Energy and Environment
Related Content
Growing and Greening the Port
Read the full report:
GREEN LA Action Plan
The Clean Air Action Plan is the first of its kind in the country.
Mayor Villaraigosa is determined to transform the largest port complex in the nation into
a leader in environmental sustainability and green growth. With the implementation of the first Clean Air Action Plan, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach initiated a series of cutting-edge initiatives to reduce air pollution at the port by 50% over the next five
years. The initiatives focus on the five sources of port-related air pollution: heavy duty vehicles, ocean-going vessels, cargo-handling equipment, harbor craft and railroad
locomotives.
Accomplishments:
- A leader in fighting global warming: In December 2007, the Mayor, the Attorney General, and the Port of Los Angeles entered into an MOU that demonstrates leadership in curbing the effects of greenhouse gases.
- Renewable Energy at the Port: The Port will construct a solar power project that will produce a 10 Megawatt plant. This is equivalent of taking more than 1,600 cars off the road each year and will power 984 households annually.
- Cold-Ironing or "Alternative Marine Power": This innovative air quality program allows ships to "plug in" to shore-side electrical power - literally an alternative power source for oceangoing vessels. Port of Los Angeles has installed cold-ironing at 3 terminals.
- Cleaner Trucks: On November 1, 2007, the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners adopted a tariff that will ensure only clean trucks call at Port terminals. The tariff relies upon a phased-in ban of the dirtiest drayage trucks that work at the Port. This tariff addresses the clean air goal and implements the five-year timetable for retrofitting or replacing our fleet of 16,000 trucks so that all trucks serving the ports meet at minimum, the 2007 diesel emissions standards by year 2012.
- Cleaner Locomotives: In July 2007, the Mayor unveiled the first clean locomotive at the Port for the Pacific Harbor Line. These cleaner locomotives were a product of a $23 million agreement with the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the Pacific Harbor Line to produce 16 new "clean-burning" locomotives.
- Ship Emission Reductions: MAERSK, the largest shipping line in the world converted all of their ships to low-burning sulfur fuel (0.2%) in the main and auxiliary engines 20 miles out of Port. The use of low-sulfur fuel will reduce diesel emissions by more than 73%.
Click on the following link to go to the Port of Los Angeles website and access reports, press releases and supplemental information on the Clean Air Action Plan: http://www.portofla.org/environment_air.htm