Port of Seattle - A Collaborative Emission Reduction Success Story

Abstract

Air emissions associated with port operations that impact local and regional air quality can be reduced through voluntary cooperative efforts. In 2007, several Puget Sound ports, regulatory agencies, and other organizations published the 2005 Puget Sound Maritime Air Emissions Inventory. A similar inventory was developed in British Columbia at about the same time. Following the publication of both inventories, Port Metro Vancouver, the Port of Seattle, and the Port of Tacoma (the Ports), along with affiliated regulatory agencies, used these inventories to produce the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy (the Strategy) to manage and reduce port-related air emissions, mainly from diesel fuel combustion. Voluntary emission reduction initiatives and potential actions are defined in the Strategy for six sectors [rail, trucks, ocean-going vessels (OGV), cargo-handling equipment (CHE), harbor craft, and port administration]. Air emission reduction goals were set with near-term and long-term milestone years of 2010 and 2015, respectively. While the strategy outlines shared performance measures, each port is implementing emission reduction programs appropriate to its operations. In 2012, updated inventories were published which illustrate the successful results of emission reduction efforts. The updated emission inventories are now a foundation for an update of the Strategy with 2015 and 2020 goals.