The American Association of Port Authorities named two of the Port of Seattle’s environmental programs as winners in the 2011 Environmental Improvement Awards competition. The port was honored for stakeholder awareness, education and involvement in the Terminal 117 cleanup process, and won the Comprehensive Environmental Management award for its implementation of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy.
The awards will be presented at the AAPA Annual Meeting, which will be held in Seattle later this year. “The Port of Seattle is committed to protecting our environment while generating thousands of family-wage jobs,” says Bill Bryant, port commission president. “We’re pleased the port’s innovative programs are examples of effective environmental leadership.”
The Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy is a joint effort of the Ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Port Metro Vancouver, B.C., to proactively reduce emissions from maritime operations. The Port of Seattle was singled out for the Comprehensive Environmental Management award for implementing the short-term (2010) goals of the strategy, which includes the Clean Truck Program launched in January of this year. The program included financial assistance to truckers who scrapped older trucks for newer, cleaner models; trucks calling at port terminals must be model year 1994 or earlier and be registered through the port’s Drayage Truck Registry.
The Terminal 117 cleanup, a joint project by the port and the City of Seattle, is a large, complex cleanup project located in the midst of a residential area. Through 2009 and 2010, the port, working collaboratively with the city and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, planned and implemented a public process that communicated a vision of success for a T-117 cleanup plan that considers the community needs and interests along with their meaningful involvement and support.
