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.