2 ports aim to slash diesel exhaust
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation's busiest seaport complex, are proposing an "unprecedented" overhaul of dockside trucking that officials say would slash diesel pollution from trucks by 80% in five years while improving domestic security and working conditions for drivers.
The draft plan drew rave reviews from environmentalists and labor groups but was criticized by industry groups, which said that lawsuits could be filed and that the booming ports could lose business to other states and countries if they press forward.
More than 40% of all goods imported to the United States move through the two neighboring ports.
Under the plan, posted online Friday, all 16,000 short-haul trucks that move goods from the wharves to nearby rail yards or warehouses would be scrapped or retrofitted, starting next year, at a cost of $1.8 billion. Their drivers -- mostly low-paid independent contractors -- would be employed by companies that would bid on port concession contracts containing stiff environmental, equipment maintenance and workplace requirements.
Numerous studies have shown elevated levels of diesel particulates and other harmful air pollutants on docks and in neighborhoods near truck-laden highways and freight rail yards.
The cost of replacing the current, aging trucks would be funded largely by per-trip fees of $34 to $54 assessed on the licensed firms, with some matching state bonds and taxpayer money. A second portion of the plan would impose a $26 fee on every container of goods moved through the ports to help fund rail and highway improvements.
Both measures are part of the ports' joint clean-air action plan, which aims to reduce deadly air pollution from all sources -- including ships, trains and trucks -- by 45% in five years. The plan is "a model for seaports around the world
S. David Freeman, president of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, said consumers would pay just pennies more for goods moving off the docks. He said replacing the trucks is vital to improving public health in neighborhoods near the ports.
"If you just look at the difference between the emissions of one of these dirty trucks and a new, cleaner one -- and do the math -- this is one of our biggest opportunities to get clean air," said Freeman, who along with other port officials unveiled the proposal Thursday at a closed-door meeting with industry, labor and environmental groups. "We can make major advances by replacing them."
