Helping ports move forward under the Clean Ports Program

Ports serve as critical linchpins in the transportation ecosystem. As they increasingly turn to technology advancements to augment operations and clean the air, ports across the country find themselves in the position of advancing EPA Clean Ports Program projects while many of the program details are still emerging.

There’s a sense of urgency in making improvements that will result in better community health outcomes. But when funding outpaces program guidance, there’s operational risk for port leaders responsible for compliance, documentation, and long-term accountability.

Managing Clean Ports projects amid evolving requirements

As the Clean Ports Program is still evolving, what does this mean in practice for port operations? While federal regulations apply, many of the tools that ports typically rely on (such as templates and established reimbursement protocols) are limited or unavailable.

As a result, ports leaders are navigating challenges, such as:

• Making early decisions without program-specific guidance.
• Managing reimbursement and documentation expectations.
• Preparing for audits that will occur after work is already underway.
• Coordinating extensive community engagement around air quality improvements.

At the same time, federal grant officers are managing heavy caseloads, which limits their ability to provide detailed, program-specific direction. This increases the burden on ports receiving grants who want to avoid retroactive compliance challenges.

Applying experience to reduce risk

In this environment, experience with federal grant programs becomes critical. Rather than waiting for guidance that may arrive late, ports benefit from partners who understand how these programs have operated historically and how compliance is evaluated in practice.

Drawing on federal grants experience can help ports move ahead by:

• Applying historic EPA grant and federal funding requirements to new programs.
• Developing Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPP) for both grant and air quality monitoring.
• Establishing reimbursement and invoicing frameworks aligned with existing EPA transportation programs.

Developing draft materials that EPA can review and approve—even when formal templates do not exist—can help ports reduce uncertainty without slowing program execution.

Coordinating across the port organization

Another challenge is that Clean Ports projects rarely sit within a single department. While port environmental teams often lead implementation, successful delivery requires coordination across finance, procurement, legal, communications, and operations. Leaders overseeing cross-functional execution should anticipate internal coordination demands early to ensure messaging, spending, and documentation remain aligned with federal grant requirements.

Every Clean Ports program includes a community or workforce element because the program is designed not only to fund technical upgrades, but also to address how port operations affect surrounding communities and the workforce that supports them. In practice, this means Clean Ports projects are expected to demonstrate community benefit alongside operational improvements, whether through workforce development, outreach, or education tied to cleaner port technologies and air quality goals.

While these components can create meaningful long-term value, they also introduce additional complexity for ports. For operations leaders, the community and workforce element is not peripheral—it is a core program requirement and port objective that must be managed with the same rigor as technical and compliance work. These efforts must drive meaningful air quality improvements while operating within the structure of a federally audited program. Clear roles, consistent documentation, and coordinated oversight are essential to protect both funding and the port.

Moving forward with confidence

By pairing technical expertise with structured grants management and compliance support, ports are better equipped to manage that complexity. This integrated approach reflects how ICF works alongside the ports of Los Angeles, Oakland, and others to support planning, technical delivery, and the full lifecycle of federal grant implementation.

The Clean Ports Program is designed to support healthier communities and more efficient port operations—but achieving those outcomes requires disciplined execution across technical delivery, stakeholder coordination, reporting, and compliance.

With the right combination of technical experience, grants management expertise, and federal compliance knowledge, port leaders can continue advancing projects while adapting to evolving program guidance and maintaining accountability throughout implementation.