BC, Montreal ports look for federal assist to end longshore impasses
Coast-to-coast work stoppages at Canadian ports have ground container operations to a halt, with port employers saying their best offers for new dockworker contracts are on the table.
BC, Montreal ports look for federal assistance to end longshore impasses
Coast-to-coast work stoppages at Canadian ports have ground container operations to a halt, with port employers saying their best offers for new dockworker contracts are on the table.
Port lockouts extend from BC ports to Montreal
Coast-to-coast work stoppages at Canadian ports have ground container operations to a halt, with port employers saying their best offers for new dockworker contracts are on the table.
CMA CGM reinstates Suez transits on India–US route
Among the major container lines, CMA CGM has taken the lead in reinstating shorter Suez Canal routings, offering India exporters to North America shorter transits than the majority of other services sailing around southern Africa.
CMA CGM reinstates Suez transits on India-US route
Among the major container lines, CMA CGM has taken the lead in reinstating shorter Suez Canal routings, offering India exporters to North America shorter transits than the majority of other services sailing around southern Africa.
EPA Releases Proposed Plan for Motorola 52nd Street Superfund Cleanup in Phoenix
Phoenix – In a significant milestone for this Superfund cleanup, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a proposed plan to address contaminants in the groundwater at the Motorola, Inc. 52nd Street Superfund site. The agency is seeking public input on the plan, which focuses on cleanup at a section of the site know as Operable Unit 3 (OU3). OU3 is bordered by McDowell Road to the north, 20th Street to the east, Buckeye Road to the south, and 7th Avenue to the west in Central Phoenix, Arizona.
The proposed plan summarizes the risks of the contamination for human health and the environment and identifies the EPA’s preferred option for the cleanup of the contamination. It describes six cleanup options to remove contaminants that are unsafe to drink and gives the community an opportunity to review and submit comments on the EPA’s plan, including all six options. The options in this proposed plan for OU3 were formed based on current and anticipated future land use conditions within OU3, including potential future use of groundwater as drinking water.
“The EPA encourages people to provide input on the proposed cleanup plan for the Motorola 52nd St. Superfund site,” said EPA Director of Region 9 Superfund and Emergency Management Division Michael Montgomery. “This is a big step forward to protect groundwater and ensure a future supply of safe drinking water for the Phoenix community.”
Industrial and commercial activities caused groundwater contamination at the site. These included dry cleaning; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment manufacturing; railroad activities; semiconductor manufacturing; and aerospace and jet engine design. Releases of chemicals from these types of facilities have impacted groundwater at the site. The contaminants in groundwater at OU3 include trichloroethene (TCE), 1,4-dioxane, 1,1-dichloroethane (DCA), 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, and naphthalene.
The 45-day public comment period for the proposed plan began on November 1, 2024. The EPA will host a public meeting to discuss the Proposed Plan on November 13, 2024, from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the Burton Barr Central Library, Nina Mason Pulliam Auditorium, First Floor at 1221 N. Central Ave. in Phoenix, Arizona.
Interested parties can visit EPA’s Motorola site webpage for more details on how to attend the meeting in person or online.
Learn more about EPA's Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
The proposed plan summarizes the risks of the contamination for human health and the environment and identifies the EPA’s preferred option for the cleanup of the contamination. It describes six cleanup options to remove contaminants that are unsafe to drink and gives the community an opportunity to review and submit comments on the EPA’s plan, including all six options. The options in this proposed plan for OU3 were formed based on current and anticipated future land use conditions within OU3, including potential future use of groundwater as drinking water.
“The EPA encourages people to provide input on the proposed cleanup plan for the Motorola 52nd St. Superfund site,” said EPA Director of Region 9 Superfund and Emergency Management Division Michael Montgomery. “This is a big step forward to protect groundwater and ensure a future supply of safe drinking water for the Phoenix community.”
Industrial and commercial activities caused groundwater contamination at the site. These included dry cleaning; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment manufacturing; railroad activities; semiconductor manufacturing; and aerospace and jet engine design. Releases of chemicals from these types of facilities have impacted groundwater at the site. The contaminants in groundwater at OU3 include trichloroethene (TCE), 1,4-dioxane, 1,1-dichloroethane (DCA), 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, and naphthalene.
The 45-day public comment period for the proposed plan began on November 1, 2024. The EPA will host a public meeting to discuss the Proposed Plan on November 13, 2024, from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the Burton Barr Central Library, Nina Mason Pulliam Auditorium, First Floor at 1221 N. Central Ave. in Phoenix, Arizona.
Interested parties can visit EPA’s Motorola site webpage for more details on how to attend the meeting in person or online.
Learn more about EPA's Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
United States Files Court Settlement for Cleanup and Reimbursement of Costs at Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company Superfund Site in Norfolk, Nebraska
LENEXA, KAN. (NOV. 8, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the filing of a settlement agreement with three parties requiring the cleanup of contamination at the Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company Superfund Site in Norfolk, Nebraska.
The settlement was filed in the United States District Court of the District of Nebraska and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. The public comment period ends Dec. 9, 2024.
Under the terms of the settlement, the parties – Brightspeed Kansas Holdings LLC, Nebraska Public Power District, and Black Hills-Nebraska Gas LLC – will complete a cleanup action that was approved by EPA in 2022.
The cleanup activity will include in-place treatment of contamination, accompanied by environmental monitoring, to ensure that the cleanup meets its goals and is protective of human health and the environment. All work at the site will be subject to EPA review and approval. The settling parties will be responsible for reimbursing EPA for costs incurred in reviewing the work.
The Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company Superfund Site includes areas where a manufactured gas plant operated until the 1940s. Generally, these types of plants produced fuel by heating coal. Soil and groundwater contamination at the site has included coal tars, compounds found in motor oils, and metals. EPA has been overseeing investigation and cleanup at the site since the 1990s.
Information about how to submit a public comment is available on the Federal Register.
Read more about the Iowa-Nebraska Light and Power Company Superfund Site.
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The settlement was filed in the United States District Court of the District of Nebraska and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. The public comment period ends Dec. 9, 2024.
Under the terms of the settlement, the parties – Brightspeed Kansas Holdings LLC, Nebraska Public Power District, and Black Hills-Nebraska Gas LLC – will complete a cleanup action that was approved by EPA in 2022.
The cleanup activity will include in-place treatment of contamination, accompanied by environmental monitoring, to ensure that the cleanup meets its goals and is protective of human health and the environment. All work at the site will be subject to EPA review and approval. The settling parties will be responsible for reimbursing EPA for costs incurred in reviewing the work.
The Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company Superfund Site includes areas where a manufactured gas plant operated until the 1940s. Generally, these types of plants produced fuel by heating coal. Soil and groundwater contamination at the site has included coal tars, compounds found in motor oils, and metals. EPA has been overseeing investigation and cleanup at the site since the 1990s.
Information about how to submit a public comment is available on the Federal Register.
Read more about the Iowa-Nebraska Light and Power Company Superfund Site.
# # #
Learn more about EPA Region 7
View all Region 7 news releases
Visit the Region 7 Media page
Connect with EPA Region 7 on Facebook and Instagram
Follow us on X: @EPARegion7
EPA Announces $48,763,746 of Clean Ports Investments in Georgia Ports Authority
SAVANNAH, Ga. (Nov. 8,2024) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle along with Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson, Chatham County Chairman Chester Ellis and GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch held a press event highlighting the announcement of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) as a recipient of nearly $48,763,746 through EPA’s Clean Ports Program for the deployment of zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure.
GPA plans to upgrade the Port of Savannah and the Port of Brunswick with vessel shore power systems. These systems will allow ships to ‘plug-in’ to electric grid power and turn off auxiliary diesel engines while at port. In addition, the project includes the scrappage and replacement of diesel terminal tractors with new electric terminal tractors and the installation of electric charging infrastructure. GPA plans to engage with communities through their community advisory network and conduct classroom and on the job training for workers related to shore power, zero-emission vehicles, and charging stations.
The grants are funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act — the largest investment in combating climate change and promoting clean energy in history— and will advance environmental justice by reducing diesel air pollution from U.S. ports and near surrounding communities while promoting good-paying and union jobs that help America’s ports thrive.
“Our goal is to build a foundation for the port sector to transition over time to fully zero-emissions operations,” said Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle. “EPA is positioning ports to serve as a catalyst for transformational change across the freight sector.”
“Senator Warnock and I continue working to upgrade Georgia’s port infrastructure and establish Georgia as the national leader in advanced energy technology. Today we are delivering new resources through the EPA's Clean Ports program to upgrade the Port of Savannah and the Port of Brunswick with vessel shore power systems and install new electric charging infrastructure,” said Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA). “This is a win-win for our economy and for local communities. I thank President Biden, Vice President Harris, and EPA Administrator Regan for their assistance and support."
“As a son of coastal Georgia, I know the importance of Georgia’s ports and its workers to our state and national economies. As we continue moving toward a clean energy economy, it is critical Georgia and its workers remain on the frontlines of these federal investments and reap the benefits of our hard work in Washington, which is why I was proud to champion this award for the Georgia Ports Authority,” said Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA). “Senator Ossoff and I will continue delivering investments for Georgia’s ports to keep our state at the forefront of the nation’s clean energy economy.”
Ports are vital to the U.S. economy and are responsible for moving goods and people throughout the country. The funds announced today will 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 competitions 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.
After a thorough and rigorous grant application review process, EPA selected 55 applications in total to receive this historic investment. Applications to the Clean Ports Program were evaluated in part on their workforce development efforts, to ensure that projects will expand access to high-quality jobs. Grant selections also align with the Administration’s national goal for a zero-emission freight sector, the National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization and the ‘all-of government’ National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy.
Selected projects cover a wide range of human operated and human maintained equipment used at and around ports, with funds supporting the purchase of battery-electric and hydrogen-powered 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.
Initial estimates of tailpipe reductions from this new equipment are estimated to be over 3 million metric tons of CO2, 12 thousand short tons of NOx, and 200 short tons of PM2.5 in the first 10 years of operation. These estimates are based on initial counts of proposed zero-emission equipment and shore power installations and do not consider benefits from retiring older vehicles, among other factors. These simplified estimates were prepared using national default emissions and activity factors and will be refined over time with more detailed information from selectees.
In addition to protecting human health and the environment, the program will protect and grow good-paying and union port jobs, create new good-paying and union jobs in the domestic clean energy sector, and enhance U.S. economic competitiveness through the innovation, installation, maintenance, and operation of zero-emissions equipment and infrastructure. The program’s historic investment in zero-emission port technology will also help promote and ensure the U.S. position as a global leader in clean technologies.
EPA’s Clean Ports Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Disadvantaged communities will benefit from cleaner air and access to high quality jobs that will be created to operate zero emissions technologies at ports.
EPA ensured that near-port community engagement and equity considerations were at the forefront of the Clean Ports Program’s design, including by evaluating applications on the extent and quality of their projects’ community engagement efforts. The program will also help to ensure that meaningful community engagement and emissions reduction planning become a part of port industry standard practices by building on the successes of EPA’s Ports Initiative and the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act programs. These programs have previously invested over $196 million to implement 207 diesel emissions reduction projects at ports with an additional $88 million to multi-sector projects that involve ports and have encouraged strong community-port collaboration.
The agency anticipates making awards once all legal, statutory, and administrative requirements are satisfied. Selectees will work with EPA over the coming months to finalize project plans before receiving final awards and moving into the implementation phase. Project implementation will occur over the next three to four years depending on the scope of each project.
To learn more about the Clean Ports Program tentatively selected applications, please visit the Clean Ports Program Selections webpage.
Left to right: Chatham County Chairman Chester Ellis, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle, Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson, and GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch.
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GPA plans to upgrade the Port of Savannah and the Port of Brunswick with vessel shore power systems. These systems will allow ships to ‘plug-in’ to electric grid power and turn off auxiliary diesel engines while at port. In addition, the project includes the scrappage and replacement of diesel terminal tractors with new electric terminal tractors and the installation of electric charging infrastructure. GPA plans to engage with communities through their community advisory network and conduct classroom and on the job training for workers related to shore power, zero-emission vehicles, and charging stations.
The grants are funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act — the largest investment in combating climate change and promoting clean energy in history— and will advance environmental justice by reducing diesel air pollution from U.S. ports and near surrounding communities while promoting good-paying and union jobs that help America’s ports thrive.
“Our goal is to build a foundation for the port sector to transition over time to fully zero-emissions operations,” said Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle. “EPA is positioning ports to serve as a catalyst for transformational change across the freight sector.”
“Senator Warnock and I continue working to upgrade Georgia’s port infrastructure and establish Georgia as the national leader in advanced energy technology. Today we are delivering new resources through the EPA's Clean Ports program to upgrade the Port of Savannah and the Port of Brunswick with vessel shore power systems and install new electric charging infrastructure,” said Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA). “This is a win-win for our economy and for local communities. I thank President Biden, Vice President Harris, and EPA Administrator Regan for their assistance and support."
“As a son of coastal Georgia, I know the importance of Georgia’s ports and its workers to our state and national economies. As we continue moving toward a clean energy economy, it is critical Georgia and its workers remain on the frontlines of these federal investments and reap the benefits of our hard work in Washington, which is why I was proud to champion this award for the Georgia Ports Authority,” said Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA). “Senator Ossoff and I will continue delivering investments for Georgia’s ports to keep our state at the forefront of the nation’s clean energy economy.”
Ports are vital to the U.S. economy and are responsible for moving goods and people throughout the country. The funds announced today will 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 competitions 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.
After a thorough and rigorous grant application review process, EPA selected 55 applications in total to receive this historic investment. Applications to the Clean Ports Program were evaluated in part on their workforce development efforts, to ensure that projects will expand access to high-quality jobs. Grant selections also align with the Administration’s national goal for a zero-emission freight sector, the National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization and the ‘all-of government’ National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy.
Selected projects cover a wide range of human operated and human maintained equipment used at and around ports, with funds supporting the purchase of battery-electric and hydrogen-powered 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.
Initial estimates of tailpipe reductions from this new equipment are estimated to be over 3 million metric tons of CO2, 12 thousand short tons of NOx, and 200 short tons of PM2.5 in the first 10 years of operation. These estimates are based on initial counts of proposed zero-emission equipment and shore power installations and do not consider benefits from retiring older vehicles, among other factors. These simplified estimates were prepared using national default emissions and activity factors and will be refined over time with more detailed information from selectees.
In addition to protecting human health and the environment, the program will protect and grow good-paying and union port jobs, create new good-paying and union jobs in the domestic clean energy sector, and enhance U.S. economic competitiveness through the innovation, installation, maintenance, and operation of zero-emissions equipment and infrastructure. The program’s historic investment in zero-emission port technology will also help promote and ensure the U.S. position as a global leader in clean technologies.
EPA’s Clean Ports Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Disadvantaged communities will benefit from cleaner air and access to high quality jobs that will be created to operate zero emissions technologies at ports.
EPA ensured that near-port community engagement and equity considerations were at the forefront of the Clean Ports Program’s design, including by evaluating applications on the extent and quality of their projects’ community engagement efforts. The program will also help to ensure that meaningful community engagement and emissions reduction planning become a part of port industry standard practices by building on the successes of EPA’s Ports Initiative and the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act programs. These programs have previously invested over $196 million to implement 207 diesel emissions reduction projects at ports with an additional $88 million to multi-sector projects that involve ports and have encouraged strong community-port collaboration.
The agency anticipates making awards once all legal, statutory, and administrative requirements are satisfied. Selectees will work with EPA over the coming months to finalize project plans before receiving final awards and moving into the implementation phase. Project implementation will occur over the next three to four years depending on the scope of each project.
To learn more about the Clean Ports Program tentatively selected applications, please visit the Clean Ports Program Selections webpage.
Left to right: Chatham County Chairman Chester Ellis, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle, Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson, and GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch.
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