Long Beach gets EPA equipment retrofit grant

Long Beach gets EPA equipment retrofit grant    The Port of Long Beach said Friday it has received a $4 million air quality grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to replace or retrofit more than 100 forklifts, tractors, tugboats and other older diesel-powered equipment at the port.
   The grant calls on the port to replace or retrofit the equipment with less polluting technology. The grant is part of $25 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding announced this week to help California agencies reduce diesel exhaust.
   'The port identified the most cost-effective projects for the grant funds, ranging from diesel-powered cargo-handling equipment and gantry cranes to tugboats and bulk cargo loaders,' the port said in a statement. 'Included in the 114 machines are an excavator and a sweeper vehicle. The Port of Long Beach does not own the cargo-moving equipment in operation at its shipping terminals. The grant will go to six port tenant customers who own and operate the equipment, to help them cut pollution from cargo operations. Many of the machines will be replaced and others will be 're-powered' or retrofitted with cleaner-running engines.'