WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with programs that will invest $4 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act in the nation’s port infrastructure with the goal of reducing air pollution.
According to an EPA news release, the agency is now seeking public input on the proposals.
The Clean Ports Program will invest $3 billion in technologies to reduce air and climate pollutants at U.S. ports and work toward creating a zero-emission shipping future, while the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicle Program will invest an additional $1 billion to reduce vehicle emissions at and nearby ports, EPA officials said.
“Thanks to President Biden’s historic investments in America, we are transforming our nation’s infrastructure for the better, all while protecting the health of underserved communities that are too often overburdened by pollution,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “With $4 billion in funding for clean ports and clean transportation from the Inflation Reduction Act, we can deliver cleaner air and healthier communities, support good-paying jobs, and strengthen local economies.”
Regan announced the funding and request for information on Friday, May 5, while touring the Port of Savannah in Georgia, where EPA has previously awarded the Georgia Ports Authority more than $9 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Act funds to reduce diesel emissions and improve air quality by upgrading and replacing older freight trucks, cargo handling equipment and marine engines with cleaner models.
Federal officials say that the EPA’s new Clean Ports and Heavy-Duty Vehicle programs “will go a step further to reduce emissions and improve community air quality through electrification and other zero-emissions technologies while strengthening the clean energy supply chain. This investment is the latest in a string of transformative programs and projects made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration.”
The EPA notes that through responses to this Request for Information, the agency “is looking to improve the agency’s understanding of zero-emission trucks and port equipment as well as their associated charging and fueling infrastructure requirements.”
“EPA is especially interested in comments detailing the availability, market price and performance of zero-emission trucks, zero-emission port equipment, electric charging and other fueling infrastructure needs for zero-emission technologies, and to what degree the content and components of these systems are manufactured in the United States,,” the news release stated. “This information will enable EPA to effectively design programs to expeditiously fund currently available zero-emission technologies and consider appropriate ways to accommodate technologies available in the near term.”
The deadline to submit input is June 5, 2023.
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