Comprehensive Environmental Management
WINNER: Port of Long Beach – Green Port Policy
To reduce the port’s impact on the environment, the Port of Long Beach developed the Green Port Policy. The policy consists of five principles for port environmental protection efforts, including protecting the local environment from harmful port impacts and employing technology to minimize them. Implementation of the Green Port Policy has achieved significant, cost-effective environmental benefits, such as the Vessel Speed Reduction Program, which reduces emissions from oceangoing vessel main engines, and the General Soil Cleanup Program that ensures contaminated soils are safely handled and are re-used or disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.
WINNER: Port of Portland – Environmental Programs
With the goal of integrating environmental considerations into the business, the Port of Portland’s Environmental Programs focus on executing the port’s Environmental Management System (EMS). The EMS consists of ten program areas, such as water resources and waste management, which seek to control the port’s environmental aspects and impacts. Each program includes a program manager and team with detailed goals and priorities, and in its five years of implementation, the port’s EMS has enhanced local air quality, reduced hazardous waste generation and conserved water.
Environmental Enhancement
WINNER: Virginia Port Authority – Air Emissions Reduction Program
The Virginia Port Authority’s Air Emissions Reduction Program has achieved a 33% reduction in air emissions over five years due to a change in purchasing strategy. The procedure for acquiring equipment was revised to require all off-road cargo handling equipment to meet the latest EPA emission requirements for on-road engines. In addition, equipment purchasing, maintenance and fuel costs have decreased as a result of the phased vehicle replacement program and specification of more efficient, low emission on-road engines.
HONORABLE MENTION: Port Fourchon – Maritime Forest Ridge and Marsh Restoration Project
Concerned about loss of habitat, Port Fourchon developed a plan to rebuild a natural forest ridge that had been affected by coastal erosion. The Maritime Forest Ridge (MFR) includes 60 acres of marsh as well as 60 acres of ridge habitat, just north of the port. The project will eventually include walking trails, bird identification stations and a coastal ecosystem education center.
Mitigation
WINNER: Port Manatee – Seagrass Mitigation and Management Area
Port Manatee protects manatees and seagrasses on Tampa Bay by prohibiting operation of internal combustion engines within a 480-acre area of surrounding waters, as well as restoring more than five acres of seagrass and adding more than 20 new acres to the mitigation area. The purpose of the Seagrass Mitigation and Management Area is to improve the local ecosystem by protecting manatees, transplanting and protecting seagrasses, and enhancing local environmental points.
