The Port of Bellingham received a $1.5 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency in October 2024, which it will use to fulfill the goals of its 2023 Climate Action Strategy.
The Clean Ports Climate and Air Quality Planning Program grant will primarily support evaluations and data collection to support sustainable practices for the port.
This will not be the first time the Port has endeavored to improve local sustainability, with projects like solar panel installation at the Bellingham International Airport currently underway.
“Our climate action strategy helps guide a lot of that work,” said Mike Hogan, the Port’s public affairs administrator,
Cutting back emissions is one of the grant’s main goals. The Port aims to support zero-emission vessels, according to a news flash on the Port’s website.
The Port will use the grant to determine opportunities for electrification, alternative fuel infrastructure and renewable energy production at Squalicum Harbor, a marina on Bellingham Bay with over 1,400 boats.
“The harbor is a huge electricity user,” said Adrienne Douglass-Scott, the Port’s sustainability program director.
Boats at the harbor have space heaters running all winter to keep them dry and prevent pipes and engines from freezing. Douglass-Scott said the Port is looking to produce more renewable electricity and potentially help people find an alternative way to keep their boats dry.
As hybrid vessels become more popular, the Port wants to provide more shorepower (the ability to provide boats with electricity while at shore) down at the harbor.
“Boats can come and plug in and get a trickle of electricity, but it’s not a lot,” Douglass-Scott said.
The Bellingham Cruise Terminal, which boards the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry, will be evaluated for decarbonization and electrification opportunities.
Douglass-Scott said the Port has had shore power available for the Alaska Marine Highway Ferries since the 1980s. However, the ferries aren’t equipped to plug in. The grant will allow the Port to evaluate solutions for this problem.
“We’re working with our customers to figure out what they need to electrify,” Douglass-Scott said.
Furthering sustainability practices could not only benefit Bellingham environmentally but also produce additional employment for the Port’s customers and tenants, according to Douglass-Scott.
Corvus Energy, one of the Port’s tenants, may create large marine batteries for an on-site energy microgrid – an energy resource system that can operate independently from the local power grid – at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal. The grid and solar panels would charge the batteries and the batteries would power electric and hybrid vessels. The grant will allow the Port to evaluate the possibility of this project.
According to Hogan, the Port will continue collaborating with higher education and apprenticeship programs to support Corvus and other similar companies in searching for employees. Hogan said that as the Port continues to set the stage for the increased electrification of its harbor, there will likely be more jobs for companies like Corvus.
The sunset over the water near the Port of Bellingham headquarters and Marine Life Center, off Roeder Avenue, is pictured on Monday, Nov. 11., 2024. in Bellingham, Wash. This path is part of the New Waterfront Trail, which extends to Zuanich Point Park and other areas of Squalicum Harbor. // Photo by Hope Rasa
Hope Rasa (she/her) is a City News reporter for The Front this quarter. She is a second-year Western student majoring in news/editorial journalism. She enjoys running, hiking, reading and spending time with her cat. You can reach her at hoperasa.thefront@gmail.com.
