Study pegs cost of cleaning up port pollution at $1.5 billion per year

Study pegs cost of cleaning up port pollution at $1.5 billion per year “Air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping are bad and getting worse,” said a new report.
   U.S. Container Ports and Air Pollution: A Perfect Storm, by James S. Cannon of Energy Futures Inc. in Boulder, Colo., claims “the combination of growing port activity, the densely populated regions where most ports are located, and the prevailing onshore wind patterns that accumulate, rather than disperse, port air pollution creates a ‘perfect storm’ of threats to public health. Most U.S. ports are now among the largest sources of air pollution in their cities and progress toward reducing that pollution has been slow.
   “The total cost for reducing air pollution at container ports in the U.S. will be huge. The total needed nationwide between now and 2020 will probably exceed $20 billion, or roughly $1.5 billion per year,” the study said. “Over $5.5 billion worth of goods moves in and out of U.S. ports every day. A $1.5 billion fee to cover air pollution control would add less than 0.1 percent to the cost of products to the consumer.”
   The report makes five major recommendations:
   ' Use of alternative fuels such as natural gas, biomethane and biodiesel instead of diesel fuel and hybrid drivetrains. “New government programs are needed specifically to promote use of alternative fuels and advanced technologies at the many unique port operations,” the report said.
   ' Develop and implement a “National Port Clean-Up Strategy” to prevent “adverse competitive repercussions from clean-up efforts.”
   ' A national mechanism to finance comprehensive port cleanup. The report suggests “a national container fee is one logical option for the federal government to consider. A $30 per TEU fee would raise $1.3 billion, if implemented nationally. This is roughly equal to the annual clean-up costs estimated in this study to be required between now and 2020.”
   ' Stronger U.S. advocacy in international arenas on maritime energy and environmental issues, especially at the International Maritime Organization. The report said: “Regulation of international fuel standards for transoceanic ships is the most important priority for the IMO.”
   ' Create a public information clearinghouse about pros and cons of various options to reduce pollution at ports.
   The report can be found at: https://s3.amazonaws.com/energy-futures.com/port_study_ef.pdf.