Port of L.A. touts pollution reduction

Port of L.A. touts pollution reduction
   The Port of Los Angeles said it has seen significant reductions in pollution even as cargo volumes have risen.
   The port’s 2010 Air Emissions Inventory shows that from 2005 to 2010 port-wide emissions fell for all categories of pollutants on a ton-per-10,000 TEU basis.
   Diesel particulate matter as wells as particulate matter of less than 10 microns or 2.5 microns in diameter were all down 71 percent.
   Other declines from 2005 to 2010 were: sulfur oxide emissions, down 76 percent; nitrogen oxide emissions, 52 percent; carbon monoxide, 48 percent; and hydrocarbon emissions, 45 percent. During that period, container volume grew 5 percent.
Knatz
   Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz said air quality in Los Angeles Harbor is improving as a result of the substantial investments by the port, its tenants and other port-related businesses.
   She said contributing to the reduction were requirements for vessels to use clean fuel when near shore, the San Pedro Bay vessel speed reduction program, and the port’s clean truck program. The port said emissions have also been reduced by retrofitting cargo handling equipment and harbor craft engines with pollution control devices, the use of alternative fuels and power systems.