Page 15 - Port of Baltimore - Issue 4 - 2024

Clean Sweep
for Clean Air
Thanks to federal funding, the Maryland Port Administration’s (MPA) street and pavement clean
efforts will be powered by cleaner energy. MPA r
e
d
$642,258 for a new electric, zero-emissions stree
sweeper, as well as for research to reduce engine
id
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n
g
at the Port from the U.S. Department of Transpor
t
a
t
Federal Highway Administration’s Reduction of Tr
u
c
k
powered Port equipment with newer electric models, MPA continues
Emissions at Port Facilities (RTEPF) Grant Program
.
“As a good neighbor, community member and
employer, we strive every day to achieve a cleane
er and healthier environment,” said MPA Environmental
Manager Cindy Hudson. “Our new electric street sweeper will replace an older diesel-powered model. As we continue to collect trash and prevent it from entering our waterways, now we can do so with zero emissions.”
MPA will also use the funding to determine the
Poplar Island Marsh Study
Provides Global Insight
Funded by the Maryland Port Administration, researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the University of South Carolina and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration studied seven marshes at The Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island that were developed from 2003 to 2018.
Their findings reveal that the Poplar Island marshes, which were built with dredged material from shipping channels to the Port of Baltimore, are keeping up with the pace of local rising sea levels.
A key design factor that has made the marshes more resilient to climate change is establishing the low marsh with an initial elevation on the high side of the optimal elevation for vegetation growth. A recommendation from the study suggests that to help promote resiliency, wetland designs should reduce the acre- ages that are
developed as low
marsh versus high
marsh (marsh
built at a higher
elevation and
including less tidal
inundation, which
creates more “elevation capital” or space for the low marsh to migrate landward with rising sea levels).
As the use of dredged material to restore marshlands increases world- wide, the long-term study at Poplar Island provides scientists with insight into climate change resilience. 
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By replacing older diesel-
to improve air quality for the neighboring communities.
feasibility of using electric power take-off (ePTO) devices on car carrier trucks. These trucks average two hours of engine idling per trip while loading or unloading. Wider adoption of ePTOs will significantly reduce truck idling and emissions. 
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DONOVAN EATON PHOTOGRAPHY
READ MORE ABOUT THE STUDY in the Chesapeake Bay Journal, an independent environmental news organization covering the Chesapeake Bay offering free subscriptions.
PHOTO BY GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS
To subscribe or renew, visit www.marylandports.com [13]