News Releases from Headquarters›Air and Radiation (OAR)

EPA, Port Everglades Report Shines Light on New Methods for Analyzing Potential Air Pollution Reductions

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Broward County’s Port Everglades in Florida (the Port) are releasing a first-of-its-kind collaborative report titled EPA and Port Everglades Partnership: Emission Inventories and Reduction Strategies. The report describes how EPA and the Port developed baseline and future year emission inventories for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM), and other harmful pollutants that result from typical port operations.  The report evaluates the potential emissions reduction benefits of deploying cleaner technologies and more efficient operational strategies.  

“Port Everglades has exhibited extraordinary leadership by stepping up to be the first U.S. port to collaborate with us on this innovative project,” said Bill Wehrum, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. “The results of our work will provide a strong foundation for making informed decisions as well as a template and lessons learned for other ports to use.”

“Partnering with the EPA gives us confidence that we are using up-to-date and accurate air emissions data as we plan for future growth and expansion,” said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Steve Cernak. “The collaboration with EPA has provided an excellent way for us to support our commitment to environmental stewardship along with our cruise and cargo customers.”
 
The report analyzes how hypothetical voluntary strategies such as reduced idling and deployment of cleaner diesel and electric technologies can cut pollution from existing and expanded port operations.  For example, at Port Everglades, the potential of replacing older harbor craft engines with cleaner diesel engines could result in a 15–25 percent reduction in PM emissions in 2025, while replacing older cargo handling equipment with advanced technologies or alternative fuels could reduce NOx emissions by 21–76 percent in 2035. Through this effort, EPA also developed a separate modeling analysis of potential strategies for reducing emissions in transportation corridors outside of the Port.   

Additional Background

Ports are critical to the United States economy and serve as gateways to transport cargo, fuel, and passengers around the globe.  EPA’s Ports Initiative supports collaboration with port industry, communities, and all levels of government to improve environmental performance, reduce health impacts from diesel emissions, and increase economic prosperity.

Port Everglades is one of the top three busiest cruise ports in the world, one of the nation’s leading container ports, and South Florida’s main seaport for receiving petroleum products.  

For more information on EPA’s Ports Initiative and to access the report, visit https://www.epa.gov/ports-initiative/epa-and-port-everglades-partnership-emission-inventories-and-reduction-strategies.

For more information on Port Everglades, visit https://www.porteverglades.net.