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Video by Mario Icari

NAVFAC Southwest team recognized by Navy Region Southwest Commander For Low Carbon Fuel Standard Intergovernmental Support Agreement Efforts With Port of San Diego

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southwest

Jan. 12, 2023 | 5:20

SAN DIEGO – Commander Navy Region Southwest RDML Bradley Rosen presented awards to NAVFAC Southwest members, Jan. 12 in San Diego, for their contributions to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Intergovernmental Support Agreement (IGSA) efforts with the Port of San Diego.

NAVFAC Southwest employees were rewarded for their exemplary support on a first-of-its-kind agreement with the Port of San Diego that will result in significant infrastructure upgrades at Naval Base San Diego (NBSD), while also helping the Navy contribute to Federal climate change and greenhouse gas initiatives. Under California law, ocean going vessels can generate marketable credits by substituting shore electrical power for diesel power while moored. Proceeds of sale of these credits can be used to upgrade electrical infrastructure to further advance electrification of the water front.

The NAVFAC Southwest team worked with Navy Region Southwest personnel and other stakeholders to overcome numerous hurdles, culminating in the Navy’s first ever LCFS agreement. On the legal front, NAVFAC Southwest Office of Counsel helped analyze and find innovative solutions to numerous questions, including analyzing and identifying the proper Department of Defense statutory authority to enter into the LCFS arrangement, while ensuring compliance with fiscal law requirements that would normally require funds generated from LCFS credits to be deposited in the United States Treasury. Together the NAVFAC Southwest and Navy Region Southwest team, provided countless analyses and briefings to higher level Navy and DOD officials to eventually obtain the required approval from the Secretary of Defense, and worked with the Port of San Diego to develop an agreement that allows the Port to monetize LCFS credits earned by the Navy, and use those credit proceeds to perform potentially millions of dollars of upgrades to Navy electrical infrastructure.

A period of accelerated negotiations with the Port resulted in the IGSA being signed by Ms. Meredith Berger, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Energy, Installations & Environment; Commander, Navy Region Southwest; and the Port of San Diego at a public signing ceremony on Sept. 20, 2022 in San Diego. The ceremony was attended by the Mayor of San Diego, the Port Chairman, state and Federal legislative representatives, and members of the news media. The superb efforts by the NAVFAC Southwest team, in close collaboration with Navy Region Southwest, have resulted in a successful model for obtaining LCFS credits at NBSD, which breaks ground to potential to be implemented at other Navy installations in California.

NAVFAC Southwest awardees included Andrew Baughman, Dave Silverstein, Alfred C. Dumaual and Janice Torres. Members recognized from Navy Region Southwest N5 and Office of General Counsel included Jessica Ward, Mary Kay Faryan (not shown), Alexandra Abbey, and Thomas Puckett.