Newark Residents Press for Shore Power as Board OKs $235M

Newark's South Ward brought its air quality fight to the Port Authority board on June 23, 2026. Five speakers asked for a shore power timeline, a public accounting of federal Clean Ports dollars and an environmental justice framework. Commissioners heard them out, then unanimously approved about $235M in Newark, Lincoln Tunnel and Midtown Bus Terminal work without a single question or dissent.

---

• Five portside advocates demand a September report on Clean Ports funds and shore power plans
• $132M Newark AirTrain station shell approved 10-0, tied to a future Terminal B replacement
• $48.2M Terminal B baggage screening approved 10-0, fully recoverable from federal grants
• $34.5M for Lincoln Tunnel approaches, including helix rehabilitation planning, approved 10-0
• $20M more for Midtown Bus Terminal design passes after the item was nearly skipped
• Airport hustler crackdown adds impound fees, DMV license points and a police surge
• A former Navy SEAL suing the agency alleges a conflict involving Board Chair Kevin J. O'Toole

---

South Ward to Board: Show Us the Timeline

1 big thing: The longest stretch of the meeting belonged to five public commenters. Most were tied to the South Ward Environmental Alliance (SWEA), Pacific Environment, the New York-New Jersey Clean Shipping Coalition and Parents Engaging Parents New Jersey. Their message was coordinated: The plans exist, and now they want dates.

Why it matters: Newark neighborhoods next to the port absorb the truck traffic and ship emissions that come with the region's cargo economy. Advocates said that traffic is rising now, while the fixes are still mostly on paper.

Where things stand: Dr. Leah Owens, Ports and Policy Analyst, SWEA, credited the agency's progress. "The EPA Clean Ports Program award is a significant investment in cleaner technologies, and the 2026-2035 capital plan shows continued commitment to modernization," she said. She also cited community-generated truck counts showing more freight on local streets. Owens warned that "these improvements must be paired with a clear, consistent environmental justice framework to ensure that modernization does not deepen existing inequities." She asked the agency to prioritize zero-emission technology and truck reduction and to treat community data as evidence.

Lorraine Scales-Torres, a South Ward resident and member of SWEA's Air Quality Monitoring Advisory Board, framed the ask as jobs and health together. "People want economic opportunity, but they want healthier and cleaner neighborhoods and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives," she said. She urged shore power, which lets docked ships plug into the electric grid instead of idling their engines, along with anti-idling rules and lower-emission equipment.

The most personal testimony came from public commenter Tasha Martin. Her sister Cheryl worked for years near port and airport facilities. "Today Cheryl is battling lung cancer," Martin said. She asked for stronger emissions cuts and monitoring of carbon monoxide and particulate matter.

The pressure point: Therese Frazier, representing Pacific Environment and the NY-NJ Clean Shipping Coalition, thanked commissioners who had met with advocates. She then pushed harder. "We see the net zero plan, and it's great to have it documented, but we definitely know anything without action is just a hallucination," she said. Frazier asked for real shore power timelines, an execution plan and a September report on how federal Clean Ports funds are being spent.

Erica Beveridge of Parents Engaging Parents New Jersey pointed to the Clean Ports Report Card and cited Los Angeles, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Singapore as models. "We urge the Port Authority to accelerate the electrification of trucks and ensure the cleanest trucks entering our ports become the standard, not the exception," she said.

The response: Public comment rules do not allow dialogue. O'Toole did thank Frazier for an earlier discussion and PowerPoint. "We're going to pass it on to the executive director and Beth Bruni and senior staff," he said.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No action was taken. The advocates have secured meetings with commissioners and a referral to senior staff, but no commitment to a September report or shore power dates.

What's next: Watch whether staff return with a Clean Ports spending update or a shore power schedule by the September timeframe advocates requested.

---

Newark Terminal B Gets Its First Big Checks

Where things stand: Vice Chair Jeffrey H. Lynford, who chairs the Committee on Capital Planning, Execution and Asset Management, presented two Newark Liberty items. The first authorizes $132M for Phase 1 of a new AirTrain station for Terminal B, covering the station's core and shell. "The second phase, which will cover the fit-out of the new station, will be advanced as part of the future Terminal B replacement program," Lynford said.

The second item replaces passenger baggage screening equipment at Terminal B. The estimated cost is $48.2M, which Lynford said is fully recoverable through federal grant funds.

Why it matters: The station shell is an early, concrete commitment to a Terminal B replacement that has not yet come before the board. Whatever gets built around it will be shaped by this investment.

The other side: Earlier, Jack McKee of Hudson County Complete Streets asked the agency to think bigger. "I just ask that as we do work at Terminal B, that anything possible is dovetailed in for the PATH extension," he said, referring to the long-sought PATH link to Newark Airport. Commissioners did not address the connection when they voted.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Both items passed by roll call. For: 10 (O'Toole, Lynford, Bollwage, Cedeno, Dominguez, Eve, Fine, Kelley, LaBarbera, McCabe). Against: 0. Commissioners George Helmy and Winston C. Fisher were not called on any roll. Travelers gain new screening equipment at no net cost to the agency. Rail advocates still have no answer on PATH.

What's next: Phase 2 fit-out awaits the Terminal B replacement program.

---

Lincoln Tunnel and Bus Terminal: Quiet Votes, Big Corridor

Where things stand: Lynford also presented two Lincoln Tunnel items. A $13.6M project will modify and realign the intersection of Dyer Avenue and 30th Street near the tunnel and expand the adjacent bus staging lot. A $20.9M planning authorization covers future structural rehabilitation and paving of the Lincoln Tunnel helix to maintain a state of good repair. That term means maintenance that keeps aging infrastructure from deteriorating.

The near miss: The board nearly skipped the meeting's last capital item. After the fourth item, O'Toole moved to the Audit Committee until the Corporate Secretary interjected. "There's one more? I thought we had 4. I was told 4," O'Toole said, adding that he thought the item had been taken off the agenda. Lynford said his copy also listed four.

After the audit vote, the board returned to it. The item authorizes an additional $20M for architectural design and engineering, including value engineering, for Phase 2 of the Midtown Bus Terminal Replacement Program. Value engineering is a review aimed at cutting costs without losing function. The planning will support design, development and refinement of the new main terminal.

Why it matters: These projects all serve the bus and auto corridor into Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel. The helix money is planning only, so a larger construction request may follow.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: All three items passed. For: 10. Against: 0. Bus commuters and operators have the most at stake, with new staging capacity near the tunnel and continued design work on the new terminal.

---

A Crackdown on Airport Hustlers

Executive Director Catherine Garcia used her report to outline a campaign against illegal ride solicitation at LaGuardia, JFK and Newark Liberty. It was funded in the capital plan passed in December as the first part of a broader $100M campaign.

Why it matters: Garcia called hustling a legitimate safety problem, especially at JFK and Newark, where hustlers target international visitors arriving for the World Cup. "Enforcement has largely been limited to monetary fines, which I have to tell you, hustlers find as a cost of doing business," she said.

What changed: The campaign includes several new measures:

• Port Authority police officers are surging across the airports.
• A new impound fee will shift costs to offenders rather than passengers.
• New technology will detect known repeat offenders in real time.
• A multilanguage warning campaign is underway at all three airports.
• The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission is providing prosecutorial resources.
• The New York State DMV will add license points for non-solicitation violations, eventually leading to suspension for repeat offenders. Drivers caught on airport roads with a suspended license face arrest.

By the numbers: May 2026 PATH ridership rose 2.3% over May 2025. Sunday ridership was nearly 20% above 2019 levels. Port cargo fell 2.4%, and bridge and tunnel traffic dropped 1.7%, which agency economists tied partly to higher fuel prices. Garcia called World Cup operations "flawless" so far, with three matches played and five to go.

---

Litigant Accuses the Board Chair of a Conflict

Bill Brown, a former Navy SEAL and founder of the New York City SEAL Swim Across the Hudson, used public comment to level allegations against O'Toole. "I am the plaintiff in a pending public records enforcement action now before the Superior Court," he said.

Brown alleged that O'Toole's private law firm, O'Toole and Schiavio, was retained to defend McCarter and English, a firm Brown had sued for veteran discrimination. He read a text he attributed to Patrick Donovan, the Port Authority's World Trade Center site safety manager: "Please be aware, though, that you cannot post, send, or do anything else negative towards him or his firm."

Brown said he was then excluded from planning the swim. He also said Donovan was copied on an April 7, 2026, Battery Park City Authority permit denial despite not being on the request emails.

Where things stand: These are allegations from a litigant in pending litigation. Consistent with public comment rules, no board member responded.

---

Minor Items

• Ackham Warehouse, Inc. received a seven-year lease for Building 150 at Port Jersey, approved 10-0.
• SWV Development LLC received a 200-day due diligence extension at Stewart International Airport, approved 10-0.
• KPMG LLP was retained as auditor for 2026, with extensions possible through 2032. Small business Mitchell Titus will handle certain audit services. The Audit Committee approved it 3-0 (Bollwage, Eve, McCabe).
• A 2-inch depression near LaGuardia Runway 4-22, found June 17, caused an overnight closure and one cancellation.
• JFK is one of four U.S. airports authorized to receive passengers from Central African nations. No Ebola cases have been detected to date.

---

Looking Ahead

O'Toole flagged a demanding summer, with five more World Cup matches, Sail Forth and the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaching. Portside advocates will be watching for a shore power plan by September. Movers and seconders for the day's votes were not identified in the record and should be confirmed in the official minutes.