FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
November 1, 2024

Mayor London Breed Announces $55 Million Federal Grant to Advance the Country's First High Speed Zero-Emission Ferry Service in San Francisco

The funding from the EPA’s Clean Ports Program will help complete the build out of a zero-emission network that connects communities served by SF Bay Ferry, including Oakland, Richmond, Vallejo, and Alameda

SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor London N. Breed joined Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and City leaders today to announce a $55 million grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Port of San Francisco and San Francisco Bay Ferry to complete the nation’s first-ever high-speed zero-emission ferry network connecting critical transportation hubs.

The funding from the EPA’s Clean Ports Program will help build out a zero-emission network that connects the communities served by SF Bay Ferry, including Oakland, Richmond, Vallejo, and Alameda with financial and biotech employment centers. These projects under SF Bay Ferry’s Rapid Electric Emission-Free (REEF) Ferry Program will accelerate a new standard for clean ferries nationwide and serve as a training platform for the Bay Area’s maritime workforce development program.

Specifically, the funding will support:

• Electrification infrastructure at the Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal;
• Construction of a high-speed 400-passenger zero-emission vessel;
• Building a new ferry terminal in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood; and
• A regional maritime workforce development program.

“Thanks to the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, our nation’s infrastructure is stronger than ever – and San Francisco continues to make progress in our mission to be a transit-smart city,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said.  “We are grateful for EPA Administrator Michael Regan whose federal grants announced for San Francisco were made possible by Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act. This funding will improve the quality of life for Bay Area working families by creating a cleaner, greener environment where reliable public transit reduces congestion and helps build equity and opportunity for all San Franciscans.”

“This funding is critical to help advance our Climate Action Plan and to deliver projects that will help make the San Francisco Bay Ferry the first zero-emissions fast ferry network in the country,” said Mayor London Breed. “San Francisco is a leader in climate work and innovation, and this shows what can be accomplished when we work together to advance equity and connectivity that will benefit San Francisco residents and people from all across our region. I want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration, Speaker Emerita Pelosi, and the EPA for awarding San Francisco with this $55 million grant that will prioritize cleaner air quality and the health of our communities.”

Ferry ridership in the Bay Area doubled during the 2010s and has been rebounding strongly since 2021. The investments in electrification infrastructure give the Port and SF Bay Ferry a unique opportunity to deliver transformative change in the transportation sector, which accounts for almost 50 percent of emissions in San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Climate Action Plan. The EPA grant will support cutting emissions from the transportation sector and improving the health of nearby communities by converting to zero-emission electric ferry service from diesel-powered vessels.

San Francisco Bay Ferry carried 2.2 million passengers in 2023 on the nation's cleanest high-speed, high-capacity ferry fleet. Thirteen of the agency's 17 vessels meet U.S. EPA Tier 4 emission standards and the agency has committed to convert 66 percent of its vessel fleet to zero emissions by 2035. In 2023, the agency completed its Blueprint for Zero-Emission Vessel Transition to inform development of a plan to transition the fleet to zero-emission vessels.

“This grant represents an enormous push forward for the nation’s first high-speed, zero-emission ferry network,” said Jim Wunderman, Chair of the SF Bay Ferry Board of Directors. “SF Bay Ferry will provide a critical transportation link to Mission Bay, an incredibly successful development hub in San Francisco. And because of the EPA’s decision, we’ll be able to do so with clean, reliable, and efficient electric ferries. Thank you to Speaker Emerita Pelosi, Senators Padilla and Butler and the Bay Area Congressional Delegation for their support in winning this transformational grant for San Francisco.”

“We are grateful for the U.S. EPA's award to the Port of San Francisco,” said Elaine Forbes, Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco. “This major investment will allow us to complete the Mission Bay Ferry Landing and to achieve an electric fleet, with zero emissions. We look forward to working with our partners at San Francisco Bay Ferry and the SFPUC to provide Bay Area residents with the nation’s first zero-emission ferry network, and to bring ferry service to Mission Bay. These EPA funds will also support access to critical, well-paying jobs in the maritime trades.”

“At the SFPUC, clean power is fundamental to what we do,” said SFPUC General Manager Dennis Herrera. "We have been generating greenhouse gas-free power for the City for more than 100 years. So partnering on the first zero-emissions electric ferry network in the United States was a no-brainer for us. The SFPUC is proud to contribute $13.6 million in matching funds to complete the upgrades needed to meet this project’s charging needs. We’re looking forward to clean Hetch Hetchy power and our other renewable energy sources powering these zero-emission ferries and helping all of San Francisco reach its clean energy goals, including net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Exciting projects like this just underscore the importance of San Francisco buying the local electric grid so that we can control our clean energy future. That way we can ensure that all San Franciscans benefit from the advantages of public power, which is cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable than PG&E.”

The grant includes funding to support a maritime workforce development program operated by the Working Waterfront Coalition that will train more than 200 apprentices. The Working Waterfront Coalition is an industry-led workforce development initiative that includes unions, workforce boards, and community groups, aiming to establish a skilled workforce pipeline and address the shortage of maritime professionals crucial for the operation and expansion of comprehensive regional ferry service.

The WWC provides maritime trade skills training for participants ages 18-24 from disadvantaged and low-income communities in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and the re-entry population. Training options include Marine Trades Training, Water Transportation Training, and Career Technical Education for individuals with a focus on zero-emission technologies.

“The grant will support the Working Waterfront Coalition's recruitment, training, and placement of residents from primarily disinvested communities in marine trades and water transportation jobs working on zero and low-emission vessels and reinvigorating the maritime workforce here in the Bay Area,” said Working Waterfront Coalition's Managing Director Sal Vaca.

The EPA grant provides crucial funding that leverages more than $115 million from other local, state, and federal sources. Those funding sources include Regional Measure 3, CalSTA Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, FTA Rapid Electric Emission-Free Ferry funding, City and County of San Francisco Capital Funds, San Francisco Sales Tax, and private funding.