Historic investment for greener jobs and zero-emission operations at Port of Hueneme

The Port of Hueneme has been awarded $80 million in California funding for its strategic Port Action, Climate, and Environment Development (PACED) project.

“As a result of this extraordinary funding, we will be in a better position to create more job opportunities for local residents to support vital port operations and the deployment of clean technologies,” Jess Herrera, the president of the Oxnard Harbor Commission responsible for overseeing the port, says.

The funding was obtained through the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), which is serving as the lead agency for the allocation of $1.5 billion in the Port and Freight Infrastructure Program (PFIP) fund approved by Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2023-2024 budget June 30, 2023.  The $80 million was granted for projects that generate social and economic equity in the course of providing substantial revenue streams to transform the port into a zero-emission hub while also maintaining the supply chain’s fluidity, resilience and flexibility.

On the environmental front, the project includes actions to improve air and water quality, mitigate climate change impacts, and promote environmental progress and transportation equity.

Some of the funding will support the decarbonization of port operations with the implementation of shore power and emission-control systems that make ships non-polluting while in port. Port-wide crane electrification and the acquisition of non-polluting cargo handling equipment will also be undertaken.

The Port of Hueneme will be able to implement other concrete PACED measures, including removing dilapidated buildings, installing zero-emission plug-in units for containers, and developing a fuel-cell technology infrastructure.