The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s executive director, Rick Cotton (above), and chairman, Kevin O’Toole, have announced the organization’s commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050.
The announcement was made via a virtual event held in response to the issues raised at COP26 as the organization seeks to implement 12 new initiatives across its five airports and its bridges, tunnels, bus terminals and seaport. Some of the initiatives included electrifying the entire light-duty vehicle fleet by 2030 and a minimum of 50% of its medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2035, and maximizing the use of solar panels and sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). Contextualizing the new initiatives, O’Toole highlighted that since signing the Paris Accord in 2018, the organization has reduced its carbon output by approximately 35%.
Rick Cotton, executive director of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said, “We will build and operate our facilities – from our airports to our seaport to our bus terminal, from our customer-facing facilities to our back-office operations, with the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. And we will further embrace the Biden administration’s goal of reducing by 50% the Port Authority’s GHG emissions by 2030.”
