The goals are part of the draft 2013 update of the Northwest
Ports Clean Air Strategy released June 11.
The 2013 update was developed based on the results of the
2011 Puget Sound Maritime Air Emissions Inventory released in October 2012. The
inventory found maritime-related air pollution has decreased since 2005, with
much of the progress due to voluntary investments of the maritime industry and
government agencies in cleaner technology, cleaner fuels and more efficient
systems of operation.
“The good news is that emissions are down and in this strategy
update we are setting more aggressive goals for the near future,” Port of
Seattle Director of Environmental and Planning Stephanie Jones Stebbins said. “The
draft Strategy Update includes both aggressive reduction goals and
sector-specific actions to meet those goals.”
To develop and implement the 2007 strategy and 2013 strategy
update, the three ports partnered with other government agencies responsible
for protecting air quality in the airshed: the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Washington State Department of Ecology, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Environment
Canada and the political body Metro Vancouver.
The airshed centers on the marine area known as the Salish
Sea and includes the greater Puget Sound area as well as the Strait of Juan de
Fuca, Strait of Georgia, Haro Strait, Boundary Pass, Rosario Strait and other
nearby waterways.
The ports are accepting public comments on the draft
strategy through July 26 via open houses, in-person, mail and online.
Comments can be submitted to the Port of Tacoma online at
www.portoftacoma.com/nwpcas-2013update or by mail at Port of Tacoma, P.O. Box
1837, Tacoma, WA 98401. More information is available at www.portoftacoma.com/nwpcas.
Comments can also be submitted to the Port of Seattle by
email at cleanair@portseattle.org or in writing at PO Box 1209, Seattle WA
98111.
The draft plan can be viewed at http://www.portseattle.org/Environmental/Air/Seaport-Air-Quality/Documents/NWCleanAirUpdate_2013.pdf.
