A new study maintains that air quality at the nation's top 10 ports is harmful to local citizens. The culprit, of course, is diesel emissions from the trucks that haul goods away from container ships. None of this is surprising. But some ports are making more advanced inroads than others at reducing emissions.
Los Angeles and Long Beach are considered trailblazers, thanks to a joint program to cut emissions in half by 2014. Air quality has already improved, even though port traffic has increased. By comparison, the ports of Houston and New Jersey seem only to be acknowledging the problem.
The ports of Seattle and Tacoma have begun a program to cut the emissions of ships and dock equipment, which also contribute to unhealthy air--with steps that will have a more immediate effect on local air quality. It would require ships to use cleaner fuels while docked, for example. Such steps are less likely to encounter resistance from the trucking industry. While container ships are relatively fuel efficient for the tonnage they carry, the fuels they use are some of the most toxic in the world.
Sources: Daily Breeze, Seattle Times, Long Beach Press Telegram
Photo: OMB
