Page 27 - Port of Baltimore - Issue 3 - 2024

Clockwise from above: Latino Conservation Day (photo by National Aquarium); Masonville Cove WildSTEM summer internship program (photo
by Masonville Cove); MPA’s Katrina Jones (left) with Women’s Traffic & Transportation Club (WTTC) President Karen Bush-Brown (photo by WTTC).
REPORT: Cargo Up,
Emissions Down
The Maryland Port Administration (MPA) has focused on being a good environmental steward for decades, with a proven track record of reducing criteria air pollutants (CAPs) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Programs such as the Port’s Dray Truck Replacement Program —
which helps truck owners replace older diesel models with newer ones using funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s DERA program and Maryland’s Volkswagen mitigation agreement in coordination with the Maryland Department of
the Environment — are making a difference.
Recently, the Maryland General Assembly enacted the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, one of the most ambitious climate laws in the country, setting new statewide emission requirements, as well as specific market sector requirements. Specifically, the Act calls for Maryland to reduce GHG emissions by 60% by 2031 and requires the state to achieve net-zero statewide GHG emissions by 2045.
A recent report prepared by Anchor QEA, LLC finds that MPA’s “emissions in most categories have notably decreased since 2016, while activity has generally remained constant or slightly increased in some cases.”
SCAN THE QR CODE
to read the report
and learn more about considerations to reduce additional emissions in the future.
November 2023
Maryland Port Administration
2020 Criteria Air Pollutant and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
Summary Report
Prepared for Maryland Port Administration (MPA)
Guests were delighted at the sights and sounds on Hart-Miller Island, Masonville Cove and Cox Creek. Among the sightings at the three sites were 229 species, including tundra swan, trumpeter swan, king rail, black- bellied plover, bay-breasted warbler, common tern, bald eagle, little blue heron, marsh wren, and over a hundred bobolinks gracefully flying overhead.
Youth Birding Week
Masonville Cove welcomed its second cohort of curious young birders for July’s Youth Birding Week. Five days of fun festivities included hawk watches, owl prowls and birding walks. The children spotted the trumpeter swan family at Hart- Miller Island, banded osprey chicks, and saw the rare (in Maryland) roseate spoonbill at Poplar Island.
OUTREACH
Opportunities Abound
From internships to career summits, MPA partnered with other organiza- tions to open doors for the next gener- ation of Port and conservation leaders, a critical component of the DMMP’s commitment to environmental justice.
MPA, Harbor City Links and Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School hosted the Masonville Cove WildSTEM summer internship program. Students of Historically Black Colleges and Universities
explored the diverse field of envi- ronmental conservation careers and networked with high-level staff at Brown Advisory and MES.
The Harbor City Links also presented careers in WildSTEM, sustainability and maritime
industries to students from Coppin State University and Morgan State University. The event was hosted at Brown Advisory and organized by Harbor City Links and Masonville Cove Partnerships in collaboration with the National Wildlife Federation.
Additionally, BPA hosted its largest hiring expo to date when 250 job seekers attended the Spring 2023 Hiring & Career Expo at the Community College of Baltimore County Dundalk Campus. Attendees had the opportunity to learn and connect with employers from the maritime, transportation and logistics industries.
Katrina Jones: WTTC Person of the Year
MPA congratulates Program Manager for Education and Stakeholder Engagement Katrina Jones, who received the prestigious “Person of the Year” award from the Women’s Traffic & Transportation Club of Baltimore. Jones has been with the Port for more than 30 years and has done great work in surrounding communities. In 2022, she also received the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Environmental Hero Award.