Harbor commissioners from Los Angeles and Long Beach on Wednesday, Oct. 6, postponed a vote on an update to the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan to allow the public more time to review the proposal. The 2010 CAAP Update is expected to be back for consideration at a joint commission meeting in November.
The ports say the temporary delay does not affect the myriad air-pollution reduction measures that are currently in place. The ports will use the extra time to clarify the document for industry and other stakeholders. In particular, staff and rail industry representatives will discuss the CAAP’s proposed measures on long-haul locomotives, possibly to seek an equivalent alternative.
Since adoption in 2006, the original Clean Air Action Plan has initiated a wide range of air pollution-reducing measures for the ships, trains, trucks and other heavy machinery used to move about $300 billion worth of freight through the nation’s largest seaport complex each year.
The 2010 CAAP Update is part of the original pledge to ensure that the CAAP is a “living document” that will be adapted as needed to add new pollution-control measures. The update sets even more aggressive goals for reducing air pollution from port operations.
