EPA announces nearly $2M Clean Ports Investment in Puerto Rico
The grant will enable Ports to create emissions reduction strategies and strengthen infrastructure against climate threats.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $1.8 million to the Puerto Rico Ports Authority to develop comprehensive climate and air quality improvements for its port operations.
The EPA selected the Puerto Rico Ports Authority to receive a Climate and Air Quality Planning Grant to establish a baseline air emissions inventory, create two projected “business as usual” emissions inventories for 2030 and 2050, and develop emissions reduction strategies with stakeholder engagement.
This funding will enable Ports to develop emissions reduction strategies and reinforce infrastructure against climate threats.
The reduction efforts will focus on technologically and operationally feasible vehicles and equipment designed to lower outdoor air pollutants, greenhouse gases, and toxic air emissions. The project will also include a resiliency plan to protect infrastructure from climate-related risks, such as hurricanes.
In February, the EPA announced two separate funding opportunities for U.S. ports: a Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition to fund zero-emission equipment and infrastructure for reducing mobile source emissions, and a Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition for climate and air quality planning activities.
The competitions closed in May, generating more than $8 billion in requests from applicants aiming to advance next-generation clean technologies at U.S. ports.
After a its review, the EPA selected 55 applications to receive this investment. Applications were partly evaluated based on workforce development initiatives to ensure projects expand access to high-quality jobs.
Grant selections also align with the President Biden administration’s goals for a zero-emission freight sector, the National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization and the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy.
