The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Ports Program will fund 55 applicant's zero-emission port equipment, infrastructure, and planning projects across the nation to tackle climate change. 

The agency announced the selection of 55 ports, spread across 27 states and territories, to receive nearly $3 billion through EPA’s Clean Ports Program.

These grants will support the deployment of zero-emission equipment, as well as infrastructure and climate and air quality planning projects at ports across the country. The grants are funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. 

The government organization says this "will advance environmental justice by reducing diesel air pollution in U.S. ports and surrounding communities while promoting good-paying and union jobs that help America’s ports thrive."

The funds are working to improve air quality at ports across the country by installing clean, zero-emission freight and ferry technologies along with associated infrastructure, eliminating more than 3 million metric tons of carbon pollution, equivalent to 391,220 homes' energy use for one year.

In February 2024, EPA announced two separate funding opportunities for U.S. ports – a Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition to directly fund zero-emission equipment and infrastructure to reduce mobile source emissions and a Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition to fund climate and air quality planning activities.

The submissions closed in May 2024 with over $8 billion in requests from applicants across the country seeking to advance next-generation, clean technologies at U.S. ports.

Selected projects cover a wide range of human-operated and human-maintained equipment used at and around ports, with funds supporting the purchase of zero-emission equipment, including over 1,500 units of cargo handling equipment, 1,000 drayage trucks, 10 locomotives, and 20 vessels, as well as shore power systems, battery-electric and hydrogen vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure, and solar power generation.

Some of the ports and project selected include The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which will receive  $344,138,135 to work with 5 collaborating partners to implement their proposed project, Catalyzing Change: Zero-Emissions NY-NJ Port Projects for a Greener Future.

The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, which will receive $21,905,782 to initiate the transition to a zero-emission future for the Port of Detroit in Michigan

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), selected to receive an anticipated $48,763,746 to upgrade the Port of Savannah and the Port of Brunswick with vessel shore power systems. 

Others listed are The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, The Port Department of the City of Oakland, and The Port of Houston Authority.