Baltimore Port wins $3.5 million EPA grant
The Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Port of Baltimore $3.5 million in stimulus funds to revamp or replace cargo equipment, under a program aimed at curbing diesel emissions.
The money will help “with the installation of clean-diesel technology in 142 pieces of diesel-powered equipment used for port operations,” the EPA said.
The Recovery Act gave the EPA $300 million to spread around the country in grants to cut diesel emissions in a wide range of projects covering city bus fleets, anti-idling facilities for cargo trucks, freight and passenger rail equipment and for ports.
Baltimore’s grant came out of a $16.1 million subset for which the EPA’s mid-Atlantic regional office handled 40 grant applications, so the port got about a fifth of that money.
Its plan would affect two harbor tugboats, seven locomotives, 50 short haul drayage trucks and 83 units of cargo handling equipment, using a variety of technological fixes that can cut diesel emissions up to 90 percent.
The EPA said the port’s plan includes repowering nine diesel engines, replacing 43 vehicles and pieces of cargo handling equipment, plus installing 83 exhaust controls and seven anti-idling devices. Those idle controls can shut down railcar switching locomotives and prevent them from just chugging out more exhaust when they are waiting long periods for their next assignment.
The money will help “with the installation of clean-diesel technology in 142 pieces of diesel-powered equipment used for port operations,” the EPA said.
The Recovery Act gave the EPA $300 million to spread around the country in grants to cut diesel emissions in a wide range of projects covering city bus fleets, anti-idling facilities for cargo trucks, freight and passenger rail equipment and for ports.
Baltimore’s grant came out of a $16.1 million subset for which the EPA’s mid-Atlantic regional office handled 40 grant applications, so the port got about a fifth of that money.
Its plan would affect two harbor tugboats, seven locomotives, 50 short haul drayage trucks and 83 units of cargo handling equipment, using a variety of technological fixes that can cut diesel emissions up to 90 percent.
The EPA said the port’s plan includes repowering nine diesel engines, replacing 43 vehicles and pieces of cargo handling equipment, plus installing 83 exhaust controls and seven anti-idling devices. Those idle controls can shut down railcar switching locomotives and prevent them from just chugging out more exhaust when they are waiting long periods for their next assignment.