Community/Public Involvement Award
PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY
“Cargo Handling Equipment Inventory Update”
In 2004, the Port Commerce Department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey updated its cargo handling equipment emissions inventory in order to determine whether air emissions from the 2004 off-road fleets of its five terminal operators had improved since originally measured in 2002. In contrast to the 2002 inventory, which had been undertaken to demonstrate conformity for harbor deepening projects, the 2004 inventory was a voluntary project that required the buy-in and support of the Port Authority’s five terminal operators. Reporting information was kept confidential among the tenants, and terminals were not linked to specific pieces of equipment or emissions estimates. The inventory demonstrated that while the number of pieces in the terminal operators’ offroad fleets has increased by 19% since 2002, overall emissions estimates for NOx, VOCs, CO, PM and SO2 have decreased significantly because of fleet modernization voluntarily undertaken by the Port Authority’s tenants.
Comprehensive Environmental Management Award
PORT OF PORTLAND
“Checking and Corrective Action Program”
As part of its port-wide environmental management system, the Port of Portland established an Environmental Checking and Corrective Action (CCA) Program in 2001, with baseline audits of 15 port facilities. The CCA Program ensures that the Port’s regulatory and policy obligations are met and that recommendations for improvements of environmental performance are implemented. Each audit cycle builds on the previous one, so continuous improvement is a key part of the process. The CCA Program has enabled the Port to consistently and reliably identify potential environmental issues on a regular basis, rather than an ad-hoc basis, and ensure that corrective steps are taken to remedy any issues that are identified.
Environmental Enhancement Award
PORT OF SEATTLE
“Shilsole Bay Marina Clean and ‘Green’ Best Management Practices”
Bringing together marina staff, customers, tenants and the public, the Port of Seattle implemented Clean and “Green” Best Management Practices (BMPs) at its Shilsole Bay Marina in 2003. Created with the goal of achieving zero discharges to the environment, the BMPs provide guidance on preventing and reducing air and water pollution, as well as reducing and recycling solid and hazardous waste. The Port has undertaken a significant education campaign to ensure that tenants and customers abide by the BMPs. Additionally, the Port enforces the BMPs through quarterly compliance monitoring and regular “deck walks” by marina staff to check for items or practices that are non-compliant. Since implementation of the BMPs, biodiesel fuel sales have grown from approximately 1,000 gallons in 2001-2002 to 15,300 gallons in 2004-2005, and the marina has had to increase the frequency of its regularly scheduled pickups of recycled and hazardous materials and bilge and oily water, in order to accommodate the growing use of its recycling and disposal programs.
Mitigation Award
PORT OF BELLINGHAM
“Weldcraft Boatyard Cleanup and Redevelopment”
As the Port of Bellingham sought to mitigate habitat impacts caused by the clean-up and redevelopment of a vacant and dilapidated boatyard, it created a two-acre marine habitat bench by beneficially re-using dredge spoils from maintenance dredging of a nearby federal channel. After removing contaminated sediment and derelict structures on the land and in the water at the Weldcraft Boatyard site, the Port worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct a habitat bench in an area identified as a high-priority habitat restoration site by a multi-agency work that comprises 12 different federal, state, local and tribal agencies. This mitigation went beyond the project’s compensation requirements by one acre. By undertaking the clean-up and redevelopment of the Weldcraft Boatyard, the Port not only removed contaminated sediment and creosote-treated timber and pilings, but it also created a habitat bench for herring and salmon. A new tenant now occupies the remediated site, offering marine restoration and maintenance services to more than 1,400 moorage customers.
