North Star Port

T THIS INCREDIBLY DIVISIVE TIME in our country, I hesitate to bring up this topic for fear readers will see it, wrongly and hurriedly, as partisan. This is far from my intent. In fact, I am imploring that issues be named, assessed, and addressed outside the lens of prescribed ideologies. Many issues have supporters across ideologies, but too often, development of policies or legislation addressing these issues enters the polarization vortex with a result of inac- tion or inefficient policy. Examples include the issues of hous- ing supply, immigration reform and the clean energy transition. For the sake of keeping emotions at bay, we'll limit the discussion to transportation issues. Our Port Authority staff are involved in many advisory groups for local, state and federal trans- portation and port policies. We are asked to join these groups based upon our expertise and our effec- tiveness. We participate because the policy focus intersects our mis- sion and somehow affects "the triple bottom line," that three-legged stool of economy, environment and social structure. Generally, in the interest of inclusivity, these group policy endeavors welcome ideas and feelings from all corners. However, when the final policy formulation is a soup of feelings, agendas, and loud, emotive ideologies, rather than a product of analysis and discernment, the process has sacrificed effective outcomes (the good) for ideological goals (the pure). One example is Minnesota's adoption of statewide "vehicle miles traveled" ( VMT) reduction goals into the state's trans- portation plans as an outcome of the 2022 statewide multi- modal transportation planning process. The plan established a global VMT reduction goal of 14 percent per capita by 2040 to help achieve the overarching goal of emissions reduction. The parties espousing the VMT reduction goal were metro-based and focused on increasing reliance on bike, pedestrian and mass-transit forms of transportation over the use of personal passenger cars and encouraging compact urban development. When it comes to freight, VMT reduction is a direct contradic- tion to federal (Surface Transportation Board, USDOT) freight activity growth projections of 50 percent between 2020 and 2050. In addition, the VMT reduction goals are predicated on urban living patterns (increased public transit, compact devel- opment), and are not feasible in rural and even many suburban areas where residents rely on personal vehicles for all types of travel. Furthermore, the VMT reduction goal overlooks the needs of non-metro areas that count on tourism as a significant part of their economic base. Tourists arrive at these destina- tions via personal passenger car. Finally, this policy undervalues the role of technological advancements such as electric vehi- cles and alternative fuels, which would significantly reduce emissions without reducing VMT. To meet these realities, the VMT reduction goal should have been limited to the geography and vehicle type where it made most sense: the metro area and passenger cars only. But the ideologically pure won out and we ended up with a goal, which by failing to account for prevailing conditions, has a high chance of not being achieved. A second example: the legislation creating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U. S. EPA) port electrification grant program allowed only for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles as opposed to hybrid-electric or hybrid-elec- tric that can convert to full electric. This provision appeals to those who believe federal funding should be directed toward the final solution and to warm-weather ports, where battery-electric vehicles are already widely used. However for ports like ours in the far north, cold weather conditions are a concern because battery performance (power, charge capacity) degrades significantly as temperatures decline. For example, lithium-ion batteries are reported to lose approximately 30 percent of their energy capacity at temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and the temperatures in Duluth can easily drop below minus- 10 degrees F (we had 56 days below minus-10 degrees F in 2022). No doubt, zero-emission lift equipment will evolve to be effective in real-world extreme cold applications, but until that time, the aforementioned alternatives reduce emissions and help move cold-weather ports forward in their climate action plans. The legislation, to be more practical and widely appli- cable, yet still effective, could have allowed for the purchase of hybrid-electric equipment for ports where winter weather featured lengthy cold weather patterns. Instead, the resulting (ideologically pure) legislation leaves cold-weather ports liter- ally out in the cold, less competitive for grants that could have helped produce immediate, meaningful environmental wins. It's the danger of policymaking that strays too far from prac- ticality in a quest for ideological purity — and it's a frustrating trend for ports and freight interests aiming to achieve practical, real-world progress. A DULUTHPORT.COM | 1 THE HARBOR LINE Deb DeLuca Executive Director Freight activity is expected to grow 50 percent by 2050, with trucks likely to remain the predominant freight carrier.

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