The South Coast Air Quality Management District on Friday, Oct. 1, hosted its annual Clean Air Awards, honoring individuals and businesses for making significant contributions to cleaner air in the Southland over the past year. More than 400 people are expected to attend the award ceremony. “These honorees represent the best and brightest air quality stewards we have in the region,” says Dennis Yates, mayor of Chino and vice chair of the AQMD Governing Board.
The Award for Model Community Achievement went to the Clean Trucks Program of the San Pedro Bay Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. First appearing as a component of the 2006 San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, the CTP was launched in 2008, instituting a progressive ban on older diesel trucks operating in the ports, with the goal of barring all trucks that do not meet 2007 emissions standards by 2012. Leadership by clean air partners in the public and private sectors, innovative funding mechanisms and sustained outreach efforts have led to an 80 percent reduction in harmful pollutant emissions in local communities by 2010, two years ahead of schedule. To date, the program has helped fund nearly 3,000 clean diesel trucks and more than 1,000 natural-gas fueled trucks.
