Decarbonizing the Nation’s Ports with Ian Gansler of the American Association of Port Authorities
In this episode, we have an opportunity to talk to Ian Gansler, who is heading up a bold new program for the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) to meet the twin challenges of energy security and climate change.
The AAPA’s initiative is called Port Opportunities with Energy, Resilience and Sustainability, which is known as the POWERS Program. The association’s 80-plus port authority members are advocating for policies that include promoting energy security, coastal resilience, electrification technology and next-generation fuels for maritime shipping.
The role of Seaports
If you’re not next to the coast, you may not think about the subject much, but the world’s seaports are at the center of the energy transition.
Ports move 90% of the world’s traded cargo. More than 2.2 trillion tons of freight moves through US ports each year, and our nation’s ports are poised to build nearly $50 billion in green infrastructure over the next decade.
About Ian Gansler
In his role as manager of the POWERS Program, Ian advocated for port funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, leading to $3 billion in a new grant program for port emission reduction, and over $2 billion for the Port Infrastructure Development Program.
“We’re really excited about that grant program,” says Gansler. “It’s a first of its kind program that will give port authorities some of the resources they need to purchase the equipment to mitigate their emissions.”
Ian comes to AAPA from the DC lobbying firm of O’Neill and Associates. There he worked for AAPA member Massport on federal policy issues. He also worked for other transportation industry clients, including a high-speed rail advocacy group, American Airlines’ flight attendants’ union and Jay Cashman, Inc. on federal dredging and offshore wind policy.