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Seattle, Tacoma & Port Metro Vancouver aim to reduce diesel emissions by 70% per ton of cargo by 2015 & 80% by 2020
The Pacific Northwest Port’s of Seattle, Tacoma and Port Metro Vancouver, Canada, will set draft goals to reduce diesel emissions by 75 percent per ton of cargo by 2015 and 80 percent come 2020.
Combined with projected cargo growth, this will result in overall reductions of 70 percent by 2015 and 75 percent by 2020.
The goals are part of the draft 2013 Update of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy.
“The good news is that emissions are down and in this Strategy Update we are setting more aggressive goals for the near future,” said director of environmental and planning at the Port of Seattle, Stephanie Jones Stebbins.
“The draft Strategy Update includes both aggressive reduction goals and sector-specific actions to meet those goals.”
The 2013 Update was developed based on the results of the 2011 Puget Sound Maritime Air Emissions Inventory released last October. The inventory found maritime-related air pollution has decreased since 2005, with much of the progress due to significant, voluntary investments of the maritime industry and government agencies in cleaner technology, cleaner fuels and more efficient systems of operation.
To develop and implement the 2007 Strategy and this 2013 Strategy Update, the three ports partnered with other government agencies responsible for protecting air quality in the airshed: the US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington State Department of Ecology and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency in the U.S.
“Air quality affects our entire region, and we pride ourselves on working collaboratively with a range of partners – from other ports and air agencies to our customers and vendors – to improve the environment and protect human health while providing a healthy supply chain,” said Jason Jordan, director of environmental programs at the Port of Tacoma.
“The cooperative effort that launched the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy several years ago remains intact and strong today.”
