PORT OF LOS ANGELES ACCELERATES ZERO EMISSIONS TRUCK EFFORTS
Port to Implement Truck Rate Prioritizing ZE Truck Grants
SAN PEDRO, Calif. – Nov. 4, 2021 – Effective April 1, 2022, the Port of Los Angeles will begin collecting its Clean Truck Fund (CTF) Rate to help speed the transition to zero-emissions trucks serving the San Pedro Bay port complex. The action was unanimously approved today by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners.
Revenues will exclusively fund zero-emissions trucks and associated infrastructure to further the Port’s goal of eliminating emissions from all trucks calling at the Port by 2035. The approved CTF Rate of $10 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) hauled by non-exempt trucks, was jointly set by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in March 2020.
“The Port of Los Angeles, our longshore workers, the entire supply chain, and our frontline communities have demonstrated extraordinary dedication throughout this unprecedented crisis,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “As we continue to move record-breaking cargo through the busiest port in the Western Hemisphere, it is vital that we implement the Clean Truck Fund Rate to expedite the transition of trucks servicing the Port to zero-emissions. Cleaning up the air at our Port will protect surrounding neighborhoods, workers, and our region as whole. I am proud to have championed this program and thank the Commissioners for passing this significant policy.”
Additionally, to get a head start on funding the deployment of zero emissions trucks, the Port will soon seek proposals from local drayage companies partnering with truck manufacturers to deploy 10 zero-emissions short-haul drayage trucks that call at marine terminals and operate within a short distance (e.g., trucks operating in an approximate 25-miles radius) of the ports. A competitive process will be used to select one team for a $3 million grant toward the grantee’s truck and infrastructure costs.
“Today’s action by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners marks the next phase of our transition toward a zero-emissions truck fleet,” said Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. “The Clean Truck Fund Rate is just one component of the funding needed to achieve our ambitious goals. The transition to ZE trucks will require a broad public-private partnership.”
The Los Angeles Harbor Commission approved the Port tariff’s terms and date for implementing the CTF Rate, and the resolution’s CTF Spending Plan priorities of exclusively zero-emission trucks incentives. The Port tariff sets forth the rates, charges, rules and regulations for doing business at the Port. With a short list of exemptions including cargo transported by zero-emission and low-NOx trucks, the CTF Rate will be charged to cargo owners whose containerized cargo is trucked in or out of Port terminals. The rate will sunset Dec. 31, 2034.
The Port of Los Angeles first set the CTF Rate for planning purposes jointly with the Port of Long Beach, in March 2020. The program was developed with extensive industry and community outreach, including public workshops held in August and September. The rules permanently exempt zero-emission trucks from the Rate, as well as loaded containers entering or leaving marine terminals by on-dock rail. The Port will also exempt trucks that meet or exceed California’s low NOx standard through Dec. 31, 2027. However, the low NOx trucks must be enrolled in the Port Drayage Truck Registry and in Port service by the end of 2022 to obtain the short-term exemption.
The CTF Rate, also due to be implemented by the Port of Long Beach, is expected to initially raise $45 million per port. The Los Angeles Harbor Commission today adopted the Port of Los Angeles CTF Spending Plan priorities of exclusive incentives for turning over the fleet to zero-emissions trucks. Staff will develop zero emission incentive program details, like the proposed $3 million 10-unit ZE Program, in a more detailed CTF spending plan for future Board approval. The Port is committed to ensuring small businesses and independent truck owner/operators have equal access to the incentives. A Request for Proposal will soon be posted on the Port of Los Angeles’ website to announce a $3 million competitive grant and application process. All incentive programs and awards are subject to Board approval.
The CTF Rate was among the measures introduced in the 2017 Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) Update to accelerate progress toward a zero-emissions future while protecting and strengthening the San Pedro Bay ports’ competitive position in the global economy. Since 2005, Port-related emissions in San Pedro Bay have dropped 90% for diesel particulate matter, 63% for nitrogen oxides and 97% for sulfur oxides. The 2017 CAAP Update also established targets for reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) from Port-related sources. The document calls for the Ports to reduce GHGs to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. The CAAP was originally adopted in 2006.
North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $259 billion in trade during 2020. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs across the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. The Port of Los Angeles has remained open with all terminals operational throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated Nov. 5, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. Corrected paragraph six to remove the word "non" before zero-emission and low-NOx trucks.
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