Provide united states environmental protection agency (USEPA) funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the port of corpus christi authority (PCCA) located in corpus christi, texas

This $120,196,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Ports Program (CFDA 66.051) will support the Port of Corpus Christi Authority (PCCA) in Corpus Christi, Texas to improve air quality and reduce pollution through the deployment of zero-emission (ZE) equipment and infrastructure. Specifically, the funding will be used to procure 3 ZE tugboats, 2 ZE locomotives, 8 ZE forklifts, 1 ZE sweeper, and 8 charging stations. The project also includes a shore power retrofit, procurement of safety equipment, workforce training, and community engagement activities. The goal is to transition PCCA's freight mobility operations across waterborne, roadway, and rail modalities to ZE technologies, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants in the surrounding disadvantaged communities.

Description

The purpose of this award is to provide united states environmental protection agency (USEPA) funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the port of corpus christi authority (PCCA) located in corpus christi, texas. Specifically, the recipient will improve air quality and reduce pollution at the PCCA and in the surrounding disadvantaged fenceline communities located in nueces and SAN patricio counties through the deployment of an array of zero-emission (ZE) equipment and infrastructure at the port's three freight mobility modalities: waterborne, roadway, and rail. By way of this funding opportunity, PCCA will make measurable progress in its transition to fully ZE operations in each of the three modes that today include internal combustion engines and to catalyze equivalent transition in municipal and privately-owned fleets. Internal combustion engines (ICES) operating on fossil fuel oil can be a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change and global warming. ICES emit three of the most common greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases contribute to climate change by trapping heat in the earth's atmosphere. The combustion of fuel in the ICES also produces sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide, which react with water to form acids that are harmful to the ecosystem and human breathing. The ZE equipment to be purchased with this grant include: 3 ZE tugboats, 2 ZE locomotives, 8 ZE forklifts, 1 ZE sweeper, and 8 charging stations (6 landslide charging stations and 2 tugboat charging stations). This project also includes procurement of a shore power retrofit hardware package for the newest, most versatile liquids terminal at an existing PCCA dock, procurement of 4 safety blankets, training of PCCA's workforce, and conducting community engagement activities. PCCA has determinedmdash; by way of emissions inventories conducted every three yearsmdash; that vessels are the largest contributor to mobile source emissions within the port. Creation of this hub will enable the port to transition to clean hydrogen, where appropriate, as a 'hub alternate' in the united states department of energy (DOE) horizons clean hydrogen hub program. The purpose of this DOE program is to create networks of hydrogen producers, consumers, and local connective infrastructure to accelerate the use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier that can deliver or store tremendous amounts of energy. If produced using renewable sources, hydrogen can be burned like oil and gas but releases no climate-warming carbon dioxide - only water. With this grant, PCCA also is committed to reduce emissions of criteria air pollutants with a focus on quality of place and health outcomes in disadvantaged fence line communities. Nueces and SAN patricio counties (project location) are in attainment status with USEPA's national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and ozone but both counties have multiple census tracts identified as disadvantaged by the climate and economic justice screening tool (CEJST) and that rank above the 90TH percentile in several CEJST supplemental index areas. The project area incorporates or abuts 13 areas of persistent poverty (APP) or historically disadvantaged communities (HDC) that will directly benefit from emissions reductions derived from ZE technology deployment at PCCA. The port's commitment in making such reductions is codified in the quantitative performance targets within their environmental policy and their role in establishing and underwriting the coastal bend air quality partnership. This partnership is a non-profit corporation that collaborates with local and regional stakeholders to voluntarily reduce air pollution to ensure compliance with the USEPA's national ambient air quality