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For Immediate Release
October 17, 2000
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| From left to right: Willie Keys,
West Oakland activist, Councilmember Nancy Nadel, Douglas
Niemeth, Charles Foster, and Board President, David
Kramer |
The Port of Oakland presented a check for $408,300 to Oscar Niemeth Towing Inc., one of the major tugboat operators in the Bay, in a special ceremony held on Tuesday, October 17, 2000. The check is part of a larger subsidy program that has been implemented by the Port of Oakland for improving air quality. The money will finance half the cost of repowering the tugboat "Silver Eagle", to significantly reduce emissions.
The Port's Tugboat Repower Project will replace two diesel engines on the "Silver Eagle" tugboat with newer, more efficient engines. Once the engine replacement is complete, it will cut nitrogen oxide emissions by about 27 tons a year. It will also reduce particulate matter by more than a half-a-ton a year. This will achieve a dramatic ten-fold improvement on emissions' reductions that is also cost effective.
"We applaud the work of Councilmember Nancy Nadel and the West Oakland Neighbors for championing this issue and bringing about this jointly crafted program. The Port continues to pursue other businesses that will join with us, in our proactive campaign to improve air quality," said David Kramer, President of the Board of Port Commissioners.
"We are delighted to be a part
of this innovative environmental project. Through the collaborative
efforts between the Port of Oakland, Oakland City Councilwoman
Nancy Nadel, The West Oakland Neighbors, and our company,
Oscar Niemeth Towing, this is another big step in the right
direction for improving our air quality. The result of replacing
our engines with newer, more environmentally friendly engines
will mean a tremendous reduction in emissions and bluer skies
for all of us," said Douglas Niemeth, President of Oscar
Niemeth Towing.
The tugboat engine repowering subsidy is part of the Port of Oakland's larger $8.9 million Air Quality Mitigation Program. The program includes a dozen other measures that will support the Port's Vision 2000 projects which include deepening of the Port's navigational channels to -50', construction of four new container berths, associated terminal wharves and container yards, a new access road to the terminals, and construction of a joint intermodal rail terminal that will help to reduce truck traffic and congestion. In addition, the project provides for a major new $10 million 30+ acre waterfront public park called Middle Harbor Shoreline Park.
Contact:
Harold Jones
Communications Director
(510) 627-1564
hjones@portoakland.com |
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