Southern California container fee bill stalls

Southern California container fee bill stalls    A proposed California law that would have imposed a $30 fee for any container passing through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has stalled in the state legislature.
   Senate Bill 760, the so-called “container fee” bill, will likely not be voted on in this year’s legislative session, despite support from environmental groups and air regulators at the state and local levels.
   Revenue from the bill would go to environmental mitigation of port activities, as well as funding for port security and transportation infrastructure to support growing cargo volumes coming through the Southern California ports. Maritime and trade officials have fought the bill because they say it would induce shippers to divert cargo to ports where the fee wouldn’t be assessed. Some also say the bill is unconstitutional because it would allow the state, rather than the federal government, to assess a tariff on international trade.