The Intersection of Development, Movement of Goods, and Sustainability
Nine months ago the Port of Detroit launched a decarbonization project aiming to reduce its environmental impact and improve air quality. The project – in partnership with Tunley Environmental and Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV) – involves a range of initiatives, beginning with a full assessment of the port’s current fossil fuel emissions. Concurrently, the construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge is well underway, due to be completed in September 2025, which has many implications involving sustainability in Southwest Detroit. SBN Detroit interviewed, Mark Schrupp, executive director of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, to get an update on the decarbonization efforts and obtain some insights on how those efforts overlap with the bridge development and the future of air quality and sustainability in that area. Q: We last spoke in August, at which time you were just launching the decarbonization project. Where does it stand now? A: The baseline assessment of the carbon footprint of the Port of Detroit is near completion. This is a significant milestone. We have measured all emissions of bringing materials into the port, including equipment used to move materials, emissions from tugboats, and ships, and broke it down by terminal and operator. Next, we’ll lay out plans for eliminating that footprint over the next twenty years. Q: What will initial strategies involve? A: Most of our focus will be on diesel. Ships and heavy equipment operate on diesel and the quickest fastest way to reduce emissions is to convert to biodiesel. We are pushing hard for that. The long-term solution may be hydrogen, but this involves major upgrades and renovations to the vehicles and ships, and the infrastructure. In the meantime, we can reduce carbon emissions by 14% to 15% by switching to a biodiesel blend right away. This will have immediate impacts on global warming and air quality. Q: Is the use of electricity an option? A: It’s not a good option. The heavy-duty equipment used in the port region would need massive batteries to power them, and there are just not a lot on the market today. All U.S. ships that operate in the Great Lakes are being encouraged to convert to biodiesel. Canadian ships are already switching to B20 and higher blends. This will help when ships are docked and running on generators. Q: How does this intersect with the development of the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the use of diesel and biodiesel in heavy-duty trucks? A: The significant increase in truck traffic in Southwest Detroit makes it more likely to get funding to convert those trucks to hydrogen or biodiesel. The concentration of diesel fuel in this region makes a strong case for that. The switch to biodiesel would help immensely, as the heavy equipment used in the ports can run on that too. It would have a massive impact on the air quality. The challenge is getting enough biodiesel supply. It is a supply and demand issue. Also, without government incentives, biodiesel costs more than regular diesel. Other states have implemented tax credits or financial incentives to the producers, and a mandate for the users, creating a carrot and a stick scenario. What is needed is legislation to create funding to increase the supply and incentives to bring down the cost. Canada has created a penalty in the shipping industry for those who don’t use biodiesel. In the Port of Detroit, there is one fuel company – Waterfront Petroleum – that supplies the fuel for most ships. That company has received some funding and is ramping up its ability to provide biodiesel for the ships in reaction to this Canadian penalty. We are working to help them secure funding, etc. At the same time, we are helping to educate ship owners on using biodiesel. There are some extra filter changes and small operational things that need to be done to get the most from the fuel. Industry players promoting this to help ship and truck owners understand how to use it. Q: Overall, do you think the development of the bridge is a negative or positive for the port? A: The bridge has driven up prices on land in the area. One of the projects we are working on is to extend a rail line to the waterfront for a private partner, and the prices for land to run that rail line have gone up because of speculation around the bridge. But it will have a positive impact on our region in terms of manufacturing. The bridge will help keep Detroit as the epicenter of most of the automobile production. If auto manufacturing remains strong, those sectors will need more raw materials that flow through the port. This will be bolstered by the bridge because it will make the movement of goods more efficient. This will ultimately have a ripple effect on our economy – for the positive. We are also looking at ways we can leverage the bridge to help make the port of Detroit more of an intermodal hub for finished goods and other kinds of goods. For example, instead of big ships unloading on the coast in Quebec or New York and then putting materials on trains to reach our region maybe having the bridge makes Detroit/Windsor a better destination for those shippers to reach midwestern customers. We are still researching this. The challenge is that the really big ships can’t get into the Great Lakes. But we are looking at ways to be more efficient with smaller ships and other solutions. The idea is ultimately to take some of the railroad traffic off the East Coast rail lines and get the goods closer to the customer. Q: What are the next steps in terms of your decarbonization project? A: We are planning a community event to showcase the process and planning and next steps. We are really pleased with the work and collaboration efforts involved in this project and are looking forward to sharing it with the community. We are also in a
AECOM, Building the Economy, Sustainability Through Infrastructure
The work of AECOM Great Lakes Inc., which moved its primary office housing about 75 employees to Detroit last year, is the designer and builder of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, is designing the Henry Ford Macomb Hospital expansion, and also is working on I-75 and I-696 replacement work in addition to other infrastructure projects. The office is part of Dallas-based AECOM – ranked No. 310 on the 2023 Fortune 500 – which works on infrastructure projects across the globe. SBN Detroit talked with G. Jerry Attia, AECOM Great Lakes vice president and managing principal, about how the company thinks about and acts on sustainability and how its presence in Detroit impacts the city and Southeast Michigan. Q: What should we know about AECOM’s approach to sustainability? A: AECOM is the world’s largest infrastructure consulting firm, and we design infrastructure in four main areas: Vertical infrastructure – mostly buildings and anything vertical. Horizontal infrastructure that consists mostly of transportation systems such as highways, train rails, rapid transit, and other transportation systems, etc. Underground water infrastructure including stormwater management systems, water distribution systems, and other electrical systems. Program management for infrastructure systems that fall outside of those three groups. We also have an environmental business. When it comes to sustainability, everything we do uses carbon, so we have a large focus on the environment and resilience around infrastructure and building decisions. Within our new office in Detroit, when it comes to ESG (environmental, social, and governance) we put a lot of emphasis on the S – making good social decisions. In today’s market, often the “E” takes precedence over the “S,” and in cities like Detroit, the “S” must come first. Understanding the needs and constantly seeking the voice of disenfranchised people as to how they interact with infrastructure is paramount. So, we like to think about the “whom” in infrastructure. There has been a history of poorly made infrastructure decisions that have adversely affected certain social groups and as such they become less resilient. One example of this is the highway designs and redlining that happened in the ‘50s and continues to this day. Infrastructure is developed to enhance the economy and create economic development but often is not focused on the needs of disenfranchised people. A lot of my work in Detroit is focused on advancing opportunities for African Americans in engineering and architecture. Q: Will you elaborate a bit on how you think AECOM’s approach now keeps in mind the “whom” in infrastructure so as to not adversely affect certain social groups? A: I always insist we do two things we did not use to do on every project. First, we seek out the most diverse team possible – including gender, racial, and ethnic diversity. I believe that diversity of thought is the key to creativity. Second, we seek out as many people who are going to be affected by the imposition of whatever infrastructure project or building we are considering and get their perspectives in advance. This means get out of the C-suite and into the user groups, look for unintended consequences of actions, study history to understand the shortcoming of previous infrastructure projects, look for consensus and collaboration among people and seize on it, address the concerns as thoughtfully as possible, and incorporate the affected individuals needs into the solution. Design thinking can be really helpful when solving big problems. I work to lead the team to look always look for multiple benefit solutions, always be empathetic, and always seek out unique perspectives to understand a problem more deeply. And that only happens with diversity. Q: Has AECOM always had this focus on sustainability? A: It’s an important legacy for all of us, and AECOM formally adopted an ESG profile about three years ago. We are a $14 billion organization with nearly 45,000 employees and we are not as diverse as I think we should be. But I’m proud to say that when you look at the Detroit office it’s a strong representation of our city. Q: Your website says that you are leading the change towards a more sustainable and equitable future, partnering with those who want to make a positive difference in the world. How and who in Southeast Michigan are you partnering with? A: We talk about this in a couple of ways. We seek clients who are interested in doing the right thing for the environment in general. Most municipalities and government entities are focused on it and we work with several of them – Oakland County, Wayne County, the City of Detroit, and more. By and large, AECOM can teach as much as do. We look for minority partners who share our interest in advancing opportunities for disenfranchised people. I think the size of AECOM and our depth and breadth of work gives us a platform to serve as a good example to others. Q: How do you think the decision to move your primary office in Michigan to downtown Detroit speaks to the revitalization of Detroit? A: Yes, we moved our primary office in June 2022 to Willis and Woodward in the Cass Corridor. We had planned to do so earlier but due to the pandemic, it took longer than we had wanted. Large companies bring economic development opportunities to the areas in which they are located, so I think AECOM’s presence in Detroit helps to contribute to the city in some key ways, such as paying city taxes, employing Detroiters, and bringing our employees to the area to help the restaurants and retail, etc. I’d like to see more companies do this. Q: How do you think the work that you are doing now out of this new office impacts sustainability in and around Detroit? A: We look at every project through the lens of sustainability, resilience, and diversity and I think our presence helps more people use this lens for the city. Sustainability is just as much about society as it is about the environment and good decision-making around
