Port of Long Beach receives $2.4m pollution reduction grant

The Diesel Emission Reduction Act funds go toward helping Long Beach port tenants Stevedoring Services of America, Foss Maritime and Curtin Maritime retrofit equipment, according to the Southern California port.    The Port of Long Beach has been awarded a $2.4 million grant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help three of its tenants replace equipment with zero-emission or cleanest-available equipment, the port revealed Nov. 16.
   The Diesel Emission Reduction Act funds go to aid for port tenants Stevedoring Services of America (SSA), Foss Maritime and Curtin Maritime, the port said. It will enable SSA to retrofit three rubber-tired gantry cranes to all-electric operations, entirely reducing related emissions and diesel fuel consumption.
   The grant will also assist in the retrofitting of four tugboats operated by Foss and Curtin with the newest and cleanest engines available.
   The projects are expected to reduce carbon dioxide by 15,606 tons over the next two decades according to the port, plus cut nitrogen oxide by 1,649 tons, carbon monoxide by 267 tons, diesel particulate matter by 61 tons and hydrocarbons by 40 tons.
   The equipment is scheduled to be in place by the end of 2019.
   “We thank the EPA for providing funds to facilitate these projects and improve the health of our community,” POLB Harbor Commission President Lou Anne Bynum said in a statement. “Every step we take to cut air pollution is one toward our ultimate goal of being the world’s first zero-emission seaport.”
   The federal Diesel Emission Reduction Act, which was ratified in 2005, provides grants to state, local and tribal governments for programs to reduce emissions from diesel engines. It’s estimated by the EPA that every dollar allocated by the Act’s grants results in about $13 worth of health and environmental benefits.
   Since 2005, the Port of Long Beach has received $14.2 million in federal grants to reduce emissions associated with operations. In total, the port estimates that it’s environmental initiatives have helped cut diesel emissions by 88 percent since 2005.