Long Beach Study Finds Improved Air Quality

Air pollution at the Port of Long Beach fell significantly from 2005 to 2008, according to a new air quality study commissioned by the port.

Diesel particulate matter from ships, trucks, trains and other port-related sources fell 21 percent over the three-year period, said the 2008 Air Emissions Inventory. The study also showed a 12 percent decline in smog-forming nitrogen oxides and an 18 percent drop in sulfur oxides. Greenhouse gases were cut by 7 percent, the study said.

While cargo moving through the port declined by 3 percent in 2008 compared with the base year of 2005, and there was a 4 percent drop in visits by containerships, the chief cause of the reduction seems to be cleaner technology, said the port.

Air quality initiatives such as the clean-trucks program which began in October 2008, the expanded Green Flag vessel speed reduction program, the use of low-sulfur fuel for ships and the first use of shore power for ships at berth have all contributed to the best air quality report since the studies began in 2002, said the port.

The port’s Clean Air Action Plan calls for a 45 percent reduction in air pollution by 2012.

“We have a major clean trucks milestone coming on January 1, 2010, when several thousand additional dirty trucks will be banned from shipping terminals,” said Nick Sramek, president of the board of harbor commissioners. “With this and other programs now in place, there’s no doubt we’ll meet the CAAP goal by 2012, and probably much sooner.”

The port’s clean trucks program is on track to have cut pollution by nearly 80 percent in just one year by the Jan. 1 deadline. “The clean trucks program is nearly two years ahead of schedule in improving air quality,” said Robert Kanter, managing director of environmental affairs and planning for the Port of Long Beach.

Contact Thomas L. Gallagher at tgallagher@joc.com.