biden Administration for the investments that have helped fix our supply chain, rebuild our infrastructure and create thousands of good paying clean energy jobs.”
The deadline to apply for the funding opportunities is May 28, and eligible applicants can apply for one of both of them, officials said.