Ports of LA, Long Beach set new zero-emissions goals

Officials from the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Monday signed a joint declaration that sets new targets for the cities’ ports to transition to zero-emissions operations.

   Officials from the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., as well as the heads of the cities’ adjoining seaports, signed a joint declaration on June 12 that sets new goals for the ports to transition to zero-emissions operations.
   The declaration also affirmed that the next update to the ports’ Clean Air Action Plan is to 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.
   “With the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach ranked as the nation’s two largest ports, it is crucial to double down on our commitment to combating climate change by achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and by committing to zero-emissions goals for the Clean Air Action Plan,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said. “The success of our ports has proven that you don’t have to choose between the environment and the economy.”
   President Donald Trump earlier this month announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate accord, a multilateral partnership between nearly 200 countries to address climate change by setting voluntary emissions reduction goals.
   The Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), which was jointly adopted by the ports in 2006, is a raft of programs and initiatives aimed at reducing pollution from ships, drayage trucks, trains, harbor equipment and other sources. Since its implementation, the CAAP has led to significant emissions reductions, even as trade volumes have increased 7 percent at the port complex over the past decade, according to the ports.
   Officials with the two cities say the ports plan to release a detailed timeline and process for the CAAP update within the next two weeks, and are expected to complete the update in full by November.
   “We have spent a number of years testing a variety of equipment in our rigorous port environment, and there is a growing market for this cleaner technology,” Port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka said. “Now, in order to reach our ultimate CAAP goals, it’s critical that private sector technology and original equipment manufacturers collaborate with port stakeholders and bring the next generation of equipment, infrastructure and vehicles to market.”
   Also during the signing event, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia launched what’s being called the Green Ports Collaborative, a new initiative that they say will bring cities and ports together – first along the West Coast, and then across the U.S. – to create shared environmental standards, demonstrate future demand for zero-emissions equipment and trucks, work with manufacturers to produce the needed technologies and vehicles, and take other collaborative action to green ports across the country.
   The mayors’ declaration also puts in place a CAAP implementation stakeholder advisory group that would bring together key stakeholders, including government, maritime industry and community leaders, to oversee the implementation of the 2017 update.