Port of LA commission approves environmental spending

Port of LA commission approves environmental spending    The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners on Thursday announced agreements with five companies operating in the port to purchase new maritime equipment or retrofit existing equipment that the port estimates will ultimately eliminate 120 tons of diesel particulate matter and 313 tons of nitrogen oxide from the air. The agreements provide more than $800,000 of funding.
   As part of a 2003 court judgment against Los Angeles, the port was forced to fund a five-year, $20 million air quality mitigation program that provides financial incentives to harbor-area businesses to reduce air emissions in their operations. To date, the port has approved $2.2 million in awards and an additional $2.3 million in project proposals are being finalized for approval.