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Electric ferries to replace diesel boats in 11 states
The Biden administration is using funding from the infrastructure law to fund the conversion
CLIMATEWIRE | The Biden administration is injecting $384 million from the infrastructure law into nearly two dozen ferry projects across the country to help local authorities replace aging diesel-powered vessels with hybrid and electric ships.
The Federal Transit Administration said 23 ferry projects in 11 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands received money from three grant programs: Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program, Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot Program and Passenger Ferry Grant Program. Nearly $100 million of the funding will go toward buying new hybrid and electric vessels.
The 2021 infrastructure law provides $1.4 billion over five years to the three grant programs, which aim to phase out gas-guzzling ships and provide financial support for ferry systems in areas where water routes are the only method of reliable transportation.
“For the first time ever, FTA is funding a grant package exclusively to replace older ferries with newer, cleaner vessels,” Paul Kincaid, FTA associate administrator for communications and congressional affairs said in an email statement. “All of the grants in the Electric and Low Emitting Ferry Pilot Program will lower greenhouse gas emissions. Many will be fully electric, moving us even closer to the president’s goal of a net-zero nation.”
Ferries are one of the most carbon-efficient modes of transportation, emitting only 18 grams of carbon dioxide per passenger kilometer compared with 104 grams for buses, according to a 2019 study by the U.K. government. But there is one big caveat: Those who drive onto a ferry with their private vehicles emit more than those using other modes of transportation, releasing 128 grams of CO2 per kilometer. In 2020, more than 26.3 million vehicles sailed through the United States' rivers, bays, straits and lakes on ferries, while 112.1 passengers journeyed on those maritime shuttles, according to the 2020 National Census of Ferry Operators.
Nearly half of all ferry routes are in five states: Alaska (120), New York (119), California (96), Washington (76) and Michigan (52).
Among them, Alaska received $286 million out of $384.4 million in total funding for the three grant programs. It will invest in the Alaska Marine Highway, which connects 35 remote communities and runs 3,500 miles along the Pacific coast — greater than the distance between St. Louis and San Francisco.
“The vast majority of communities in Alaska have no connection to the road system, making ports and ferries as essential as roads and highways, and a critical area of responsibility for the federal government,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said in a statement.
Other top grant winners in this funding round were state departments of transportation in Maine ($33 million), Washington ($11.6 million) and New Jersey ($7.3 million). The funding will finance new electric vessels, charging facilities, operational costs and dock upgrades.
