Project Grant 02F60101

DESCRIPTION:THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FEDERAL FUNDING UNDER THE UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (USEPA) DIESEL EMISSIONS REDUCTION ACT (DERA) OF 2010 FOR ENGINE RETROFIT ACTIVITIES TO THE PORT OF HOUSTON AUTHORITY (PHA) LOCATED IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. SPECIFICALLY, THE RECIPIENT WILL RETROFIT EIGHT (8) OF THE PORT OF HOUSTON AUTHORITY'S (PHA) RUBBER TIRE GANTRY CRANES (RTGS) AT ITS BARBOURS CUT TERMINAL IN HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS TO REDUCE EMISSIONS OF DIESEL PARTICULATE MATTER, NITROGEN OXIDES, AND EXPOSURE TO DIESEL AIR TOXICS . THE RETROFIT WILL UPGRADE EXISTING TRADITIONAL DIESEL ENGINES WITH HYBRID DIESEL-ELECTRIC MOTORS. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT WILL RESULT IN MORE SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS AT PHA, IMPROVED AIR QUALITY AROUND PORT FACILITIES AND IN THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES PARTICULARLY FOR DIESEL PARTICULATE MATTER, NITROGEN OXIDES AND DIESEL AIR TOXICS, AND A DECREASE IN PHA'S OVERALL CARBON FOOTPRINT. BARBOURS CUT TERMINAL CURRENTLY HAS 50 RTGS IN OPERATION, 20 PERCENT OF WHICH UTILIZE HYBRID DIESEL-ELECTRIC MOTORS. THE PROJECT'S RETROFIT OF 8 EXISTING DIESEL MOTOR POWERED RTGS WITH HYBRID DIESEL-ELECTRIC MOTORS IN 2025, PROCURED WITH FUNDING FROM THE DERA PROGRAM, WOULD INCREASE THE NUMBER OF RTGS AT BARBOURS CUT TERMINAL TO A TOTAL OF 32 OR 64 PERCENT. DIESEL ENGINE RETROFITS ARE ONE OF THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS FOR REDUCING DIESEL ENGINE EMISSIONS. RETROFITS INCLUDE ENGINE EXHAUST AFTER-TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES, SUCH AS DIESEL OXIDATION CATALYSTS, DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTERS, CLOSED CRANKCASE VENTILATION SYSTEMS AND SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION SYSTEMS. PHA IS RETROFITTING OLDER, HEAVY-DUTY DIESEL VEHICLES THAT WILL NOT BE RETIRED FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND ARE GOOD CANDIDATES FOR VERIFIED RETROFIT TECHNOLOGIES. THESE RETROFIT ACTIVITIES WILL OCCUR AT PHA'S BARBOURS CUT TERMINAL, THE LARGEST CONTAINER PORT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. IT IS LOCATED BETWEEN THE COMMUNITIES OF LA PORTE AND MORGAN'S POINT IN HARRIS COUNTY, ALONG THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL ON GALVESTON BAY, AND IS APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DOWNTOWN HOUSTON. BARBOURS CUT TERMINAL IS LOCATED IN A CENSUS TRACT THAT MEETS THE FEDERAL DESIGNATION OF PERSISTENT POVERTY, AS DOES THE ADJACENT CENSUS TRACT COMPRISED OF MOST OF THE COMMUNITY OF MORGAN'S POINT. BOTH NEIGHBORING MORGAN'S POINT AND LA PORTE HAVE BEEN ASSESSED BY THE EPA TO BE IN THE HIGHER PERCENTILES NATIONALLY FOR A NUMBER OF AIR-BORNE POLLUTION-BASED DISADVANTAGES. THESE TWO COMMUNITIES ARE THE MOST AFFECTED BY THE OPERATIONS OF BARBOURS CUT TERMINAL, AND THUS WOULD BE THE MOST IMMEDIATE BENEFICIARIES OF IMPROVED AIR QUALITY WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT. HARRIS COUNTY IS A DESIGNATED COUNTY ON THE UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY DIESEL EMISSION REDUCTION ACT (DERA) 2023 PRIORITY AREA LIST. THESE AREAS WERE IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITY LOCATIONS FOR THE DERA PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY ARE DESIGNATED AS NONATTAINMENT AREAS OR MAINTENANCE AREAS FOR CERTAIN NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS. HARRIS COUNTY HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A NONATTAINMENT AREA OR MAINTENANCE AREA FOR THE FOLLOWING AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS: - OZONE (O3) 2008 STANDARD (8 HOUR: 0.075PPM), - OZONE (O3) 2015 STANDARD (8 HOUR: 0.070PPM), AND - 2019 AIR TOXIC SCREENING ASSESSMENT ABOVE THE 80TH PERCENTILE FOR CENSUS TRACTS NATIONWIDE. USE OF FUNDS FOR THIS PROJECT THUS IS CONSISTENT WITH DERA PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. THE GRANT ACTIVITIES WILL RESULT IN EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS AT A GOODS MOVEMENT FACILITY THAT IS LOCATED WITHIN A FEDERALLY DESIGNATED NON-ATTAINMENT AREA. THE BARBOURS CUT TERMINAL IS ADJACENT TO COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IN HIGHER PERCENTILES NATIONALLY FOR NUMEROUS AIR-BORNE, POLLUTION-BASED DISADVANTAGES. THE PROJECT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE OUTCOMES SOUGHT BY A COMMUNITY-BASED, MULTI-STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATIVE PROCESS TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY; AND IS COST EFFECTIVE IN TERMS IN HEALTH BENEFITS, EMISSIONS REDUCTION, AND FUEL SAV