When Noel Park tells the story of why he sued the Port of Los Angeles -- and how that lawsuit secured a $60-million settlement -- he thinks back to the map.
He recalls the eerie blue shadow covering the coast from Palos Verdes to Orange County, the blue smudge extending nearly halfway to Catalina.
"There are certain things you remember in your life in Technicolor," he said. "I went, 'Oh, my God!' "
The azure blue on the color-coded map showed those areas of the Los Angeles region most at risk for cancer caused by air pollution. To Park's alarm, the blue tint was brilliant along the southern coast of Los Angeles County, a distinction that air-quality regulators blame largely on diesel exhaust from the port.
Park and his San Pedro neighbors went to court. In a classic David-and-Goliath showdown, they reached a settlement that requires the port to take significant steps to reduce diesel exhaust.
That settlement represents a power shift. For decades, the port expanded with few major challenges. Nearby residents fed up with air pollution and noise typically resorted to letter writing and making phone calls. This time, they stunned port officials in court by temporarily halting the opening of a $47-million terminal built for one of the port's most valued tenants.
The talks that ensued produced a pact that port officials and environmental attorneys are hailing as a milestone, a "win-win" they say will benefit air quality and the regional economy alike.
Several forces converged to create that pact.
First, research in the last five years has underscored the potentially serious effects of diesel exhaust on human health. Residents in some port cities -- from Oakland to Houston -- have begun recognizing that port operations can contribute significantly to air pollution.
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Election Changes
In Los Angeles, they were aided by the 2001 election of Mayor James K. Hahn and his sister, Councilwoman Janice Hahn, San Pedro residents who have expressed concern about diesel exhaust.
At the same time, ports nationwide have begun experimenting with new technology to cut diesel emissions.
The recent settlement could place Los Angeles in the forefront of that effort, some experts say. It may become the first port in the nation to regularly supply cargo ships with electricity so they can turn off their diesel engines while in port.
