The Biden administration is set to allocate nearly $3 billion to enhance climate-friendly equipment and infrastructure at ports across the United States, including Baltimore, which has faced significant disruptions following a tragic bridge collapse in March that claimed the lives of six construction workers.
President Joe Biden plans to visit Baltimore’s main port on Tuesday to announce these grants, aimed at modernizing and electrifying port facilities at 55 locations nationwide. This initiative is expected to create approximately 40,000 union jobs, reduce pollution, and address the climate crisis. The timing of the presidential visit, just a week before Election Day, underscores the administration’s commitment to clean energy and the protection of well-paying union jobs.
The Port of Baltimore is a crucial East Coast hub for importing and exporting motor vehicles and agricultural equipment, employing over 20,000 workers, including unionized longshoremen and truckers.
Among the grants announced, the Maryland Port Administration will receive $147 million, which will support more than 2,000 jobs by facilitating the purchase and installation of cargo-handling equipment and trucks, ultimately transitioning the port to a zero-emission facility.
This funding is part of the Clean Ports Program, managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which will distribute nearly $3 billion to ports across 27 states and territories. Notable recipients include the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority, and the ports of Savannah, Brunswick, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Oakland.
These grants are funded by Biden’s landmark climate legislation passed in 2022, representing the largest clean energy investment in U.S. history. Officials have stated that the funding will also promote environmental justice by reducing diesel emissions from U.S. ports.
“Our ports are essential to our economy, serving as critical hubs that support supply chains, drive commerce, and create jobs,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “However, we must address the serious air quality issues faced by communities living and working near these ports due to diesel pollution from trucks, ships, and other port machinery.”
Regan emphasized that protecting communities and the environment does not compromise economic growth, countering claims from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans who argue that strict environmental regulations stifle the economy. “In fact, healthy communities and a strong economy go hand in hand,” he asserted.
The grant announcements follow $31 million in federal funding for the rehabilitation of a section of Baltimore’s Dundalk Marine Terminal. This comes on the heels of a settlement in which the owner and manager of the cargo ship involved in the deadly bridge collapse agreed to pay over $102 million in cleanup costs, although this settlement does not cover the estimated $2 billion needed for bridge reconstruction, a claim the state of Maryland has also filed.
Funding from the Clean Ports Program is projected to eliminate more than 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of nearly 400,000 homes, and to reduce 12,000 short tons of nitrogen oxides and other harmful pollutants.
John Podesta, senior adviser to the president for international climate policy, stated that the grants align with Biden and Harris’s commitment to “rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and tackle the climate crisis… while uplifting communities disproportionately affected by pollution.”
In February, the EPA announced two funding opportunities for U.S. ports, targeting zero-emission equipment and infrastructure, as well as climate change and air-quality programs, garnering over $8 billion in applications nationwide.
Vernice Miller-Travis, an environmental justice advocate, praised the EPA grants as a significant step forward, noting the longstanding concerns about pollution from the nation’s ports. “What an incredible moment this is,” she said. “Fifty-five projects, almost $3 billion in funding. This is real money. These investments can truly transform local conditions, operations, and people’s lives.”
