Utah will receive its largest environmental grant ever from one of its most frequent adversaries: the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality and the Utah Inland Port Authority are looking to move away from diesel-powered equipment at Union Pacific’s Salt Lake City Intermodal Terminal and reduce logistics-related emissions statewide. The EPA — which has been the target of a state lawsuit and legislation over air quality rules this year — granted the state bodies $112 million in hopes of achieving cleaner air in the Beehive State.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to allow us to lead out in this space,” DEQ Executive Director Kim Shelley said, “and draw attention to the fact that there are electric alternatives out there that can be used and are just as effective in moving these types of materials and goods that Utahns rely on every day.”
Shelley’s department will be responsible for the bulk of the funds. It plans to spend $110 million on replacing diesel-guzzling trucks, locomotives and cargo-handling equipment with electric versions. Cargo companies use the terminal, on 5500 West in Salt Lake City, to switch containers between trucks and trains.
Engines that burn diesel create a range of harmful pollutants that degrade human health, air quality and the Earth’s climate. At the terminal, equipment runs throughout the day — unlike commuters’ cars — worsening the effects of diesel use, DEQ officials noted.
The grant also includes funding to install solar panels and charging equipment at the facility.
The Inland Port Authority will use the additional $2.4 million to track emissions from the terminal, put together a plan to reduce them in Salt Lake City and at other port sites scattered throughout the state, and do community engagement work.
“Now we have to realize that we have to have correct mitigation strategies to address the impacts of logistics on the Northwest Quadrant [in Salt Lake City],” inland port executive director Ben Hart said, “because, disproportionately, it does impact the west side of Salt Lake.”
The EPA announced the grant as a part of its nearly $3 billion Clean Ports Program funded through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The initiative aims to reduce diesel pollution and help the port industry transition to zero-emissions operations.
DEQ officials expect to start rolling out the cleaner equipment late next year.
