The Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT) has announced that the Jacksonville Ports Authority (JAXPORT) has joined CRT to collaborate with leading cargo owners, trucking companies, ocean carriers and CRT's partner organizations including Environmental Defense Fund and the Retail Industry Leaders Association to identify and implement best practices to reduce port-related diesel emissions.


“We have long been dedicated to doing our part as good stewards of the environment---whether we’re talking about air quality or the health of our river,” said JAXPORT Interim CEO Roy Schleicher. “We see great value in the CRT’s work and we’re committed to the group’s goal of going above and beyond to reduce our impact while increasing employment and our economic contributions to North Florida.”


JAXPORT is an independent agency responsible for the development of public seaport facilities in Jacksonville, Florida. JAXPORT owns three cargo facilities, and a passenger cruise terminal along the St. Johns River. The port and related activities support 65,000 jobs in North Florida.


In 2012, JAXPORT facilities handled 8.2 million tons of cargo, including nearly a million cargo containers. JAXPORT is the No.1 vehicle export port in the U.S and contributes $19 billion in annual economic impact to the region.


CRT is a national coalition of shippers, trucking companies, ocean carriers and port authorities who share the belief that by partnering together, ports and their customers can improve the environmental quality of port communities while ensuring that the ports remain an engine for job creation and a thriving economy.


“CRT’s mission is to develop public-private partnerships to solve air quality problems, and today’s announcement is the next step in CRT’s efforts to create a national forum to share best practices build clean air partnerships between America's ports and their customers and service providers,” said CRT Chairman Rick Gabrielson, who is the Director of International Transportation for Target Corporation.


JAXPORT’s commitment to environmental sustainability has been demonstrated by significant capital investments in air quality improvements across port operations and development of innovative programs to reduce diesel emissions.

Recently, JAXPORT became one of the first Florida ports to enter into a grant partnership with the state allowing the port to voluntarily reduce terminal diesel emissions further. The grant, awarded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, will pay for the port to install diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) on JAXPORT cranes and equipment, reducing emissions by 10 tons per year.