DULUTH, Minn. — Furthering its commitment to environmental responsibility, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority recently formalized a comprehensive climate action plan to advance sustainable practices at its operating facilities, including the Clure Public Marine Terminal and Duluth Lake Port. The plan defines existing conditions, along with goals, objectives and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from port operations and achieve net-zero operating emissions by 2050.
Key objectives include:
- Continued implementation of energy efficiency measures across all facilities and operations.
- Phased transition of vehicles and equipment to zero-emissions alternatives, allowing for cold temperature and operational testing.
- As fittings becomes standardized, and as practicable, additional integration of shore power to reduce emissions from vessels at berth.
- Continued procurement of renewable energy sources for electricity consumption.
- Implementation of verified carbon offset projects.
- Regular monitoring and reporting to track progress toward net-zero.
Complementing its climate action plan, the Port Authority will continue its participation in the voluntary Green Marine certification program, which began in October 2007 and now includes 187 participating ship owners, port authorities, seaway corporations, terminal operators and shipyard managers. Program participants must adopt practices and technologies that continually reduce their environmental footprint on land, air and sea. The Duluth Seaway Port Authority has participated since the program’s inception. Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, was re-elected to the 12-member Green Marine board of directors on May 23, 2024.
The Port Authority and its terminal operations on Rice’s Point ranked among the nation’s top performers in the recently released Green Marine 2023 environmental performance report, posting a 3.43 score on Green Marine’s five-point scale. The overall average for port authority participants in 2023 was 3.12.
“Our climate action plan and Green Marine initiatives will work in concert to help direct our environmental stewardship efforts,” said Jeff Udd, Duluth Seaway Port Authority director of government and environmental affairs. “With tangible goals, objectives and timelines in place, we have a roadmap to achieving net-zero operating emissions and other environmental benchmarks. We’re looking forward to continuing our progress in ways that prioritize environmental sustainability and economic development.”
For more information on sustainable shipping and port operations, please visit: DuluthPort.com/community/environment-and-sustainability
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More than 700 vessels and 30 million short tons of cargo move through the Port of Duluth-Superior each year, making it the Great Lakes’ largest tonnage port and one of the nation’s top 20. The port supports more than 7,000 jobs and contributes $1.3 billion in business revenue to the regional economy. Learn more at DuluthPort.com.