Ports of LA, Long Beach issue Clean Air Action Plan update

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced release of the final 2017 San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) Update, which sets America’s largest seaports on a path toward zero emissions operations.

The draft 2017 CAAP Update was released in July, but this final version of the document incorporates comments and changes and is scheduled to be considered for approval in a joint public meeting of the two ports’ harbor commissions on 2 November in Los Angeles.

The CAAP, adopted in 2006, was intended to be periodically updated, with the first update approved in 2010. This year’s update aims to reduce emissions from all sources that move cargo, including through the deployment of near-zero emission trucks and cargo-handling equipment, and the expansion of programs that reduce ship pollution.

The plan is expected to serve as high-level guidance for continued emission reduction activities in collaboration with industry stakeholders, regulatory agencies, local communities, and environmental groups for the next 20 years.

    “The Ports recognize that finding the balance between our environmental and economic goals will be critical to our ongoing success and long-term sustainability.”

To that point, they commit to implementing these strategies in line with the guiding principles below:

    The Ports must work with our tenants and customers to expeditiously reduce our fair share of air emissions and associated health risk from port-related operations to support a healthy, thriving community and clean environment.

    The Ports are vital economic engines, supporting hundreds of thousands of local and regional jobs, and we must remain economically competitive and maintain our market position.

    The Ports must continue to support our vibrant workforce by avoiding job losses, by fostering new workforce opportunities associated with green goods movement, and by ensuring equity for the men and women who move cargo at the ports.

    The Ports must continue to develop and foster strong partnerships with all stakeholders, including regulatory agencies, our port-related operators, the broader goods movement industry, and local communities in order to achieve and sustain successful outcomes for all.

    The Ports must assure that the CAAP implementation process is transparent and responsive to stakeholder input.