Port of Charleston¶
The Fastest-Growing East Coast Port — And the Communities It Grows Past¶
~900 t criteria pollutants emitted at berth annually (scaled estimate)
250K+ below-median-income residents in surrounding communities
$55M+ estimated annual public health cost of port emissions
ZERO mandatory at-berth emissions controls
Sources: ICCT Port Emissions Screening (2024); South Carolina Ports Authority statistics; EPA BenMAP methodology; U.S. Census ACS; CDC PLACES (2024); EPA TRI; EPA EJScreen. At-berth emissions scaled from ICCT screening and comparable East Coast container ports.
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Port Overview¶
The Port of Charleston is the fastest-growing major port on the U.S. East Coast, handling approximately 2.8 million TEUs annually. Operated by the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) under President and CEO Barbara Melvin — the first woman to lead SCPA — the port is anchored by the Wando Welch Terminal, the North Charleston Terminal, and the newly opened Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal (2021), a massive expansion on the former Navy Base site. The post-deepening 52-foot channel enables calls from the largest vessels on the East Coast.
Charleston's cargo profile combines container and RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) operations — BMW's largest manufacturing plant is in South Carolina, and its vehicles ship through Charleston. While docked, vessels run auxiliary diesel engines that emit fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly into adjacent residential neighborhoods — with no state or federal mandate requiring emissions control.
Who Is Affected¶
The communities surrounding the Port of Charleston are disproportionately low-income and historically Black. North Charleston — the fastest-growing port-adjacent community — ranks among the most pollution-burdened cities in South Carolina. The Union Heights and "Neck" area neighborhoods sit directly between upper and lower peninsula port operations. Charleston has a deep history of environmental racism, and port expansion has repeatedly occurred in communities without the political capital to resist.
| Community | Population | Key Health Burden |
|---|---|---|
| North Charleston | 120,000+ | Majority-minority, lower-income; adjacent to Leatherman and North Charleston Terminals |
| Union Heights | 8,000+ | Historically Black; between upper peninsula port operations |
| The Neck / Rosemont | 12,000+ | Industrial corridor between upper and lower peninsula |
| East Side Charleston | 15,000+ | Historically Black; proximity to Columbus Street Terminal |
| Cainhoy / Daniel Island outlying | 10,000+ | Downwind of Wando Welch Terminal operations |
Environmental Justice
North Charleston is the third-largest city in South Carolina and ranks among the most pollution-burdened municipalities in the state. Port-adjacent tracts in North Charleston, Union Heights, and the Neck area exceed South Carolina state averages for asthma, COPD, and cardiovascular disease. The Catawba Indian Nation is the only federally recognized tribe in South Carolina, with cultural and historical connections to the Lowcountry. Gullah/Geechee communities along the Cooper and Ashley rivers maintain deep cultural ties to the waterfront that predate the port's industrial expansion.
Community Health Profile¶
CDC PLACES data for Charleston County provides tract-level health estimates for communities surrounding SCPA terminals. Port-adjacent tracts in North Charleston and the upper peninsula show elevated rates:
| Health Measure | Port-Adjacent Tracts | South Carolina | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current asthma among adults | 10.8% | 10.2% | 9.6% |
| COPD among adults | 8.5% | 7.5% | 6.4% |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.8% | 7.0% | 5.7% |
| Depression among adults | 23.0% | 21.5% | 20.5% |
| Obesity among adults | 38.5% | 35.2% | 33.0% |
| Fair or poor self-rated health | 22.0% | 19.0% | 17.5% |
| High blood pressure | 39.0% | 36.2% | 32.5% |
North Charleston and upper peninsula tracts exceed state averages across every measured indicator, with elevated COPD (+1.0 pp) and fair/poor self-rated health (+3.0 pp). EPA's Toxics Release Inventory identifies 50+ TRI-reporting facilities in Charleston County, including concentrations in the North Charleston industrial corridor.
Health Impact Analysis¶
Using ICCT Port Emissions Screening data and EPA's concentration-response methodology:
| Health Outcome | Current Annual Burden | With At-Berth Capture |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 emissions at port (tonnes/yr) | ~210 t (scaled estimate) | 69–99% reduction |
| NOx emissions at port (tonnes/yr) | ~570 t (scaled estimate) | Up to 95% reduction |
| Premature deaths from port PM2.5 | Estimated 10–28/year | 7–27 lives saved/year |
| Cardiovascular & respiratory hospitalizations | Estimated 40–110/year | 28–105 avoided/year |
| Childhood asthma ED visits | Estimated 60–170/year | 42–162 avoided/year |
| Monetized public health benefit (EPA VSL) | $55M+/year | $40–$55M saved/year |
Methodology Note
Emissions estimates scaled from ICCT Port Emissions Screening data and vessel call frequency (2.8M TEUs annually; cross-referenced with Baltimore, Savannah, and Jacksonville). A comprehensive port-wide emissions inventory has not been published by SCPA. All estimates are conservative — they exclude SOx and secondary PM2.5 formation.
The Regulatory Gap¶
California's CARB At-Berth Regulation has been in effect since 2014 and was authorized by EPA under the Clean Air Act in October 2023. South Carolina has not adopted at-berth vessel emission controls, has no equivalent rulemaking underway, and has not conducted a comprehensive port-wide emissions inventory.
South Carolina's regulatory environment is distinctive: the state maintains a combined health and environmental agency — the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) — a structure unique in the Southeast. SC DHEC has legal authority to address port emissions but has not initiated rulemaking.
Pathways to Action
Several pathways exist for reducing at-berth emissions at the Port of Charleston:
- State adoption of CARB-equivalent regulation: SC DHEC has clear statutory authority but no rulemaking is underway
- SCPA voluntary commitment: South Carolina Ports Authority could require at-berth controls as a condition of terminal operations
- Leatherman Terminal opportunity: The newly opened Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal provides a clean-slate site for shore power or capture infrastructure deployment
- Federal EPA Clean Ports funding: The $3 billion Clean Ports Program (IRA Section 60102) included Southeast awards — disbursement status requires FOIA verification
- BMW supply chain engagement: As a major manufacturing shipper through Charleston, BMW's supply chain sustainability commitments could drive terminal-level emissions requirements
What Comes Next¶
This assessment is a proof-of-concept demonstration. A full site-specific assessment — with higher-resolution dispersion modeling, localized health data, and FOIA-enhanced regulatory context — is available through our research services.
- Air Quality Health Units (AQHUs): Learn more →
- Carbon credit methodology: Learn more →
The Opportunity
At-berth emissions capture at the Port of Charleston could save 7–27 lives per year, prevent up to 105 hospitalizations, and deliver $40–$55 million annually in monetizable health benefits. Charleston's rapid growth — combined with the clean-slate Leatherman Terminal site and BMW's supply-chain leverage — make it among the most actionable East Coast ports for near-term at-berth intervention.
Interactive Dashboard¶
An interactive dashboard for this port — wind rose, CDC PLACES health indicators, EPA TRI facility burden, and at-berth emissions visualizations — is in development and will be released as the port-specific data harvest pipeline comes online.
Dashboard Preview Available
For an interactive dashboard demonstration of the cross-sectional analytical framework, see our two fully-public published assessments — Duluth-Superior and New York/New Jersey — both with embedded NOAA wind roses, CDC PLACES health profiles, EPA TRI burden, and at-berth emissions visualizations.
A site-specific interactive dashboard for this port is available as part of a research engagement.