Washington state is home to the largest public port system in the world, with the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma ranking as North America’s third-largest container complex. While the maritime sector drives significant economic activity in the region, it also emits pollutants that contribute to climate change and impact the health of port workers and nearby communities. In the Salish Sea, vessel traffic adds to the environmental strain, increasing noise, the risk of accidents and oil spills, regional ecosystem disturbances and water pollution.
That’s why Pacific Environment works with partners across Washington state to push for smarter policies that cut ship pollution in the Salish Sea. One of the most effective solutions is simple: require ocean-going ships to plug into shore power instead of running dirty diesel engines while docked.
Ocean-going vessels are a major source of emissions in the Puget Sound airshed, releasing pollutants like diesel particulate matter, a toxic air contaminant linked to cancer risk and other serious health effects.
Of the emissions associated with Northwest Seaport Alliance operations, ships in port are the largest source of CO2e, NOx, PM 2.5, and PM 10 and the second-largest source of diesel particulate matter.
Diesel exhaust represents 78% of the potential cancer risk from all air toxics in the Puget Sound. Maritime-related emissions account for 20% of total diesel particulate matter in the Puget Sound airshed, creating a significant yet avoidable public health risk.
Without action, port emissions worsen environmental health disparities in nearby communities, among the most impacted in Washington according to the state’s Environmental Health Disparities Map.
Policymakers have the opportunity to reduce the impacts of shipping in communities with large health disparities. Georgetown and South Park, two neighborhoods just south of Northwest Seaport Alliance’s north harbor, are disproportionately impacted by industrial activity in the region, with residents experiencing a 13-year shorter life expectancy than those in wealthier and less diverse parts of Seattle. Communities in Tacoma also experience significant health disparities, with a roughly 20-year difference in life expectancy between people living in the census tracts with the highest and lowest average in Tacoma.
Ocean-going vessels are a major source of emissions in the Puget Sound airshed, releasing pollutants like diesel particulate matter, a toxic air contaminant linked to cancer risk and other serious health effects.
Shore power lets ships plug into clean electricity instead of running diesel engines at dock, cutting climate and health-harming pollution. A 2023 study found that full use of shore power at the Port of Seattle could reduce fine particle pollution by nearly 30%, protecting port workers and nearby communities.
Expanding shore power creates high-quality, union jobs while reducing pollution on the job. A 2020 federal study found that full shore power at the Port of Seattle could generate hundreds of job-years, while projects like Tacoma’s TOTE terminal have already created dozens of jobs.
Washington has made strides in port electrification, with the state legislature allocating significant funding and ports expanding shore power at container and cruise terminals. This funding comes in large part from the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), the market-based cap-and-invest program requiring the state’s largest polluters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The legislature appropriated $3.2 billion in CCA revenues for the 2023-25 biennium, including $26.5 million for port electrification competitive grants and $28 million for a Northwest Seaport Alliance zero-emission shore power infrastructure project. Washington voters defended the CCA in the 2024 election, protecting this important source of clean energy and air quality funding for years to come.
Explore our work in Washington ports, where we’re cutting ship pollution, advancing shore power and protecting the health of port workers and nearby communities.
Your support is essential in reducing harmful emissions and protecting communities near Washington’s ports. Together, we can drive policies that cut pollution, improve public health, and create sustainable jobs, ensuring a safer and cleaner future for Washington state. Join us in shaping a healthier environment for generations to come.