New York, Rotterdam sign environmental pact

New York, Rotterdam sign environmental pact The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Port of Rotterdam have signed an agreement aimed at strengthening and expanding environmental initiatives in both ports.
   The ports will share information and experiences that will enhance existing programs to improve air, water, soil and wildlife quality. The agreement, signed today by Ernesto L. Butcher, deputy executive director of the New York agency, and Pieter Struijs, senior executive vice president at the Port of Rotterdam, is part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-sponsored initiative known as the International Sustainable Ports and Carriers Partnership. That program involves ports from the United States and the international community forming partnerships to advance mutual goals for improving the environment.
   Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said the agreement will help the agency implement alternative energy solutions.
   Butcher pointed to the agency’s purchase and preservation of environmentally sensitive property, and investment of $530 million to build ship-to-rail facilities at port terminals to reduce the dependence on trucks to move cargo, as examples of port authority environmental initiatives.
   Stephen Johnson, EPA administrator, is expected Wednesday to introduce a pilot project for hybrid container yard hustlers that will be used at Port Elizabeth, N.J., in an effort to reduce air pollution from diesel trucks.