California State Transportation Agency or CalSTA Secretary Toks Omishakin visited the Port of Long Beach June 29 to see how a record-setting state grant from California’s Port and Freight Infrastructure Program is being put into action to support more than 22,000 jobs, reduce emissions and build a modern, sustainable supply chain at the port.
Omishakin, along with officials from the port, state and ILWU Locals 13, 63 and 94 gathered at SSA Terminals’ Pier C facility, a joint venture between SSA Marine and Matson, to celebrate the acquisition of 15 zero-emission, human-operated, American-made yard tractors, associated charging infrastructure and a tugboat repowered to a low-emission engine. The equipment was acquired with help from the Port of Long Beach’s System-Wide Investment in Freight Transport, or SWIFT program.
SWIFT is funded by CalSTA’s historic, $1.3 billion port and freight infrastructure program or PFIP, championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and approved by the state Legislature in response to pandemic-era supply chain disruptions. In 2023, the port received a record $383 million in PFIP grant funding to supercharge multiple zero-emissions projects. The PFIP grant also included more than $158 million to advance the port’s rail support facility at Pier B, which will shift more cargo from trucks to on-dock rail.
The Port of Long Beach reported, in addition to creating thousands of jobs, the funding will advance projects eliminating more than 12% of all carbon dioxide emissions and more than 5% of nitrogen oxide emissions associated with port-related operations annually by 2028.
More than $200 million in PFIP funding funneled through SWIFT is being used for human-operated, zero-emission cargo-handling equipment, charging infrastructure, low-emission harbor craft and shore power expansions. The new, battery-electric, human-operated yard tractors at Pier C were made by Orange EV in Kansas City, Kansas. The vehicles are part of $37.8 million in awards for zero-emissions cargo-handling equipment at Pier C under the SWIFT program. Next year, SSA Terminals is expected to add nine battery electric top handlers and associated infrastructure at Pier C as part of an additional $28.8 million project.
Last week, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners authorized $58.2 million in additional SWIFT funding to purchase additional zero-emissions human-operated cargo-handling equipment, cleaner harbor craft and a zero-emissions locomotive.
The award will allow tenants and operators to acquire 61 zero-emissions human-operated cargo-handling equipment units along with 21 charging units, deploy six zero-emissions harbor craft and five cleaner harbor craft that displace older diesel engines, and advance one zero-emissions locomotive. The Port of Long Beach – with 21% of its cargo-handling fleet zero-emissions, has one of the largest such fleets in the nation.