Revised Los Angeles-Long Beach air pollution plan released

Revised Los Angeles-Long Beach air pollution plan released    The harbor commissions for the two busiest U.S. seaports said Monday they will hold a joint meeting later this month to adopt a sweeping air pollution reduction plan.
   On Monday, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach released a final draft of their San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan to allow for two weeks of public comment before the joint vote Nov. 20. The two neighboring ports have often been at odds for competitive reasons, but have banded together in recent years to address significant diesel air pollution caused by goods movement activities in Southern California.
   Additional goodwill was fostered when Los Angeles named Geraldine Knatz its executive director last year after she had previously served as head deputy for Richard Steinke, Long Beach’s executive director.
   The ports, acting on recommendations from the public and regulatory agencies, said they have revised the clean air plan since it was first issued in June, adding a commitment to explore the use of pollution-based impact fees, increase shore-side electricity and improve bay-wide emission standards.
   The five-year plan has a goal of reducing air pollution by at least 45 percent and was created with the cooperation and participation of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, California Air Resources Board and U.S. EPA. Dozens of individuals and groups submitted more than 500 pages of written comments and testified at four public meetings on the plan.
   According to the ports, the revised plan includes:
   * Commitments and milestones for achieving air emission reductions.
   * Exploration of the use of pollution-based impact fees, such as gate fees assessed on “dirty” trucks.
   * Development of tariff-based incentives and requirements, such as vessel speed reduction incentives and port-mandated fuel requirements.
   * Establishment of bay-wide air quality standards.
   * Development, within five years, of shore-side electricity for ships at berth at 10 to 16 Long Beach berths and 15 at Los Angeles.