AAPA Launches 'Port Opportunities with Energy, Resilience, and Sustainability (POWERS) Program'

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) — the unified voice of the seaport industry in the Americas — officially launched its Port Opportunities with Energy, Resilience, and Sustainability (POWERS) Program.

At a time when America and the world are facing monumental challenges to fight climate change and secure energy resiliency, ports and their partners are showing a willingness to step up to these challenges. The POWERS Program sets forth a robust policy platform for the Federal Government to bolster energy security, coastal resiliency, and implement environmentally sustainable technologies. Read the full POWERS policy platform on AAPA's official POWERS Program launch page.

The launch event took place via Zoom and included Federal policymakers, such as Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX-14), Rep. Alan Lowenthal's (D-CA-47) Legislative Director Andrew Bower, as well as presentations from AAPA members, including Guy Warner, chairman and CEO of Pareto Energy LTD; Jason Scherr, manager of environmental sustainability at Prince Rupert Port Authority; Jonathan Atwood, chief of staff and external affairs at South Jersey Port Corporation; and Ed Washburn, senior vice president of fleet operations at The Pasha Group.

AAPA President and CEO Chris Connor remarked during the event, "POWERS is designed to bolster ports' abilities to meet the twin challenges of energy security and climate change by advocating for Federal policies to support American energy prowess, pragmatic decarbonization, technology for renewables, and environmental sustainability. Today is the formal beginning of what will be a robust and sustained effort on behalf of America’s ports, the communities they operate in, and the country as a whole."

AAPA's Chairman and Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, Mario Cordero, said, "I am very honored as AAPA is launching our official POWERS initiative. The past two years... the crux of the conversation has been the lack of resiliency in the supply chain. This is a very important topic for the Port of Long Beach, and of course, for the AAPA. No matter what state you are from, energy resiliency is a number one item to be talking about in the United States."

Congressman Randy Weber (R-TX-14) said, "As Co-Chair of the PORTS Caucus, I look forward to working with AAPA to implement the POWERS Program for the benefit of our ports and the industries they support. But more than that, the people, the jobs, the families that are behind this."

Andrew Bower, Legislative Director for Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47), said, "Addressing climate change... makes our supply chains more secure, resilient, and efficient in the long run, and we cannot delay action. All of these challenges are deeply interrelated, and ports will be critical partners as we work to confront them."

If you are interested in partnering with AAPA or are working to meet goals like those described in the POWERS Program, please reach out to Ian Gansler, Manager of Energy, Resilience, and Sustainability Policy.

AAPA is excited and proud to work with ports, partners, and the Federal Government to invest in port infrastructure to take on America's energy security, resilience, and sustainability challenges. You can access the recording of the POWERS Program launch event here.