The last two weeks have seen a historic action take place: the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles each adopted identical progressive bans on polluting diesel trucks that serve the ports. By “progressive,” I mean that the bans roll in over time, affecting the most polluting (oldest) trucks first, then requiring more clean trucks in succeeding years. The oldest trucks – an estimated 3,000 vehicles from model years before 1989 – cannot enter the ports after October 1, 2008. By 2012, five years from now, all trucks serving the ports must be at least as clean as new trucks purchased in model year 2007.
I have been writing about the Clean Truck Program for several weeks now, and I am cautiously ecstatic about this development. I’m ecstatic because it appears that a dramatic reduction will occur in port-related diesel emissions. These emissions reach everyone who breathes in Southern California—not only from the ports themselves, but from every freeway and major surface street used by these trucks. The reductions will be permanent and should result in better public health in Long Beach and throughout the region.
I’m cautious because this program will not be easy to implement, and thus the benefits are not yet guaranteed. The program adopted omits several of the most controversial elements of the Clean Truck Program originally proposed by the Ports. The adopted program requires registration of each truck in port service and use of radio-frequency ID tags to help in enforcement. But it stops short of the concession model with its other requirements on truck owners – and it does not require drivers to become employees, certainly the most controversial proposal. These elements were proposed because the ports planned to provide financing to truck owners to assist in retrofits or purchase of new trucks, and wanted to ensure accountability for the funds. The adopted plan does not specify who will pay for the retrofits or new trucks, so the trucking industry must adapt—and quickly. Fortunately, the industry appears to be working well with both ports to propose a model that will accomplish the most immediate goal of retiring 3,000 trucks by next October.
Assuming the ban remains in force, how will we know it is working? As part of the Clean Air Action Plan, the ports have committed to conducting and publishing an annual inventory of emissions from all sources related to port operations, including trucks. The most recent inventories were for 2005 and were released this fall. Each port also conducts air quality monitoring at nearby sites. More information on the emissions inventories and monitoring data can be found on the port web sites. These activities are an important aspect of the ports’ accountability for the emissions associated with their operations.
Another historic, but little-noted, event in Southern California goods movement took place recently. On October 12th, officials of local, regional, state and federal government agencies signed an unprecedented agreement to collaborate in addressing the many issues facing goods movement in Southern California. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach were among the signatories to the agreement. I hope that this agreement can provide a framework for the agencies to harness their numerous and overlapping jurisdictions in the service of cleaner air and smoother freight movement in our region. It’s another area where I (at least) will be looking for accountability.
In related news, the Downtown Gazette reported on November 5 that Hudson Elementary School has supplied its 65 classrooms with new high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. The school used $47,000 in grant funds from the Long Beach Unified School District to purchase the filters. According to the report, the plug-in units are already in use and teachers and students are glad to have them. Hudson Elementary is located on the west side of Long Beach in direct view of the Terminal Island Freeway, a route heavily used by port trucks.