The ports of Tacoma, Seattle and Metro Vancouver, B.C., will be honored with the Environmental Achievement Award from the Pacific Northwest International Section of the Air and Waste Management Association. The association’s award recognizes the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy for innovative techniques that reduce or prevent air pollution or waste.
The Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy is a three-port and international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas and diesel emissions from maritime operations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, the Washington Department of Ecology and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency have partnered with the ports in this effort.
Since adopting the goals in 2008, the ports have shown significant progress in producing cleaner air for the communities that surround their harbors. By the strategy’s first milestone in 2010:
• 44 percent of ships calling frequently used cleaner-burning fuels or electrical shore power at berth;
• 62 percent of diesel-powered cargo-handling equipment met the performance measure through retrofits, replacements or use of low-sulfur fuels; and
• 98 percent of drayage trucks met the measure through outreach, engine retrofits or incentive programs.
