Grant Awards: Baltimore, Canaveral

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently made available a $750,000 grant for the Port of Baltimore’s Dray Truck Replacement Program, effectively extending the program through March 2016. The Canaveral Harbor Inlet Sand Bypass Project has earned the top state ranking for 2014-2015 inlet management funding.

Baltimore: EPA Grant for Truck Replacement Program 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently made available a $750,000 grant for the Port of Baltimore’s Dray Truck Replacement Program, effectively extending the program through March 2016. The current program allows owners and operators of short-haul dray trucks to purchase newer, cleaner trucks that meet or exceed 2010 EPA emission certified engine standards. Dray trucks are large diesel trucks used to haul freight from port facilities to nearby local distribution points. The grant was part of $4.2 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Act grants awarded by the EPA to six U.S. ports across the country. The grant will help Baltimore replace at least 22 dray trucks.

Since it began in 2012, the program has facilitated the replacement of 82 older dray trucks with cleaner models, resulting in annual reductions of approximately 90 tons of nitrogen oxides, 24 tons of carbon monoxide, four tons of particulate matter, and three and a half tons of hydrocarbons.

Applications for the program will be prioritized by the age of the truck and the number of trips it takes to and from the Port of Baltimore. Replacement truck engines cannot be older than 2010 models. A further stipulation requires the scrapping of the vehicle being replaced to ensure that it is no longer emitting pollutants.


Dray trucks at Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal.
Photo/Maryland Port Administration

Canaveral Tops State List for Sand Bypass Funding

The Canaveral Harbor Inlet Sand Bypass Project has earned the top state ranking for 2014-2015 inlet management funding. As a result, Port Canaveral is expected to receive $100,500 in grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for beach renourishment.

To date, Port Canaveral has spent more than $2 million on the sand bypass and related beach restoration projects, leveraging more than $2.2 million in additional funds and more than $45 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Since 1992, these funds have been used to develop and implement the transfer of 4.0 million cubic yards of sand from the north side of the inlet to the beaches south it, raise and extend the inlet's jetties to retain beach sand, re-establish sand dunes, improvements to Jetty Park, ensure the return of sand dredged from the inlet to the near-shore seabed, and establish the Brevard County Federal Shore Protection (Beach Restoration) Project. As a result, the dunes and beach shorelines extending 10 miles south of the port have been restored to the condition and width observed in the early 1950s.

"We recognize the importance of our beaches to Brevard County and the state's economy," said Port Canaveral CEO John E. Walsh. "That's why we continue to work locally and at the state and federal levels to identify the resources needed to protect our valuable resource."