John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Terminal 4 operator JFKIAT has announced an investment in Green-e® certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) as part of its commitment to reducing emissions and reaching net-zero carbon by 2050. The certificates verify that renewable energy sources produced by JFK T4 are entered into the region’s power grids.
The initiative is one of several sustainability programs stewarded by JFKIAT in partnership with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ). In 2018, PANYNJ became the first public transportation agency in the United States to make sustainability targets based off of the Paris Climate Agreement. JFKIAT, which also follows Paris Climate Agreement guidelines in its sustainability programs, was awarded an Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2022 and a Greenest Airport Terminal Award by the Green Restaurant Association in 2023. The airport’s entire campus has undergone significant sustainability upgrades as part of its $19 billion renovation project, including the installation of an electric bus fleet, the implementation of clean construction strategies, plans to install electric ground service equipment as well as plans to build the largest solar array of any airport terminal in the United States.
“At T4, sustainability informs every aspect of our innovative operations, and we’re on a mission to continue investing in responsible, ethical, and environmentally conscious programs,” said JFKIAT CEO Roel Huinink. “By helping to track production within electricity power grids, RECs are an important tool in expanding the renewable energy market. Through this investment, we are able to reduce our scope 2 electricity emissions to net zero while supporting the generation of renewable energy in the U.S. Not only does this program encourage the ongoing transition to cleaner energy sources and make renewable energy projects more economically viable, but it also creates a healthy environment at T4 and prepares our facility for a resilient future.”
“The Port Authority is committed to addressing the climate threat by reducing greenhouse gas emissions at our facilities through our net-zero roadmap,” added Port Authority Office of Sustainability Director Chris Diamond. “Stakeholder involvement in reducing our carbon footprint is a significant step towards our goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.”
