Clean Ports Program 'Fast Facts'
What is the Clean Ports Program?
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides EPA with $3 billion to fund zero-
emission port equipment and infrastructure, as well as climate and air quality planning,
at U.S. ports. This historic investment will improve air quality at ports and surrounding
communities, help combat climate change, and support meaningful community
engagement.
The goals of the Clean Ports Program are to:
1. Build a foundation for the port sector to transition over time to fully zero-emissions
operations, positioning ports to serve as a catalyst for transformation change across
the freight sector.
2. Reduce diesel pollution (criteria pollutants, GHGs, and air toxics) in near-port
communities, especially those with environmental justice concerns.
a; 3. Help ensure that meaningful community engagement and emissions reduction
planning are port industry standard practices.
There are two funding opportunities being announced, one that supports zero-emission
equipment and infrastructure and the other that supports climate and air quality
planning activities:
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The Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition ("ZE Technology
Competition") will fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure to reduce
mobile source emissions (criteria pollutants, air toxics, and/or greenhouse gases) at
U.S. ports, delivering cleaner air for communities across the country. Approximately
$2.8 billion is available.
• The Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition ("Planning Competition")
will fund climate and air quality planning activities at U.S. ports; including emissions
inventories, strategy analysis, community engagement, and resiliency measure
identification, all of which will build the capacity of port stakeholders to continue
to reduce pollution and transition to zero-emissions (ZE) operations over time.
Approximately $150 million is available.
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Who is eligible to apply?
For both NOFOs, the eligible applicants are:
• Port authorities
• State, regional, local, or Tribal agencies that have jurisdiction over a port authority or port
• Air pollution control agencies
• Private entities that:
- Apply in partnership with an eligible entity above, and
- Own, operate, or use facilities, cargo-handling equipment, transportation equipment, or
related technology of a port.
What are the eligible activities?
Eligible activities for the Planning Competition include:
• Emissions inventory and accounting practices (one or more required)
• Stakeholder collaboration and communication, including workforce planning analysis, with a
focus on near-port communities
• Strategy analysis and goal-setting
• Resiliency planning
Eligible expenses for the ZE Technology Competition include:
• ZE Mobile Equipment that Serves a Port
- Cargo handling equipment (e.g., terminal tractors, forklifts, top handlers, side picks,
straddle carriers)
- Drayage trucks
- Locomotives and railcar movers
- Harbor craft and other vessels (e.g., commercial and Tribal fishing vessels, tugs, ferries, patrol
boats, workboats, dredges, pilot boats, barges)
• ZE Infrastructure Serving Mobile Equipment
- Shore power for marine vessels
- Electric charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure as well as battery energy storage systems
serving port equipment purchased as part of the applicant's grant award
- Solar and wind power generation systems that are installed to primarily power mobile
equipment, including port equipment purchased as part of the applicant's grant award
• ZE Technology Deployment Support Activities
- Project-specific public engagement
- Safety planning, operational planning, workforce training, and protocol development
- Project management, administrative costs, and performance monitoring
- Collection and analysis of in-use operational data to optimize/refine ZE technology
implementation
- Infrastructure testing
- Permit application
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All projects must focus on or serve a water port or dry port as defined below:
• Water Port: places on land alongside navigable water (e.g., oceans, rivers, or lakes) with one
or more facilities in close proximity for the loading and unloading of passengers or cargo from
ships, ferries, and other commercial vessels. This includes facilities that support non-commercial
Tribal fishing operations.
• Dry Port: an intermodal truck-rail facility that is included in the 2024 Federal Highway
Administration's (FHWA) Intermodal Connector Database based on meeting the criteria set in
23 CFR 470. These criteria include having more than 50,000 20-foot equivalent units per year or
100 trucks per day, or comprising more than 20 percent of freight volumes handled by any mode
within a State.
Please see the NOFOs for more details on eligible and ineligible activities, including what would
not qualify as "serving a port" for the ZE Technology Competition. A list of eligible dry port
facilities is available on the Clean Ports Program website.
When is the application period?
Both Clean Ports Program NOFOs opened on February 28th, 2024, and will remain open until
May 28th, 2024.
For both competitions, the EPA requests submittal of an optional informal notice of an Intent
to Apply by March 28, 2024 to cleanports@epa.gov. Please use the subject line "Notice of Intent
to Apply: Zero-Emission Technology Deployment" or "Notice of Intent to Apply: Climate and
Air Quality Planning." Please include in the body of the email the name of the applicant, the
estimated dollar amount of the anticipated funding request, and a sentence or two summarizing
the project (if known). Submission of Intent to Apply is optional and non-binding.
What are the grant funding levels and anticipated number of awards?
Under the Planning Competition, the EPA anticipates awarding approximately $ 150 million
total to 50 to 70 grants or cooperative agreements, subject to the availability of funds, the quantity
and quality of applications received, Agency priorities, and other applicable considerations. The
amount of federal funding requested per application must be at least $200,000 and must not
exceed $3,000,000. Awardees are not required to provide a cost share/matching funds.
Under the ZE Technology Competition, the EPA anticipates awarding approximately $2.8 billion
total to 32 to 90 grants or cooperative agreements, subject to the availability of funds, the quantity
and quality of applications received, Agency priorities, and other applicable considerations. The
EPA expects to award grants within three tiers in the ZE Technology Competition, based on project
size and applicant type. Please see details of these three tiers in the table below, including awardee
cost share/match requirements:
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Grant ranges and match requirements for ZETechnology Deployment Competition
Tier
Port Type
Applicant
Type
EPA Funding
Range per
Award
EPA Share
of Total
Project Cost
(Maximum)
Mandatory
Applicant
Share
of Total
Project Cost
(Minimum)
Anticipated
Number of
Awards
Tier A
Water ports
only
Any eligible
entity
$150,000,000 -
$500,000,000
80%
20%
5-10
Tier B
Water or
dry ports
Any eligible
entity
$10,000,000 -
$149,999,999
(projects
at small
water ports:
$5,000,000 -
$149,999,999)
90%
10%
25-70
Tier C
Water or
dry ports
Tribal
applicants
only
$2,000,000 -
$50,000,000
100%
0%
2-10
For territory applicants (the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands), up to $5 million of the applicant cost share will be waived, in
accordance with the policies of the Omnibus Territories Act.
To ensure geographic and port type diversity, the EPA plans to award (subject to the quantity and
quality of applications):
• a minimum of one award in each of the EPA's ten Regions under each Competition,
• at least $250 million in ZE Technology projects and at least 10 Planning projects at small water
ports,
• at least two ZE Technology projects and at least two Planning projects implemented by Tribal
agencies, and
• ZE Technology and Planning projects at both water and dry ports (with a maximum of $250
million total in ZE Technology projects at dry ports).
Please see the NOFOs for more details on the number and amounts of awards.
How will applications be evaluated?
Applications will be evaluated based on a number of criteria, including:
• Environmental Justice, Justice40 and Nonattainment Areas: EPA will award priority points for
projects in disadvantaged communities that have nonattainment and/or air toxics concerns. EPA
will also award priority points for meaningful community engagement activities before applying,
during the project, and for efforts to ensure engagement after project completion.
• Workforce and Labor: EPA will award priority points for projects that support high-quality jobs
and workforce training.
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• Partnerships and Coordination with Complementary initiatives: EPA will award priority points
for applicants with partners to effectively implement the project, and for coordination with other
programs or larger initiatives to support the project and broader program goals.
• See each NOFO for more details on these and other evaluation criteria, including those related to
Project Summary and Approach, Environmental Results, and Budget.
How to apply:
Application packages must be submitted electronically to the EPA through Grants.gov (www.grants.
gov) no later than May 28, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) in order to be considered for
funding. For more information, please visit the Clean Ports Program website: https://www.epa.gov/
ports-initiative/ cleanports
What if I have additional questions about the program?
The EPA will provide answers to Frequently Asked Questions by periodically updating a Questions
and Answers document on our Clean Ports Program website: https://www.epa.gov/ports-
initiative/ cleanports. If you have additional questions, please email cleanports@epa.gov. The
deadline to submit questions is May 6, 2024.
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