In a visit to Baltimore, Biden will announce $3 billion to reduce carbon emissions at US ports

WASHINGTON -- The Biden management is awarding astir $3 cardinal to boost climate-friendly instrumentality and infrastructure astatine ports crossed nan country, including Baltimore, wherever a deadly bridge collapse killed six building workers successful March and disrupted East Coast shipping routes for months.

President Joe Biden is group to sojourn nan city's main larboard Tuesday to denote nan grants, which officials opportunity will amended and electrify larboard infrastructure astatine 55 sites nationwide while supporting an estimated 40,000 national jobs, reducing contamination and combating nan ambiance crisis. The statesmanlike visit, a week earlier Election Day, is intended to item efforts by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to beforehand cleanable power while protecting and creating good-paying national jobs.

The Port of Baltimore, 1 of nan busiest connected nan East Coast, is simply a awesome hub for nan import and export of centrifugal vehicles and workplace equipment. More than 20,000 workers support regular larboard operations, including unionized longshoremen and truckers.

Grants being announced Tuesday see $147 cardinal for nan Maryland Port Administration. The costs will support complete 2,000 jobs by enabling nan acquisition and installation of cargo-handling instrumentality and trucks to modulation nan larboard into a zero-greenhouse-gas-emission facility.

The Maryland larboard is among 55 ports crossed 27 states and territories that will person astir $3 cardinal done nan Clean Ports Program administered by nan Environmental Protection Agency. Ports receiving money see nan Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, nan Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority, nan ports of Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia, arsenic good arsenic Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Oakland, California.

The grants are funded by Biden's landmark climate law approved successful 2022, nan largest finance successful cleanable power successful U.S. history.

During a White House telephone pinch reporters Monday, officials said nan grants besides will beforehand biology justness by reducing diesel aerial contamination from U.S. ports.

“Our ports are nan backbone of our system — captious hubs that support our proviso chain, thrust commerce, create jobs and link america all," said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “But we cannot place nan challenges faced by nan communities that unrecorded and activity adjacent these ports. Too often, these communities look superior aerial value challenges owed to diesel contamination from trucks, ships and different larboard machinery."

Protecting group and nan situation “doesn't travel astatine nan disbursal of a booming economy," Regan said successful an implicit rebuke to erstwhile President Donald Trump and different Republicans who person complained that strict biology regulations inhibit nan economy. “In fact, patient communities and a beardown system spell manus successful hand," Regan said.

The assistance announcements, which travel $31 cardinal successful national costs to rehabilitate a conception of Baltimore's Dundalk Marine Terminal, travel a week aft nan proprietor and head of nan cargo vessel that caused nan deadly span illness agreed to pay much than $102 cardinal successful cleanup costs to settee a suit brought by nan U.S. Justice Department.

The colony does not screen immoderate damages for rebuilding nan bridge, a task that could costs adjacent to $2 billion. The authorities of Maryland has revenge its ain declare seeking those damages, among others.

Funding though nan Clean Ports programme will slash much than 3 cardinal metric tons of planet-warming c dioxide emissions balanced to power usage by astir 400,000 homes for 1 year, Regan said. It besides will trim 12,000 short tons of nitrogen oxides and different harmful pollutants, he said.

John Podesta, elder advisor to nan president for world ambiance policy, said nan grants will thief fulfill a committedness by Biden and Harris to “rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and tackle nan ambiance situation ... and uplift nan communities who’ve borne nan brunt of pollution."

In February, nan EPA announced 2 abstracted backing opportunities for U.S. ports, a title to straight money zero-emission instrumentality and infrastructure and a abstracted title for ambiance alteration and air-quality programs. More than $8 cardinal successful requests from applicants crossed nan state were received.

Vernice Miller-Travis, a longtime advocator for biology justice, hailed nan EPA grants, which travel aft years of complaints by biology and nationalist wellness leaders that harmful contamination from nan nation's ports excessively often was overlooked.

“What an unthinkable infinitesimal this is," she said. “Fifty-five projects, almost $3 cardinal successful funding. This is existent money. And we cognize erstwhile you spot these kinds of investments that you tin really make translator successful section conditions and section operations and successful people’s lives."