Implementation Plan
The 2026 - 2030 Implementation Plan was adopted by the Port of Tacoma Commission Nov. 18, 2025.
Cleaner air for our community
A map of the Puget Sound-Georgia Basin Airshed boundary, the green shaded area is the U.S.-ports area of influence.
The Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy (Strategy) is a collaborative effort between the Port of Tacoma, Port of Seattle, The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in British Columbia to reduce air and greenhouse gas emissions from shipping and port operations in the ports' shared airshed.
First adopted in 2008, the Strategy was the first international strategy of its kind in the Port community. The original Strategy sought to encourage environmental action above competition and created a means for the four Northwest Ports to work collectively and voluntarily to reduce air pollution. The updated 2020 strategy advances the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets adopted by the Port of Seattle, Port of Tacoma, and NWSA via resolutions in 2017; aligns with the most recent climate science; recognizes the urgency to address environmental health disparities; and provides an ambitious but flexible timeframe for action.
The NWPCAS has been developed in partnership with U.S. and Canadian government agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington State Department of Ecology, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Metro Vancouver, Province of British Columbia, Transport Canada, and Environment Canada, with input from non-governmental organizations, near-port community groups, industry, and local governments.
In 2020, the Northwest Ports renewed the Strategy with a new vision to phase out emissions from seaport-related activities by 2050. To advance the 2050 vision, the Strategy sets joint objectives that the Northwest Ports will work toward in each sector:
Implement programs that increase efficiency, phase out old, high-emitting equipment, and increase use of lower-emission fuels;
Facilitate collaboration among government, utilities, fuel providers, and industry to ensure the infrastructure needed to enable zero-emission technologies in the place at the right time, addressing key constraints as soon as possible before 2030; and
Facilitate collaboration toward commercialization and drive adoption of zero-emissions technology before 2050.
Progress
Since implementation of the NWPCAS began in 2008, substantial progress has been made toward the strategy goals.
The U.S. ports estimate their emissions every five years in an effort called the Puget Sound Maritime Air Emissions Inventory. The results of the most recent 2021 PSEI indicate that the Port of Tacoma experienced an 88% reduction in DPM emissions and a 44% reduction in GHG emissions compared to 2005 levels, shown in the graph on the right. However, GHG emissions and SO2 emissions increased between 2016 and 2021 due to increased cargo throughput, underscoring the need for continued focus on zero-emission technology deployment and solutions. Ocean-going vessels continue to be the largest contributor to maritime-related emissions in the airshed.
Strategy scope
The Strategy seeks to reduce emissions from key operational sectors including:
Ocean-going vessels
Drayage trucks
Cargo-handling equipment
Rail
Harbor vessels
Port admin and facilities
Past versions of the NWPCAS have focused on diesel particulate matter (DPM), the key driver of air pollution related impacts in the Puget Sound region, and greenhouse gasses (GHGs). In the new 2020 NWPCAS, the ports place increased focus on other air pollutants and emissions that affect climate such as nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and black carbon, while maintaining focus on DPM and GHGs. Operations within the “airshed” boundary are considered, with the U.S. ports focused on activities south of the border. A map of the airshed boundary is on the right; the green shaded area is the U.S.-ports area of influence.
In addition to the 2050 vision, the 2020 NWPCAS set an interim emission intensity target to reduce Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 relative to 2005 levels.
Implementation at the Port of Tacoma
The Northwest Ports have developed port-specific implementation plans to implement the NWPCAS vision and objectives in their own lines of business and continue to report annually on the progress.
The 2026-2030 Port of Tacoma Clean Air Implementation Plan (CAIP) is the Port of Tacoma’s five-year implementation plan for the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy. which was adopted by the Port Commissioners in late 2025. The overarching goals of this implementation plan are as follows:
• Do our part to improve local air quality, especially in places where environmental health disparities exist, according to the Washington Department of Public Health;
• Do our part to meet the global climate challenge – reduce greenhouse gas emissions in alignment with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C to stave off the worst impacts of climate change; and
• Sustain and strengthen our economic vitality to advance our core mission: facilitating cargo operations and real estate business that supports more than 41,000 jobs and nearly $10.8 billion in total business output.
The CAIP includes detailed action plans to work towards the following list of priorities (among others).
Continue to develop, publish and increase readership of the Clean Air Quarterly newsletter.
Develop a gateway-wide communications and community engagement strategy for low to near-zero emission maritime fuels
Continue to track and advocate for state and federal policy developments that advance NWPCAS implementation and PoT’s strategic interests
Complete LED lighting upgrades at all PoT-owned and operated facilities.
Continue transitioning PoT-owned passenger and light-duty fleet to zero emissions.
Complete vehicle charging installation for the PoT’s light-duty fleet.
Transition 30% of PoT-owned equipment to zero emissions.
Partner with the Tacoma Grain Terminal operator to develop an Emission Reduction Strategy for the Tacoma Grain Terminal.
Develop and implement a pilot partnership and project to reuse industrial waste as inputs for other local industries.