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San Pedro, California USA 90731
Phone: (310) 732-3508
Email: community@portla.org

LA’S SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE ACCELERATES CLEAN AIR PROGRESS AT THE PORT OF LOS ANGELES

 

Sustainable Freight Advisory Committee identifies concrete steps to increase zero emission vehicles and equipment at the Port

 
SAN PEDRO, Calif. - July 11, 2017 - The Port of Los Angeles is expanding demonstration projects to test zero and near-zero emission trucks and cargo handling equipment, thanks to a series of recommendations developed over the past year by the Sustainable Freight Advisory Committee. The Port is also collaborating more closely with its sister agency, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, to expedite clean tech infrastructure, as a result of the committee’s work.

Established by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the 10-member board of industry labor, environmental, government and community leaders recently completed its one-year assignment to recommend specific strategies for speeding up clean air progress at the nation’s busiest container port while balancing its commercial and economic viability. Committee members met on June 28, 2017, to deliver its final report to Mayor Garcetti and Port Executive Director Gene Seroka and offer to continue their work.

“This moment demands that we find innovative ways to reduce emissions at our port as quickly as possible — and that’s exactly why I brought the Sustainable Freight Advisory Committee together,” said Mayor Garcetti. “This group has embraced a difficult challenge with open arms, and its recommendations are important steps that bring us closer to our ambitious yet achievable goal of zero emissions at the Port of L.A.”

“The committee’s work is already shaping policy and strengthening current zero emission demonstration projects at our terminals,” said Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. “The recommendations are also a timely contribution to our update of the Clean Air Action Plan.”

Throughout the process, the committee posted summaries of each monthly meeting and every recommendation on the Port’s Sustainable Progress website. Members also worked closely with Port officials and the mayor’s staff to act on each recommendation.

Any new recommendations that are separate from current Port initiatives, in cost or nature, are subject to approval by the Los Angeles Harbor Commission.

As a result, the Port is moving forward with the following initiatives:

  • Testing zero emission top handlers: Acting on the committee’s first recommendation last fall, the Port secured state funding to test two battery-electric top handlers, the off-road heavy-duty equipment used to load and unload trucks hauling containers in and out of marine terminals. The $4.5 million grant from the California Energy Commission also will fund testing of three next-generation yard tractors.
  • Expanding zero emission drayage truck testing: Acting on another committee recommendation, the Port is developing a pilot program to test 50-100 zero emission drayage trucks to better assess the requirements needed to transition to a 100 percent zero emission drayage truck fleet by 2035. The pending CAAP update, which is due to be released July 19 for public review and comment, is expected to include the program.
  • Coordinating the port industry to work with equipment manufacturers: The committee recommended the mayor and Port take the lead in coordinating with multiple ports to study the current and future availability of zero and near-zero emission vehicles and equipment. The recommendation shaped the Green Ports Collaborative, announced June 6 by Mayor Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. Under this initiative, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will rally their U.S. counterparts to evaluate the demand for zero emission vehicles and equipment and work with manufacturers. The initiative will also pursue common environmental standards.
Other strategies the Port is advancing based on the committee’s recommendations include opening a large near-dock peel-off yard, accelerating use of LED lights port-wide, and assessing opportunities to deploy zero and near-zero cargo handling equipment at all terminals. All recommendations are detailed in the final report.


The committee was guided by the CAAP, which has achieved unprecedented air quality gains, and the mayor’s Sustainable City pLAn, which sets a 2025 goal of using zero emission technology to power at least 15 percent of goods movement trips. The committee also worked within the framework of the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan, whose 2030 goals include reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels.


The Sustainable Freight Advisory Committee has volunteered to continue working collaboratively to monitor the progress of its recommendations and identify additional emission reduction strategies. Its members are:
 
  • Louis Dominguez, San Pedro Resident and Chair of the Port and Environment Committee, Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council
  • Michele Grubbs, Vice President, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association
  • James Jack, Executive Director, Coalition for Responsible Transportation
  • Joe Lyou, President & CEO, Coalition for Clean Air and Governor’s Appointee to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) Governing Board
  • Adrian Martinez, Staff Attorney, Earthjustice
  • Cynthia Marvin, Division Chief, California Air Resources Board (CARB)
  • Matt Miyasato, Deputy Executive Officer, Science & Technology Advancement, South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD)
  • Peter Peyton, Former President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Marine Clerks Association of Los Angeles & Long Beach
  • Jonathan Rosenthal, Portfolio Manager, Saybrook Capital
  • Elizabeth Warren, Executive Director, Future Ports
The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovatively strategic and sustainable operations that benefit Southern California’s economy and quality of life. North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $272 billion in trade during 2016. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs in the five-county Southern California region.