Judge O.K.s Long Beach port truck settlement

Judge O.K.s Long Beach port truck settlement    The Port of Long Beach said a federal district court judge has dismissed the American Trucking Associations' lawsuit against its Clean Trucks Program, after approving a settlement between the two parties.
   The port said the settlement will allow its Clean Trucks Program to continue, saying it is “well on the way to achieving an 80 percent reduction in air pollution by 2012 or earlier. Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, all trucks with 1993 and older engines will be banned; and 1994 to 2003 engines will be banned unless retrofitted with a qualified device.
   “With the judge's seal of approval, the port can now work to finalize the registration system that will replace the concession system that had been challenged by the lawsuit,” the port said. It added that new registration requirements will be posted on the port's Web site by mid-November.
   A draft of the new Registration Agreement is available here.