California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $1.5 billion in port infrastructure upgrades Thursday, including $450 million to fund zero-emission locomotives, vessels and vehicles at some of the West Coast’s largest shipping container ports.
“No other state has a supply chain as critical to the national and global economy as California,” Newsom said in a statement. “These investments — unprecedented in scope and scale — will modernize our ports, reduce pollution, eliminate bottlenecks and create a more dynamic distribution network.”
The money will finance 28 projects that together will create an estimated 20,000 jobs, the statement said.
“The historic level of state funding also puts these projects in a stronger position to compete for significant federal infrastructure dollars from the Biden-Harris administration,” California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said during an event announcing the awards Thursday at the Port of Long Beach.
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles — among the three busiest container shipping ports in the U.S., according to maritime information website Marine Insight — are trying to convert to zero-emission operations in coming years.
As part of the grants, the Port of Long Beach was awarded more than $383 million to help modernize its freight transport system at the port and in surrounding communities, the California State Transportation Agency said in its summary of the projects.
The funding will pay for the development of a battery plug-in tugboat and up to 12 long-haul and switching zero-emission locomotives. It also will finance nine hydrogen fuel cell “top handlers” to stack and move freight containers and 44 pieces of zero-emission equipment to replace diesel tractors, forklifts and other heavy equipment, the agency said.
A $46 million grant to the Port of Stockton will fund a zero-emission electric railcar mover. And more than $15 million will help expand Sierra Northern Railway’s efforts to develop and demonstrate hydrogen-powered switching locomotives to serve the Port of West Sacramento.
The Port of Oakland, the largest container port in Northern California, will receive more than $103 million for its modernization efforts. The money will help pay for battery-electric tractor rigs and charging stations, hydrogen fuel cell top handlers and a battery storage system.
“We look forward to our continued partnership with Secretary Omishakin in building an Oakland seaport for the next generation that uses clean, zero-emissions energy like electricity and hydrogen,” Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan said in a statement.