Port of Oakland to overhaul Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan

The plan, the purpose of which is to reduce emissions from containerized cargo operations, is expected to be updated by next fall, according to officials at the Port of Oakland.    The Port of Oakland’s Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan, a document that has guided the port’s environmental policy since 2009, is about to receive an overhaul.
   The plan, the purpose of which is to reduce emissions from containerized cargo operations over the next decade, is expected to be updated by next fall, port officials said Dec. 15.
   This winter, officials said, a task force is expected to be convened to revamp the existing plan, which is set to expire in 2020.
   According to the port, the new plan is expected to address two key objectives: developing a greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy and extending the port’s successful run of reducing diesel particulate matter emissions.
   Diesel emissions have fallen 76 percent since Oakland adopted its air quality plan eight years ago, according to port data, while truck emissions are down 98 percent, and vessel emissions are off 76 percent.
   “Over nearly a decade, we’ve made significant progress in curbing emissions, improving air quality and protecting the community’s health,” Port Director of Environmental Programs and Planning Richard Sinkoff said. “But we can’t stop now – we’ve got to have a new plan in place well before the old one expires.”
   The new plan, the port said, could further curb emissions by emphasizing emerging technology, with examples being zero emissions and near-zero cargo handling equipment. The port said government grants could help in the quest to identify useful technology.
   The port said its air quality task force, which would include transportation officials, civic leaders, community activists and environmental experts, expected to produce a document for port commissioners to vote on in the third quarter of 2018.
   Port officials have said they intend to align Oakland’s policies with the state of California’s rules for freight transport, which are expected to undergo their own overhaul in 2018.