Port Commissions To Meet On Clean Air Action Plan

Details: By Don Jergler; | Tuesday, 05 October 2010 01:04

Photo at right: Visitors at last weekend's PortFest.

The Los Angeles and Long Beach boards of harbor commissioners will convene a “special joint meeting” on Wednesday to consider the 2010 San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan Update.

The 2010 CAAP Update is a new version of the Clean Air Action Plan adopted by the ports in 2006 aimed at reducing air pollution. The meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Banning’s Landing Community Center in Wilmington, 100 E. Water St. The meeting will be Webcast Live at polb.com/webcast.

The Update sets even more aggressive goals and strategies for reducing air pollution and health risks from goods movement, according to a statement issued by the Port of Long Beach. The original CAAP and the 2010 CAAP Update were developed through a collaboration among the ports, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the California Air Resources Board and South Coast Air Quality Management District.

If approved the revised plan is expected to reduce the risk of cancer from port-related pollution by 85% over the next decade, according to a story in the Daily Breeze. By 2023, officials hope to reduce diesel particulate matter by 77%, nitrogen oxide levels by 59% and sulfur oxides by 93%, the story states.

The 2010 CAAP Update, Fact Sheet, Synopsis of Significant Changes and “Response to Comments” document are available at cleanairactionplan.org, polb.com/caap or portoflosangeles.org.

In other environmental/port news, at a trucking company in the South Bay, GOP challenger Carly Fiorina tried to highlight Democrate incumbent Barbara Boxer's ties to labor by focusing on the "clean trucks" program at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, a story over the weekend in the Los Angeles Times states. The program has dramatically reduced dirty diesel truck emissions by swapping older cargo trucks for lower-emission vehicles, according to the article.

On Saturday, the Green Port Fest 2010 in Long Beach drew at least 5,000 visitors, according to a report from the Port. The free annual event provided an opportunity for the public to learn more about Port operations and environmental programs. Visitors took narrated tours by boat and train of the Port's facilities. And this year’s Port Fest featured the artist Wyland to help paint a super sized canvas.

To promote sustainability, the Port distributed more than 600 free bus passes to encourage attendees to leave their cars at home. Visitors also were encouraged to ride bicycles.

Disclosure: The PortFest event is an advertiser of the LBPOST.com.

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Archived Comments (9)

Paul d

The Port is about three decades behind with diesel pollution. Think 50's cars vs. new diesel cars. The technology exists. If we have to lose a bit of business at the Port because some shippers still use the old ships, so be it. Why for years have trucks and buses been able to spew out the diesel smoke? We know the answer. Politics. So way, way, past time for our local leaders to put our health before the buck. No net increase in pollution is an attainable goal.

John M. Fentis

You are correct Paul. No net increase in pollution is an attainable goal, but, companies will not spend the money to attain that goal on a voluntary basis. A strong program of enforcement is needed, and when enforcement is done by impotent agencies such as AQMD who lack the courage to take on the big corporations and their armies of lawyers, it's like the fox visiting the hen house. Plenty of best management practices out there including contraptions that actually fit over the smokestacks of vessels and collect particulate matter as small as 10PM, but no one has the guts to force the companies to engage these methods. The companies will then do the minimum to get by at the expense of the lungs of the humans who live in the vicinity of the particulate matter being generated by diesel.

Jon

Right on point Paul. The older ships is what account for most of the Port's pollution. In order reduce pollution shippers to clean their act. It's not fair to only target the trucking industry.

dolores

The port has chosen to expand---knowing that much of the "green plan" was pie in the sky----Reduce pollutants first---and then expand. There is nothing more important than the air we breath or the water we drink---if expansion has to wait---so be it! (Actually, there is something to be said for not having most of our imports come through one large area. Perhaps for environmental and for safety reasons we should reevaluate expansion at all)Paul and John have make some very good points--Is anyone listening??

CHARLIE

Excuse me but I thought this was all talked out and plans put in motion for both air & noise pollution along time ago for LA, LB and SP, and we're going to have to mandate the same controls for ships delivering into our ports - period, and of course, let us not forget the security requirements necessary to keep our ports safe from terrorists! "Clean ships saves lives"

Me Oh My

The trucks that service the port are WAY CLEANER on average than the trucks that service the surrounding businesses. Most meet the 2007 EPA pollution rules. The trucks that service your local grocery store put out more pollution. Yes, the ships are now the big polluters and that is changing as well. Ask CARB and AQMD. They'll tell you the same story. The Port of Oakland has much filthier trucks than LA/LB.

John M. Fentis

With all due respect, the comparison of the level of diesel pollution in Oakland with the diesel pollution in Long Beach is not the issue. Until you have talked with some of the citizens who have children with asthma issues and live in the area of the Port, you can't really have a clear sense of how bad the problem is....doing business in the Port is not a right, it is a privilege and I see no problem with imposing mandates upon the producers of any and all diesel pollution designed to ensure the safety of those (more often than not the less fortunate among us) citizens from health issues. After all, the corporations pass the cost of all of their expenditures on to the consumer anyway. Please consider opening your minds to all sides of the issue before retreating to the proverbial argument that "it's worse somewhere else"...it shouldn't be worse at all. There are standards for the measurement of particulate matter established by State law and, when there is non-compliance, there should be penalties which should be strictly enforced. In fact, the penalties should be put into a trust account so that those families with asthmatic children should be able to obtain some relief.

Maggie

I agree with Paul d-- The health of our residents should be a priority.

dolores

I mentioned it before, and will again--Thank you Paul and John for taking the time to educate the public. We have had the technology for a long time but chose to take the easy way out---at the expense of everyone's health. Money is still the name of the game!

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