Some of the worst air quality in the nation can be found in Northeastern New Jersey, so it was good news for residents and workers there when, in October, the Environmental Protection Agency announced millions in spending to reduce emissions in the New York-New Jersey port area.
“These dollars will make tangible our transition to zero-emission technologies and modernize our ports to allow for a more safe, clean, and sustainable transfer of goods and services,” said Sierra Club NJ Chapter Director Anjuli Ramos-Busot.
Recent port expansions have brought more trucks, more ships, and more warehouses to the port region, meaning more diesel fumes and particulate matter in communities already suffering from high rates of breathing-related illnesses.
The largest of the funding awards is $344 million for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to electrify cargo handling equipment, drayage trucks, and vessels. Shore power connections are also targeted for these air quality improvements and emissions reductions. The applicants have up to four years to complete the improvements they have proposed.
Solar power is identified as a possible element of these upgrades, but so is hydrogen power, which is seldom truly green. Additionally, it is not clear that hydrogen storage and transfer systems are ready for the role in the clean energy transition that federal authorities have envisioned. Mishandling of hydrogen and leakage into the environment exacerbates global warming.
An additional $55 million has been awarded to Sea Streak, which operates New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut ferries from the Sandy Hook area at Atlantic Highlands. The money will pay for new vessels, battery storage, and shore power upgrades.
Another half-million dollars will go to the Delaware River and Bay Authority in Cape May to fund an emissions inventory of ferry operations, leading to strategies to cut emissions and improve resilience against storms and flooding. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry runs regular service between Cape May and Lewes, Delaware.
Millions more is slated for spending on electrification in the Philadelphia regional port area, which could have positive clean air spillover effects on Camden and other southwestern New Jersey communities.