Gov. Gregoire, area ports highlight federal recovery money to reduce air pollution

For Immediate Release: July 15, 2009

TACOMA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today joined Bill Deaver, chief executive officer for Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc. at the Port of Tacoma, to celebrate the completion of the first round of projects to reduce diesel emissions at area ports funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

�Thanks to the Obama administration, we have money to create and preserve Washington jobs while protecting the health of our people and our environment,� Gregoire said. �This is another great example of how Washington agencies and companies are using this federal funding as it was meant to be used. We�re keeping people employed while putting in place critical safeguards to make our communities safer.�

With $121,000 in ARRA funds, TOTE retrofitted 25 yard trucks at its Tacoma facility with exhaust devices that will reduce tailpipe particles by up to 65 percent per vehicle. The TOTE project created one position, and funded two additional full-time jobs.

�TOTE is proud to be a partner in the environmentally responsible movement of cargo in and out of the Port of Tacoma,� said Deaver. �Our two ORCA-class ships were the first �green ships� introduced to the Alaska trade, and the ARRA funds made available to us through the hard work of the Washington State Congressional delegation and the governor will allow us to continue our efforts to provide environmentally responsible �green jobs� for South Sound residents while maintaining our commitment to bringing cargo through the Port of Tacoma.�

Eagle Marine Services at the Port of Seattle has also completed work to retrofit 19 yard trucks with the exhaust devices. Total cost for the work completed at both ports is $218,000.

�We know that emissions from diesel-powered engines pose the number one toxic air pollution threat in Washington,� said Stuart Clark, Ecology�s Air Quality Program manager. �Breathing in diesel exhaust hurts healthy people, and causes added health problems for people with asthma, heart disease and lung disease.�

According to a report prepared by staff in the Air Quality Program at Ecology, air pollution contributes to the deaths of about 1,100 people a year in Washington state.

Because of the dangerous health effects of air pollution, and the harm to the environment, Gregoire has been a leader in reducing emissions. Next Tuesday, Gregoire will travel to Washington, D.C., to testify before the Green Jobs & the New Economy Subcommittee of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee on climate change, green jobs and renewable energy.

In all, the state Department of Ecology will distribute $1.2 million in ARRA funds to the ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver USA to reduce diesel emissions. Work is already under way to retrofit 119 pieces of cargo-handling equipment, with work expected to begin soon on an additional 276 pieces of equipment.

�While our communities count on the jobs our region�s ports create, they also expect us to show leadership in moving goods efficiently and environmentally,� Port of Tacoma Commissioner Dick Marzano said. �This investment in upgraded equipment at the Port of Tacoma yields a double dividend.�

�These investments help clean our air,� noted Port of Seattle Commission President Bill Bryant. �They help make our ports more competitive, and cleaner, more competitive ports sustain hundreds of thousands of family-wage jobs across our state.�

�We are committed to being a leader in reducing emissions in the transportation of freight and goods,� said Port of Vancouver USA Commission President Nancy Baker. �We recognize that we share the air with our neighbors, so we are pleased that we received this funding to make the equipment that we have control over cleaner and better for the environment and our neighbors.�

The department will distribute an additional $300,000 to school districts, public utilities, transit authorities and the Washington State Department of Transportation to further reduce emissions. The school districts and transit authorities will add pre-heaters with timers on some bus engines to conserve fuel to warm up on cold days. WSDOT will buy energy-efficient LEDs to replace bulbs in emergency road signs now powered by idling engines. And public utility companies will install control modules with deep-cycle batteries to help power emergency road signs.