Port of NY and NJ secures funding for electrification initiatives

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, several port tenants, and other agencies and organizations across the state are set to receive more than $100 million for clean, equitable transportation projects.

This was unveiled by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in February this year. The governor also established the Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy that will oversee the creation of the New Jersey Council on the Green Economy.

As informed, the funds were allocated from the state’s participation in the Regional Green House Gas Initiative (RGGI) and the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, a legal settlement from the carmaker over emissions cheating claims.

Specifically, the port and other organizations will use their share of the funds for electrification programs, helping the port authority and the seaport with its goals of reducing carbon emissions in its operations, improving air quality and reducing the effects of climate change.

Approximately $36 million was allocated to reducing diesel and carbon emissions in New Jersey communities historically affected most by pollution through the electrification of cargo handling and other medium-duty and heavy-duty equipment in port and industrial areas.

The port authority’s project that was funded is the repowering of a mobile harbor crane from diesel-fueled to electric powered. Several port tenants will be receiving funding for electric port equipment, including one electric straddle carrier at Maher Terminals, two hybrid electric straddle carriers at Port Newark Container Terminal, two electric yard tractors and an electric forklift for Harbor Freight Transportation Corp., and eighteen electric trucks and yard tractors for International Motor Freight.

This latest round of funding for electric port-related equipment was the second allocation from the VW Environmental Mitigation Trust. Previously in February 2019, several port tenants received more than $3.9 million in grants for electric equipment. Those funds contributed to several improvements at Port Newark.

These ongoing improvements bring the port authority closer to its interim sustainability goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) by 35 percent by 2025 for port’s operations and reaffirm the agency’s commitment to an 80 percent reduction by 2050 across all facilities as part of its commitment to the Paris Climate Accord.