Older diesel-powered equipment including forklifts, yard tractors, other heavy cargo machinery, and 44 dray trucks at the Port of Baltimore will soon be replaced with newer and cleaner equipment options as part of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). The Port of Baltimore announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contributed $1.8 million grant towards the initiative this week in conjunction with the EPA’s Clean Diesel Program.

“This EPA grant will help us continue cleaning the air around the Port of Baltimore,” said Governor Larry Hogan.  “Working with our federal partners, the Port is showing how to be a responsible steward of the environment and, at the same time, break cargo records, grow business and expand jobs for Marylanders.”

“We are proud of the Port’s continued leadership on cleaner and greener solutions and appreciate the support of EPA and Congress,” said Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles. “These investments are important for Maryland’s steady progress on clean air, public health and climate change.”

Beyond the DERA, the grant provides dual-support for the Port of Baltimore’s Diesel Equipment Upgrade Program. The ten-plus year program has been successful in replacing a total of more than 200 dray trucks, 110 pieces of cargo-handling equipment and repowered 10 marine engines and retrofitted 16 locomotive engines.  Reductions resulting from this initiative include 3,304 tons of nitrogen oxide, 922 tons of carbon monoxide, 165 tons of particulate matter and 141 tons of hydrocarbons.

“Through initiatives like our Diesel Equipment Upgrade Program and EPA’s Clean Diesel Program, we have reduced pollutants in the air around the Port by more than 10,000 tons in the past 12 years,” said David Thomas, acting executive director of the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA).