The Port of Long Beach announced April 26 that the public is invited to comment on a draft assessment of new cargo-handling equipment technology that will help the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles reduce air pollution and reach their zero-emissions goals set by the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP).
The draft assessment examines the current state of technology, operational characteristics, economic considerations, infrastructure availability and commercial readiness relating to cleaner cargo-handling equipment. The assessment can be found at bit.ly/2J6qaQ0.
Comments will be accepted through Friday, May 31, and can be emailed to caap@cleanairactionplan.org.
The CAAP has established goals of zero-emissions terminal equipment by 2030 and zero-emissions trucks by 2035. As part of this strategy, the ports developed feasibility assessments every three years for terminal equipment and drayage trucks to determine a path toward meeting those goals.
The Port of Long Beach stated that the CAAP contains a strategy to “accelerate progress toward a zero-emissions future while protecting and strengthening the ports’ competitive position in the global economy.”
Since 2005, port-related air pollution emissions in San Pedro Bay have dropped 87 percent for diesel particulate matter, 58 percent for nitrogen oxides and 97 percent for sulfur oxides, the port stated.
Targets for reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) from port-related sources were introduced as part of the 2017 CAAP Update. The document calls for the ports to reduce GHGs to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The CAAP was originally approved in 2006.