Port of Tacoma officials announced Monday the organization has been awarded a $600,000 grant to improve air quality on Tacoma’s tide flats.

The grant is administered through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) program, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by retrofitting, replacing, or repowering diesel engines. In total, $4.2 million in grants were awarded to six ports in Washington, California, Maryland, and Virginia.

The Port of Tacoma will use its grant to partner with Tacoma Rail to repower or replace a locomotive with a cleaner engine and idle-reduction technology to reduce emissions by more than 50 per cent.

Similarly, the Port of Seattle was awarded a $1.2 million grant to provide incentives to replace 40 older heavy-duty drayage trucks with trucks powered by 2010 or newer certified engines. The project will supplement the Port of Seattle’s existing truck replacement program.

“Ports are the main gateway for U.S. trade and are critical to our country’s economic growth, yet the communities surrounding ports face serious environmental challenges,” said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Today, we demonstrate that, through collaboration and innovation, we can achieve the goals of economic growth and environmental stewardship.”