The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) was the recipient of a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at a recently held event at Massport’s Conley Container facility in South Boston. The EPA awarded $82,800 to Massport to reduce pollution in diesel vehicles.

Massport's $82,800 grant will be used to install oxidation catalysts on a total of 36 land-based diesel vehicles including tractors and reach stackers used at Conley Terminal and delivery trucks operating in South Boston. The grant further reinforces Massport’s prior clean air initiatives including its wide-spread use of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel on its marine terminal. Already, more than 100 vehicles and pieces of equipment use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and more than 12 vehicles are equipped with diesel oxidation catalysts.

“You often hear that successful companies are those that do more with less, “ said Craig P. Coy, CEO Massport. “Well, successful, environmentally responsible companies are also those that do more to use less. Thanks to this grant program and the vehicles it will help retrofit, the EPA is helping Massport achieve our goal of enhancing economic opportunity in a way that protects clean air and preserves our natural resources.”

Diesel oxidation catalysts reduce particulate matter emissions by at least 20 percent, hydrocarbon emissions by 50 percent, and carbon monoxide emissions by 40 percent.

The grant is part of EPA's national Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Program that was started to help communities reduce pollution from diesel vehicles. In May 2004, EPA made available $1.5 million in grant funds to benefit sensitive populations - children, the elderly, and the chronically ill - who are more susceptible to the effects of diesel exhaust. EPA received 83 applications from across the country. Massport and the Cambridge-MIT collaborative are among the 18 projects selected for funding.

“Massport has been aggressive in its commitments to operate all of its facilities in an environmentally sound manner,” said Mike Leone, Massport’s director of the port. “We are proud to be one of a few projects selected by the EPA to participate in the Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Program.”

Massport is now seeking interest from local trucking companies who would like to partner with them in this clean air initiative and that have a solid record of environmental responsibility.

Last year, Massport’s Conley Terminal earned the distinction of being the first maritime property to have successfully developed an environmental management system (EMS) and be certified under the ISO-14001 standard. Further, Conley is only the second marine terminal in the country to attain this certification.

According to the EPA, these grants will add to the suite of activities underway in the Boston area to address pollution from diesel engines. Under the auspices of a growing coalition, called Greater Boston Breathes Better (GB3), numerous businesses, government agencies, and others are working collaboratively to find innovative ways to reduce pollution from transportation and construction

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