Page 9 - Port of Baltimore Magazine March/April 2011

governor’s Message
EMS Leads To Important Accomplishments
In recent years, we have seen a substantial awareness in
the maritime industry on the importance of protecting our
environment. From shippers to terminal operators, from
railroads to ports, reducing your carbon footprint has become
a key element of business strategy. As a result, the Maryland Port
Administration has developed and implemented an Environmental
Management System (EMS).
The EMS is the framework of how the MPA develops
environmental policies, procedures and programs. As part of the
EMS, the MPA’s environmental goal is compliance, improving
on environmental performance, pollution prevention and good
communications on environmental issues with Port users. Under
the EMS, the MPA tracks key metrics that help us monitor our
environmental performance. Performance indicators in the areas
of recycling, clean-up responses, air emission reduction and water
quality are all measured.
In 2010, the MPA saw an increase of paper and paper product
recycling by 10 percent. We also have recycling programs for bottles
and cans, and utilize scrap materials from demolition projects that
can be reused. Better educating our port users on the importance
of spill reporting helped contribute to a 15 percent increase in
documented activity. Having a better handle on the number, types
and locations of occurrences can greatly aid timely investigations
and help determine cause and corrective actions for the future.
Air emission reduction was helped through the Port’s Clean Diesel
Program. Last year, three harbor craft, seven locomotives, 26 dray
trucks and 42 pieces of cargo-handling equipment were retrofitted
with cleaner, more efficient engines. From these efforts, we saw
reductions of 50 percent in particulate matter, 31 percent in nitric
oxides, 12 percent in cargo dioxides, and 12 percent in fuel. Best
management practices in improving water quality led to upgrading
several stormwater management ponds at Dundalk Marine Terminal,
while pilot programs were initiated that included the installation of
trash and sediment screens at several storm drains. Those filters
collected trash and pollutants, petroleum products and phosphorous.
We could not have made these strides without our MPA
employees. Their understanding and willingness to support these
efforts have been essential reasons for these accomplishments.
Increased environmental awareness training and better
communications with Port tenants have also been large contributors.
The MPA will continue to work through our EMS program to make
sure the Port of Baltimore maintains its leadership in marine
terminal environmental innovation.
James J. White
Executive Director
Port’s Efforts Complement State’s Environmental Push
Last month, the Baltimore Sun wrote a story on the greening
efforts at the Port of Baltimore. The story highlighted
different companies at the Port, as well as efforts being
made by the Maryland Port Administration to change ways
of doing business that benefit the environment.
The article described how Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, one
of the world’s largest Roll-On/Roll-Off carriers, recycles water in
its car wash at the Port and uses electric or hybrid diesel-electric
cargo-handling equipment. The company also has plans to create
zero-emissions marine terminals in Baltimore and in other locations.
Another prominent company at the Port, Ports America Chesapeake,
which operates the Port’s Seagirt Marine Terminal, has installed
cleaner diesel engines in many of its yard trucks and recycles
materials like oil and scrap metal.
McAllister Towing, which provides tugs for the huge ships that
come into the Port everyday, is reducing its operating speeds in
order to burn less fuel. And the Maryland Port Administration has
initiated an Environmental Management System that is including
best management practices in categories like spill reporting, air
emissions and water quality.
These efforts being made at the Port of Baltimore complement
our efforts on the state level to reduce our carbon footprint. In
March, I appeared before the Maryland legislature to discuss my
support for the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2011. This will
require that public utilities utilize Maryland’s natural resources to
generate much-needed clean, renewable energy and promote green
job creation. Due to our ideal location in the mid-Atlantic, the deep-
water Port of Baltimore, and strong manufacturing infrastructure,
Maryland is well-positioned to be a leader in not only offshore wind
generation, but in ongoing construction and maintenance.
In the last year, my administration has supported one of our
state’s greatest resources by more than doubling funding for the
Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund. We also passed the Maryland Clean
Energy Incentive Act of 2010 and helped push into law the Motor
Vehicle Excise Tax, which gives our citizens a tax exemption when
purchasing a qualified plug-in electric car.
I applaud the green efforts being made at the Port of Baltimore.
I also encourage other businesses at the Port to re-examine
their business models and do what they can to become more
environmentally responsible.
Martin O’Malley
Governor
executive View
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