Biden to Award $3 Billion to Boost Climate-Friendly Ports, Including Baltimore
President Joe Biden is set to visit Baltimore’s main port on Tuesday to announce nearly $3 billion in grants aimed at improving and electrifying port infrastructure across the country, The Associated Press reports.
The funding, part of the Biden administration’s efforts to promote clean energy and create union jobs, will support the transition to zero-emission facilities at 55 ports in 27 states and territories.
The Port of Baltimore, a major hub for the import and export of motor vehicles and farm equipment, will receive $147 million through the Clean Ports Program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. The funds will support over 2,000 jobs and facilitate the purchase and installation of cargo-handling equipment and trucks, ultimately transforming the port into a zero-greenhouse-gas-emission facility.
The grants, funded by the landmark climate law passed in 2022, are expected to reduce diesel air pollution at US ports, advancing environmental justice initiatives. The announcement comes a week before Election Day and is intended to highlight the administration’s commitment to clean energy and job creation.
The visit to Baltimore is particularly significant following the deadly bridge collapse in March, which killed six construction workers and disrupted East Coast shipping routes for months. The grants are expected to help modernize the port’s infrastructure and contribute to its long-term resilience.
Other ports receiving funding include the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority, the ports of Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia, as well as Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Oakland, California.
The announcement follows a $31 million federal investment in the rehabilitation of Baltimore’s Dundalk Marine Terminal and comes a week after the owner and manager of the cargo ship responsible for the bridge collapse agreed to pay over $102 million in cleanup costs to settle a lawsuit brought by the US Justice Department.
The settlement, however, does not cover the costs of rebuilding the bridge, which could reach nearly $2 billion. The state of Maryland has filed its own claim seeking damages, among other demands.
