L.A., Long Beach ports unveil timeline for clean air plan update

The Southern California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach say they’ve set July 19 as the release date for the draft version of their 2017 update to the Clean Air Action Plan, which was first adopted in 2006.

   The adjoining seaports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have set Wednesday, July 19 as the release date for the draft version of their 2017 update to the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), which consists of a raft of programs and initiatives aimed at reducing pollution from ships, drayage trucks, trains, harbor equipment and other sources, the ports said in a statement Thursday.
   The CAAP was first approved in 2006 and then updated in 2010. The 2017 update, according to the ports, has been under development for more than a year and contains new strategies from all sources that move cargo through their facilities, including use of zero- and near zero-emission trucks and cargo-handling equipment, and the expansion of programs that reduce ship emissions.
   The ports’ schedule for the remainder of the CAAP 2017 update process includes:
     • July 19: Release of the draft CAAP 2017 Update and beginning of a public comment period.
     • Aug. 30: Date for a public workshop to collect comments on the draft CAAP 2017. The workshop is set for 5 p.m. at Banning’s Landing, 100 E. Water St., Wilmington, Calif.
     • Sept. 18: Written public comments period closes at 5 p.m.
   In addition, Long Beach and Los Angeles Harbor Commissioners are scheduled meet jointly on a to-be-determined date in November to consider approval of the final CAAP 2017 Update.
   Since its adoption, the Clean Air Action Plan has dramatically improved air quality in the region by reducing pollution from the ships, trucks, trains, cargo-handling equipment and harbor craft that operate in and around the ports, data shows.
   According to the latest annual inventories, the two ports’ comprehensive clean air programs since 2005 have reduced diesel particulate matter up to 85 percent, cut nitrogen oxides in half, eliminated 97 percent of sulfur oxides, and shrunk greenhouse gases an average of 12 percent.
   On June 12, the mayors of Los Angeles and Long Beach, along with the heads of the respective seaports, signed a joint declaration to set new goals for the ports to transition to zero-emissions operations.
   The declaration also affirmed that the next CAAP update would include new investments in clean technology, the expansion of at-berth emission reductions efforts, and the launch of a zero-emissions drayage truck pilot program in the next few years.