Ports, Distribution Centers Tab More Than $55M to Cut Emissions

July 13, 2009

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The federal/state program is putting up to $50 million toward purchase of alternative-fuel trucks for Southern California ports, while the government is spending nearly $6 million on separate projects to reduce emissions at three of the nation’s most-traffic intensive distribution centers.

The Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District has started an initiative to provide grants of up to $100,000 per truck toward the purchase of alternative-fuel trucks. The end goal of the $50 million Clean Truck Program is to have 500 alternative-fuel trucks operating at the port, according to the LA port’s Web site.

In a separate program, the Port of Los Angeles, one of the busiest ports of entry to the United States and a major source of smog and particulates, will get $2 million to replace, repower and/or retrofit 27 pieces of equipment including harbor craft, reports Steel Guru.

The Port of Oakland, meanwhile, is getting $2 million towards cleaner trucks, reports the San Jose Mercury News. The funds will help install fine particle filters on 81 diesel trucks, as well as to replace 21 old diesel trucks with cleaner models.The funds are in addition to $10 million in grants that the air quality district and the port have funded for truck filters or replacements trucks.

The New England Produce Market in the Boston area will receive a portion of a $1.9 million federal grant to retrofit the market’s coolers.

The New England Produce Market, located in Chelsea, will replace 79 unregulated Tier 0 diesel Transport Refrigeration Units with all-electric refrigeration units, reducing nearly 400,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides emissions; 61,408 pounds of particulate matter; and 215,728 pounds of hydrocarbons annually, according to the EPA.

The produce market is the nation’s second largest.

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