### Port of Los Angeles Receives $400M EPA Grant for Electric Cargo Equipment

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has allocated over $400 million to the Port of Los Angeles to aid its shift towards electric cargo-handling equipment, a significant step towards reducing pollution at the busiest container port in the United States. This grant, part of a broader $3 billion Clean Ports initiative aimed at deploying zero-emission equipment nationwide, highlights the commitment to improving air quality and mitigating climate change at major ports.

The Port of Los Angeles secured the largest portion of the funding, receiving $411 million. Additionally, the port and its private partners will contribute another $236 million in matching funds for zero-emission initiatives. Gene Seroka, the port's executive director, heralded the investment as transformative, emphasizing its potential to expedite the port industry's transition to zero emissions across the country.

Funded through the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, the grant will accelerate the port's plans to phase out diesel-powered equipment in favor of electric alternatives. The funding will facilitate the acquisition of over 400 pieces of electric cargo-moving equipment, such as yard tractors and forklifts. It also aims to expand the port’s infrastructure for electric truck charging. These efforts are projected to cut the port's diesel fuel consumption by 3.5 million gallons annually, reducing smog-forming emissions by 55 tons and carbon emissions by 41,500 tons each year.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan, during a visit to the port, underscored the importance of ports in the economy while acknowledging the air quality challenges faced by nearby communities due to diesel pollution from trucks, ships, and other machinery. Six other California ports, including Oakland, Oxnard, San Diego, San Francisco, Stockton, and Redwood City, also received federal funding, though the neighboring Port of Long Beach did not.

The Port of Long Beach had requested $380 million to support its efforts to deploy nearly 300 pieces of zero-emission cargo equipment and up to 1,000 trucks. Despite its absence from the grant recipient list, the port’s chief operating officer expressed congratulations to the awarded ports and reiterated their commitment to reducing greenhouse gases.

With operations moving approximately $300 billion worth of goods annually, the Port of Los Angeles employs tens of thousands of dockworkers, truck drivers, and laborers. The port's activities, however, remain a significant source of smog-forming emissions. Transitioning to zero-emission technology stands as its most challenging feat yet. The port aims to have all terminal equipment be zero-emission by 2030, currently having 2,100 pieces of cargo equipment, with 72% diesel-powered and 9% electric.

The new funding will phase out more than a quarter of the diesel equipment, assisting port tenants in purchasing hundreds of electric yard tractors, top handlers, and forklifts. Despite this progress, the trucks, cargo ships, and trains that transport goods continue to pollute. With over 22,000 trucks registered to serve the port, 90% of which are diesel-powered, the grant will also finance incentives for purchasing another 250 electric cargo trucks and installing 300 electric chargers, two solar arrays, and ten battery storage systems.

Community leaders like Ed Avol from the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation look forward to collaborating with the port to achieve these zero-emission goals without delay. Additionally, the EPA has recently announced another $500 million grant to the South Coast Air Quality Management District to encourage zero-emission cargo trucks and vehicles.

The Port of Los Angeles partnered with entities like Yusen Terminals LLC, Everport Terminal Services, TraPac, Fenix Marine Services, APM Terminals, and the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation for the grant application. The proposal received broad support from elected officials, public agencies, business groups, environmental justice advocates, community groups, and labor organizations. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union stressed that the grant would fund non-automated, human-operated equipment, safeguarding jobs while also investing $50 million towards community benefits including training for residents on the new technology.