The announcement was made in conjunction with the non-profit Coalition for Clean Air (CCA) to raise awareness of the importance of natural and renewable gas trucking to help improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions the Los Angeles region, especially at the L.A. and Long Beach ports.
In any given month, upwards of 14,000 trucks work from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, emitting roughly 2,600 tons per year of smog-causing nitrogen-oxide emissions. TTSI’s 40 new near-zero emission CNG trucks reduce this type of emissions by 90 percent, and when fueled with renewable natural gas the trucks will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent.
“If every one of the 14,000 trucks that call at these ports were changed to natural gas, it would have a major impact on air quality in the region,” said Vic LaRosa, President of TTSI. “We hope other haulers will follow our lead and make the switch as well.”
“Southern California needs to reduce its smog-forming emissions by 45 percent before 2023 to meet Federal standards,” added Dr. Joseph Lyou, President & CEO of Coalition for Clean Air. “Replacing diesel engines with near-zero emission trucks would take us a long way toward meeting Environmental Protection Agency rules and avoiding the loss of federal highway funding.”
Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), along with environmental health non-profit BREATHE LA, fueling company Clean Energy, engine manufacturer Cummins Westport, and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) participated in today’s announcement. Twenty-five percent of TTSI’s investment in the new natural gas trucks was funded through CARB’s California Climate Investments initiative, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Yuri Freedman, senior director of business development at SoCalGas, said his agency has helped truckers and trucking companies replace at least 550 diesel trucks with clean natural gas trucks over the years.
“That equates to taking about 30,000 cars off of California’s roads,” he said.
