Ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles host Clean Truck Program Rate Workshop

The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will host a workshop on Aug. 1 to solicit feedback and input on a rate structure that will incentivize modernizing the San Pedro Bay truck fleet to further reduce air pollution emissions, the Port of LB press release said.

The Clean Truck Fund Rate Workshop is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at Banning’s Landing Community Center, 100 E. Water St. in Wilmington.

As part of the 2017 Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) Update, the ports committed to a new version of the landmark Clean Truck Program, which continues to serve as a model for more sustainable goods movement by transitioning to the cleanest trucks for transporting cargo to and from marine terminals.

As of Oct. 1, 2018, any new truck registering to work in the ports must be model year 2014 or newer. As stated in the 2017 CAAP Update, a future proposed action includes implementation of a rate in 2020 on all trucks to enter the marine terminals, with exemptions for trucks that meet near-zero or zero-emissions standards. The Clean Truck Program Rate Workshop will include a brief staff presentation to provide background information on the ports’ goals and progress, and a forum for stakeholders to share input on development of the rate. A second workshop will be held in the near future to focus on a proposed approach.

The 2017 CAAP Update contains a comprehensive strategy for accelerating progress toward a zero-emissions future while protecting and strengthening the ports’ competitive position in the global economy. Since 2005, port-related air pollution emissions in San Pedro Bay have dropped 87 percent for diesel particulate matter, 58 percent for nitrogen oxides and 97 percent for sulfur oxides. Targets for reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) from port-related sources were introduced as part of the 2017 CAAP. The document calls for the ports to reduce GHGs to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The CAAP was originally approved in 2006.

The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach are the two largest ports in the nation, first and second respectively, and combined are the ninth-largest port complex in the world. The two ports handle nearly 40 percent of the nation’s total containerized import traffic and 25 percent of its total exports.