Vancouver chief lays out aggressive environmental measures

Vancouver chief lays out aggressive environmental measures Ships calling at the Port of Vancouver will soon pay lower fees if they burn cleaner fuel, Gordon Houston, executive director and chief executive officer, said Tuesday to the Vancouver port board.
   'We are committed to growing this port in a way that safeguards our air, land and water,' Houston said.
   Effective April 1, ships that burn cleaner fuel will pay less when they enter the port than those that are merely meeting regulations. In the container, bulk and breakbulk sectors, fees will increase unless efforts are made to burn cleaner fuels, Houston said.
   Other initiatives underway at the port include supporting an International Maritime Organization Sulphur Emission Control Area for North America, a step that would cut sulphur emissions from ships by 50 percent, adopting third party environmental audits of operations, working toward 24/7 transportation of goods to relieve traffic congestion during peak use times, and enforcing a 'no idling' policy on port lands to reduce emissions from trucks lined up to load or unload containers.