Clean Ports Program
On this page:
- Background
- Eligibility
- Available Technical Assistance
- Connections to Other EPA, Federal and Non-Governmental Efforts
Background
The Clean Ports Program funds zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure, as well as climate and air quality planning at U.S. ports, through two competitive funding opportunities.
- Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition: The competition will fund approximately $2.8 billion (with awards ranging from $2 million - $500 million) toward zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure to reduce mobile source emissions (criteria pollutants, air toxics, and greenhouse gases) at U.S. ports, helping to deliver cleaner air for communities across the country.
- Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition: This competition will fund approximately $150 million (with awards ranging from $200,000 - $3 million) toward climate and air quality planning activities at U.S. ports; including emissions inventories, strategy analysis, community engagement and resiliency measure identification, all of which will help build the capacity of port stakeholders to continue to reduce pollution and transition to zero-emissions operations over time.
Eligibility
Who is generally eligible to apply?
Eligible entities include:
- Port authorities.
- State, regional, local, or Tribal agencies that have jurisdiction over a port authority or port.
- Air pollution control agencies.
- Private entities that apply in partnership with an eligible entity above, and own, operate or use facilities, cargo-handling equipment, transportation equipment or related technology of a port.
Under the Clean Ports Program, a port is either a water port or a dry port, as defined below.
- Water Port: Places on land alongside navigable water (e.g., oceans, rivers, or lakes) with one or more facilities in close proximity for the loading and unloading of passengers or cargo from ships, ferries and other commercial vessels. This includes facilities that support non-commercial Tribal fishing operations.
- Dry Port: An intermodal truck-rail facility that is included in the 2024 Federal Highway Administration’s Intermodal Connector Database based on meeting the criteria set in 23 CFR 470. These criteria include having more than 50,000 20-foot equivalent units per year or 100 trucks per day or comprising more than 20 percent of freight volumes handled by any mode within a state.
The Clean Ports Program is part of the Justice40 Initiative and will award priority points for projects that take place in disadvantaged communities experiencing poor air quality. Port operators and other entities that apply to this program are strongly encouraged to engage with local communities to inform their project, including regarding resilience planning that can benefit neighboring communities. The EPA will evaluate applications on the extent and quality of meaningful engagement activities before applying, during the project, and after project completion to ensure that community concerns are considered in proposed projects and beyond.
How can projects funded by this program incorporate adaptation and resilience considerations?
Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition
The Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition funds zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure to reduce mobile source emissions and gives priority to projects that demonstrate resilience to climate impacts. Among additional criteria, the EPA will evaluate applications based on the quality and extent to which the applicant plans to assess and implement climate change adaptation measures to help protect grant-funded investments from climate impacts, including extreme weather events, wildfire, heat and drought, and ensure that a project achieves its expected outcomes even as the climate changes.
Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition
The Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition is designed to fund climate and air quality planning activities focused on one or more ports that fall under the following categories:
- Emissions inventory and accounting exercises.
- Strategy analysis and goal setting.
- Stakeholder collaboration and communication.
- Resilience planning.
Examples of eligible resilience planning activities include:
- Assessing climate change vulnerabilities, such as by gathering local climate data and assessing flood-prone areas.
- Identifying priority measures to protect port equipment, energy systems and operations from climate vulnerabilities.
- Identifying priority measures to protect nearby communities from consequences of climate change that also impact ports.
- Analyzing scenarios of extreme weather impacts on the port and developing an action plan to mitigate those risks.
Available Technical Assistance
The Clean Ports Program provides a variety of technical assistance to support applicants and recipients with developing projects that achieve climate benefits, among other priorities. This includes:
- Technical Resources for Ports: This webpage provides a collection of resources from the EPA’s Ports Initiative with tools focused on shore power, emissions inventories, operational strategies, fuel cell technologies and more.
- Best Clean Air Practices at Ports: This webpage provides information, tools and real world examples of best clean air practices for port-wide planning (including resilience planning), drayage trucks, rail facilities, ocean-going vessels, cargo-handling equipment and harbor craft compiled by the EPA’s Ports Initiative.
- Community-Port Collaboration: Resources developed by the EPA’s Ports Initiative support effective communication and engagement between the port industry, communities, and other port stakeholders. Tools include the Environmental Justice Primer for Ports, Ports Primer for Communities, Community Action Roadmap, pilot projects and more.
Details on upcoming events, as well as webinar recordings and presentations from past events, are available on the EPA Ports Initiative Events webpage. Recent events include webinars on the two Clean Ports Program funding opportunities, frequently asked questions about the program, and environmental justice in near-port communities.
Connections to Other EPA, Federal or Non-Governmental Efforts
The Clean Ports Program will prioritize applications that demonstrate coordination between their project and other federal, state, local, or other programs or larger initiatives to support the proposed project activities or to help achieve the broader program goals of reducing port emissions, transitioning the port(s) to zero-emission operations, and ensuring that meaningful community engagement and emissions reduction planning are port industry standard practices.
Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition
- Connection between the proposed project and the Department of Energy’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program (H2Hubs) program.
- Connection between the proposed project and the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy.
- Connection between proposed electric infrastructure elements and broader community charging needs, for example, making the charging infrastructure publicly accessible.
- How the project complements projects funded – or projects under consideration for funding – under other programs such as the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program or the Maritime Administration’s Ports Infrastructure Development Program.
- How the project coordinates with projects at other sites. For example, ports connected by a National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor could coordinate to ensure that sufficient infrastructure exists at both ports to support charging and refueling of anticipated ZE truck trips. Ports could also coordinate on bulk procurement of ZE technologies to drive down prices.
- Use of leveraged resources from state, Tribal, local, and private sources, including businesses or other organizations, to implement the project.
Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition
- Connection between the proposed project and planning efforts under the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program (e.g., planning joint stakeholder engagement or analytical efforts).
- Connection between the proposed project and complementary investments from businesses, state, tribal, and local governments, or other organizations.
- Connection between the proposed project and state/local planning efforts.