Biden-Harris Admin Pledges $3 Billion to Electrify and Clean Up U.S. Ports

President Joe Biden traveled to the Port of Baltimore on Tuesday to announce a $3 billion package to improve and electrify climate-friendly infrastructure and equipment at ports in the United States.

The investment will support approximately 40,000 union jobs while reducing pollution and combating the climate crisis, a press release from the White House said. It includes $147 million to support more than 2,000 jobs at the Maryland Port Administration and to purchase and install zero-emissions port equipment, power improvements and charging infrastructure.

“Our ports are the backbone of our economy – critical hubs that support our supply chain, drive commerce, create jobs and connect us all,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan said, as The Guardian reported. “But we cannot overlook the challenges faced by the communities that live and work near these ports. Too often, these communities face serious air quality challenges due to diesel pollution from trucks, ships and other port machinery.”

The EPA Clean Ports grants are funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and will be awarded to 55 selectees in 27 states and territories.

The Clean Ports program is expected to boost demand for electric cargo handling equipment made in America by at least six times during the length of the program.

The program will improve port air quality across the country with the installation of clean ferry and freight technologies and infrastructure that will eliminate over three million metric tons of pollution in the first decade of implementation — equal to the energy used by 391,220 homes for a year.

The investment will also fund the purchase of hydrogen-powered and battery-electric equipment, including 1,000 drayage trucks, 1,500 cargo handling equipment units, 20 vessels and 10 locomotives, as well as onshore power systems for the ships, solar power generation and fueling and charging infrastructure for hydrogen and battery-electric vehicles.

The program advances the Justice40 Initiative and is in line with the goal of the Biden-Harris Administration for zero-emissions freight.

“What an incredible moment this is,” said Vernice Miller-Travis, an environmental justice advocate, as reported by The Guardian. “This is real money. And… these kinds of investments… can really make transformation in local conditions and local operations and in people’s lives.”

The last time President Biden was in Baltimore was just after the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s tragic collapse on April 26, which killed six construction workers and shut down ship traffic coming into and out of the port. President Biden committed to the bridge’s quick reconstruction, with the collaboration of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The Biden-Harris Administration is also committed to holding the DALI cargo ship owners accountable for the disaster.