Schatz Helps Secure More Than $5 Million To Reduce Emissions, Improve Efficiency At Sand Island Terminal

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation will receive $5.25 million in federal funding to reduce emissions and improve operational efficiency at Sand Island Terminal in Honolulu Harbor. Last summer, Schatz wrote to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in support of the funding which comes from the infrastructure law Congress passed in 2022.

“Cutting emissions at our ports is critical to achieving Hawai‘i’s clean energy goals,” said Senator Schatz, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation. “This funding will help reduce traffic congestion on Nimitz Highway and make the air in the surrounding areas cleaner, benefiting people both locally and across the state.”

Specifically, the funding will be used to upgrade on-truck identification technology and redesign the passageway for trucks entering and exiting Sand Island Terminal. Currently, the terminal experiences significant truck congestion–trucks idle for an estimated 1,676 hours annually–which contributes to increased emissions. With the expansion, idling time for trucks is estimated to drop to 29 hours annually.

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