Template revised January 10, 2019.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
8g
ACTION ITEM
Date of Meeting
May 28, 2024
DATE: May 21, 2024
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Eric Schinfeld, Sr. Manager, Federal & International Government Relations
SUBJECT: Commission Exemption for EPA Clean Ports Planning Grant
Amount of this request:
$1,060,000.00
Total estimated project cost:
$3,000,000.00
ACTION REQUESTED
Request Commission to: 1) determine a competitive process is not appropriate or cost effective consistent
with Revised Code of Washington 53.19.020(5); and 2) authorizing the Port to specify three nonprofit
partners – Maritime Blue, the American Bureau of Shipping, and RMI (formerly The Rocky Mountain
Institute) – as sub-awardees for approximately $1,060,000 of a $3,000,000 million U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Ports Program Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition grant
application; and 3) execute any resulting service agreements with those three nonprofit partners to
achieve the grant requirements if funding is awarded.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provided EPA with $3 billion for a Clean Ports Program to fund
zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure as well as climate and air quality planning at U.S. ports.
This new funding program will build on EPA’s Ports Initiative that helps the nation’s ports address public
health and environmental impacts on surrounding communities.
EPA has announced two separate Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) to disburse the allocated $3
billion: 1) the Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition and 2) the Climate and Air Quality
Planning Competition. The two NOFOs will be used to fund approximately $2.8 billion in zero-emission
technology deployment at ports, as well as approximately $150 million for climate and air quality planning.
Both NOFOs are open now, until the application deadline at 11:59 PM ET on May 28, 2024. EPA anticipates
notifying selectees by September 2024 and awarding the grants by December 2024.
For the larger technology grant, the Port is partnering with the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), which
is leading the development of a $500 million application.
For the planning grant, the Port of Seattle is working to apply for a $3 million grant through the Climate
and Air Quality Planning Competition – entitled “Powering the Maritime Transition in the Pacific
Northwest” – which will study ways to transition maritime vessels in the Puget Sound to electrification
and/or the use of sustainable maritime fuels. Staff strongly believes that – both in order to compete
successfully for these funds as well as to effectively execute the ambitious scope of work associated with
this project – it is essential to list nationally recognized partners with expertise in these topics. To that
end, staff proposes to include four sub-awardees in the Port’s application: Maritime Blue, RMI, the
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8g Page 2 of 5
Meeting Date: May 28, 2024
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
American Bureau of Shipping, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). However, in order
to do so and be aligned with the Port’s procurement policies, staff is seeking a commission exemption to
contract with these entities for the work if the grant is awarded.
JUSTIFICATION
The purpose of this exemption request is to specify three nonprofit partners – Maritime Blue (MB), the
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and RMI – as sub-awardees for a U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Clean Ports Program Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition grant application. Staff
is not requesting a commission exemption for NREL because the Port has existing authority to contract
directly with other government entities.
We request a commission exemption because it is not appropriate or cost-effective to compete this work
for two reasons:
• Because of the highly competitive nature of this grant competition, Port staff believe that
including nationally recognized partners could be the difference in the EPA giving serious
consideration to funding our application.
• The complex, technical, and detailed scope of work associated with the planning studies outlined
in the grant application requires unique expertise and specific relationships to successfully
execute this ambitious project.
Grant Competition Justification
The EPA Clean Ports Program is a one-time fund created by the Inflation Reduction Act; all $3 billion is
being allocated this year. Thus, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, particularly for the Port of
Seattle’s non-cargo maritime activities, which are generally not eligible under regular federal maritime
funding programs that only focus on cargo operations. It is expected that there will be hundreds of millions
of dollars in applications for the $150 million planning grant program – from ports large and small through
the country. Even our partners at The Northwest Seaport Alliance will be submitting a competing planning
grant.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that the Port of Seattle needs to distinguish its application – not just
in terms of the content, but also in terms of demonstrating nationally recognized partnerships that will
help us stand out from the other applications. Without named partners, we do not have confidence that
our application will be funded.
Unique Expertise Justification
1) Maritime Blue is the only multi-stakeholder maritime cluster organization in Washington State
with expertise on maritime industry decarbonization and joint innovation project development.
o As the only locally based cluster organization focused on growth of the maritime industry
and promotion of innovation and sustainability technologies in Washington State,
Maritime Blue is uniquely positioned to lead engagement and outreach to Puget Sound
vessel owners and operators on the topic of vessel decarbonization. In addition, it is the
lead agency in the Sustainable Maritime Fuels Collaborative, which aims to bring together
supply and demand stakeholders to accelerate the production and use of sustainable
maritime fuels and technologies in Washington.
o Maritime Blue has existing relationships with the local maritime industry stakeholders
that would be engaged through this study; has staff expertise related to the technical
topics involved in the study; and has deep knowledge of the Port-specific maritime fuels
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Meeting Date: May 28, 2024
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
context through its existing involvement in a study with the Port and RMI to analyze
maritime fuels supply.
o Maritime Blue has extensive experience in the Puget Sound region facilitating
collaborative R&D, joint innovation projects, and driving early-stage technologies to
commercialization. Maritime Blue is uniquely positioned to identify and establish pilot
project partnerships with local vessel operators.
o Maritime Blue is a voluntary member of the Pacific Northwest to Alaska Green Corridor,
for which this funding proposal is directly supportive. Maritime Blue will provide a critical
information nexus between feasibility analyses for methanol bunkering and use aboard
cruise ships and the foundational planning work related to methanol supply, demand and
storage proposed in this planning grant application. For these reasons, Maritime Blue
adds unique relevance to this proposal.
2) RMI, formerly known as The Rocky Mountain Institute, is an independent, nonpartisan,
nonprofit that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to align with a
1.5°C future and secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all. RMI includes over 600
experts working on four continents with businesses, policymakers, communities, and other
organizations to identify and scale energy system interventions that will cut greenhouse gas
emissions at least 50% by 2030. For over 40 years, RMI has utilized its unique techno-economic
expertise and whole-systems thinking to publish groundbreaking research and analysis.
o To the Port’s knowledge, there are no other entities with experience in establishing a
multi-stakeholder marine fuel acquisition strategy for next generation, zero emissions
fuels. With their collaboration with the Aspen Institute’s Zero Emissions Buyer’s Alliance
and the Maersk McKinney Moeller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, RMI brings a unique
body of expertise which serves the Port’s specific objective of developing an aggregated,
multi-stakeholder green maritime fuel acquisition strategy.
o RMI is uniquely positioned to provide expertise on fuel demand analysis specifically
relevant to the Pacific Northwest maritime industry and the Port as a result of direct
experience in analyzing production pathways for maritime fuels to serve ports in
Washington State for the Sustainable Maritime Fuels Collaborative. Because of this
experience, RMI has also devoted significant investment in understanding the social,
economic, and environmental conditions related to the growth of a sustainable maritime
fuels industry in Washington.
3) The American Bureau of Shipping has been at the forefront of marine and offshore energy
innovation for more than 150 years. They work alongside partners tackling the most pressing
technical, operational, and regulatory challenges so the marine and offshore industries can
operate safely, securely, and responsibly. They provide traditional classification services as well
as on-the-ground technical services in asset performance, energy efficiency, environmental
performance, and life cycle management.
o While several classification societies are working on or have issued methanol
certifications for ships, ABS is the first and only classification society to produce a specific
advisory on methanol bunkering globally and in the United States.
o ABS has unique, direct experience in conducting a multi-stakeholder desktop-to-field
methanol bunkering exercise for the specific purpose of preparing a port for methanol
deployment. For example, the world’s first ship-to-containership bunkering of methanol
occurred at the Port of Singapore in July 2023 following a desktop exercise utilizing ABS’
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Meeting Date: May 28, 2024
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
expertise. This is a specific objective of the proposed scope of work under this grant.
o ABS also has established relationships with industry and regulatory agencies key to the
success and development of this planning proposal.
Diversity in Contracting
There are no aspirational goals for this commission exemption.
DETAILS
The Port’s Powering the Maritime Transition in the Pacific Northwest application has three overarching
goals:
• Assess requirements and strategic actions that Pacific Northwest ports can take to effectively
catalyze the transition of vessels operating in the Pacific Northwest to significantly reduced
pollution and zero-emissions operations.
• Develop a roadmap of actions in the commercial harbor craft and ocean-going vessel market
segments.
• Ensure meaningful community engagement in the planning and development of the transition
studies and roadmap.
Scope of Work
The overall scope of work is as follows:
1) Vessel Activity and Maritime Fuel Inventory
a. Task 1: Commercial Harbor Craft Study
b. Task 2: Ocean Going Vessel Demand and Emissions Analysis
2) Harbor Vessel Decarbonization Feasibility Study
a. Task 1: Technology Assessment 
b. Task 2: Electrification Site Inventory and Prioritization 
c. Task 3: Pathway Development & Recommendations 
3) Sustainable Maritime Fuels Transition Analysis
a. Task 1: Fuel Infrastructure Investment and Supply Acquisition Strategy Analysis
b. Task 2: Green Methanol Bunkering Feasibility Study
c. Task 3: Sustainable Maritime Fuels Transition Roadmap Landscape Assessment
4) Stakeholder Collaboration and Engagement: Community, Workforce & Industry
a. Task 1: Community Engagement
b. Task 2: Industry Engagement
c. Task 3: Workforce Impact Analysis
• Maritime Blue (approximately $210,000 in sub-awardee funds) would be responsible for
supporting the Sustainable Maritime Fuels Transition Analysis, with a particular focus on the
Green Methanol Bunkering Feasibility Study; in addition, Maritime Blue would be a lead on the
Industry Engagement work.
• RMI (approximately $400,000 in sub-awardee funds) would be responsible for supporting the
Sustainable Maritime Fuels Analysis, with particular focus on the Transition Fuel Infrastructure
Investment and Supply Acquisition Strategy Analysis.
• ABS (approximately $450,000 in sub-awardee funds) would be responsible for supporting the
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8g Page 5 of 5
Meeting Date: May 28, 2024
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
Sustainable Maritime Fuels Transition Analysis, with a particular focus on the Green Methanol
Bunkering Feasibility Study.
Schedule
• We expect this work to take approximately three years to complete, until the end of 2027. A detail
schedule of deliverables and timelines is included in the grant application.
Cost Breakdown
Estimated Cost
$447,000
$250,000
$500,000
$1,200,000
Workforce,
$603,000
$3,000,000
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
The alternative to this commission exemption is to submit the grant without named partners and then –
if successful – conduct a full competitive process to identify and select sub-awardees to support the
execution of the scope of work. Listing named partners is not required by the EPA for this grant process.
However, this alternative was rejected for two key reasons:
1) Staff does not believe that our grant request would be as likely to be funded without including
named partners, particularly sub-awardees with such high national recognition and reputation.
This grant will be highly competitive, and the EPA will be looking to fund projects at ports of
varying sizes and locations. Being in Seattle is seen as a negative in this respect, given our history
of receiving other funding and our reputation as being able to self-fund much of this work.
Furthermore, even if EPA wants to fund in the Pacific Northwest and Region 10, the Port of Seattle
will be competing with planning grant applications from other ports throughout Washington
State, Oregon, and Alaska. The named partners could be our differentiator.
2) Staff believes – as articulated above – that these named partners are uniquely qualified to conduct
this work, both because of the specific scope of the work and their demonstrated expertise on
these topics as well as their strong, pre-existing relationships in Washington State and with the
key industry and community stakeholders that will be needed to engage with for this work.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST
None
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS
None