Air Pollution

The nation's busiest seaport could lose at least 3% of its cargo container business if it adopts a controversial proposal requiring shipping companies to employ the thousands of short-haul truck drivers who work on a contractual basis, a new study says. The analysis, conducted by Boston Consulting Group, said that "substantial diversions" of the Los Angeles port's business probably would shift to the neighboring port of Long Beach or to other harbors. The port moved 8.

Re "Full speed ahead," editorial, Feb. 29 Rather than celebrating as described in your editorial, our members have been discussing what actions the industry can take to move forward to reduce air emissions. To that end, our board of directors is recommending that our members continue to use low-sulfur fuel in auxiliary engines at 24 nautical miles. Our lawsuit did not challenge the state's authority to regulate emissions, but rather that the state needed to get a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Matt Reed was 1,500 meters into the last segment of the triathlon when he found himself gasping for oxygen. His legs were still pounding away at the pavement, his body pumped up after cruising through the swimming and cycling contests, but his lungs were shutting down. The 32-year-old triathlete from Boulder, Colo., blames air pollution for triggering his asthma attack during the September track meet. If he returns to Beijing for the Olympics, he says, he will wear a mask except while competing.

Diesel-powered ships and trains must cut soot emissions by as much as 90% by 2030, under regulations signed Friday by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Stephen Johnson. "Today EPA is fitting another important piece into the clean diesel puzzle by cleaning emissions from our trains and boats," Johnson said by telephone from the Port of Houston, where he made the announcement. "This will help America's economic workhorse become its environmental workhorse as well."

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Tuesday unveiled a $19-million plan to persuade shippers to burn cleaner fuel when vessels are near the California coast, a move expected to slash local air pollution by 11%. Cargo ships, some of which can emit more diesel exhaust per day than 12,000 automobiles, are responsible for much of the air pollution in the region.

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a clean air plan requiring shipping companies to buy and maintain a modernized fleet of big rigs and employ thousands of independent truckers who currently operate under contract. A spokesman for the American Trucking Assn. derided the plan as a "scheme to unionize port drivers" and vowed that his group would sue the port.

Removing a major hurdle to growth at the Port of Los Angeles, harbor officials have agreed to pay $12 million over the next year on pollution reduction initiatives in adjacent San Pedro and Wilmington, officials said Wednesday. In the tentative agreement with environmental groups, the port promised to create a trust fund to address the long-term effects of port operations on local neighborhoods, including $6 million for the installation of air filtration systems in Wilmington public schools.

Southern California air regulators on Friday charged a Riverside County cement plant with violating dust-control statutes, days after revelations that the site was believed to be emitting high levels of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium. The South Coast Air Quality Management District also demanded that officials from TXI Riverside Cement Co. in Rubidoux hand over up to two years' worth of maintenance and equipment records and perform an updated health-risk assessment within 150 days.

The product: Dust, cigarette smoke, pollen and pet dander: With so many irritants floating around our homes and work places, clean air is a hot commodity. Americans spend hundreds of millions of dollars on furnace filters and air cleaners each year. Though some consumers are simply trying to bring a little extra freshness into their lives, many others hope that their investment will help relieve their asthma or allergies.

Concluding that smog is likely to be killing many people, a national panel of experts advised the Environmental Protection Agency to consider the economic value of lost lives when comparing the costs and benefits of setting new air pollution rules. Ozone, the main ingredient of smog, is a lung-scarring gas created when fumes from vehicles, factories and consumer products react in the sun.