By Karen Robes Meeks
In its latest annual emissions inventory, the Port of Long Beach posted significant reductions in air pollution, marking more than a decade of improving air quality.
Done by an independent consultant, the report shows record numbers, including:
• An 88 percent reduction in diesel particulate matter since 2005;
• A 56 percent reduction in nitrogen oxides; and
• A 22 percent reduction in greenhouse gases.
The port attributed the low numbers to the 2016 opening of the first phase of the zero-emissions Long Beach Container Terminal at Pier E, making 11 percent of the port’s cargo-handling equipment zero-emissions.
“We have a greater percentage of our cargo-handling equipment operating at zero emissions than any other seaport in the country,” said port Executive Director Mario Cordero. “As we chase our goal of becoming a zero-emissions port, it’s important for us to increase that number to help make the technology more commercially viable.”
The port, which has been tracking its pollution-lowering progress since 2005, has implemented several pollution-curbing efforts, which include establishing the Clean Trucks Program, boosting shore power use for vessels and encouraging ships to slow down as they approach the port.
“Our pollution-reduction strategies begin before a vessel enters the harbor and continue after cargo leaves on a truck or locomotive,” said Harbor Commission President Lou Anne Bynum. “This is a model we worked hard to achieve at the Port of Long Beach, and it’s one we’ll continue to improve until we reach zero emissions.”
