Deal will slash emissions from N.Y. & N.J. ports

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, APM Terminals North America, Maher Terminals and Port Newark Container Terminals recently agreed to slash emissions from the Port of New York and New Jersey.

The agreement calls on the Port Authority and port terminal operators to reduce truck idling at the port of Newark and create a new truck traffic management system. It also will provide funding for the replacement of older trucks and potentially $1.5 million in funding from the Port Authority to push terminal operators toward electric cargo handling equipment. The terminal operators will provide a combined $600,000 to Newark for green infrastructure projects, including vegetative barriers and landscaping.

“Diesel pollution from idling trucks can make people sick and damage the environment," EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck said. "It is imperative that trucks, especially in heavily congested port areas, reduce idling. The children of Newark suffer from asthma at a rate three times higher than the state average. These agreements should help relieve the burden.”

The air in Newark’s metropolitan area does not meet air quality standards for smog, posing a serious health risk to the city’s residents.