Air Quality Improves at Ports of L.A., Long Beach

Air quality at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continued to significantly improve during 2010, each port registering a roughly 40% decline in diesel particulate matter emissions when compared to 2009, according to new port emissions inventory studies.

It was the second straight year in which air quality improved at the two adjacent seaports that in 2010 accounted for 40% of all U.S. waterborne container imports by value.

At the Port of Long Beach, diesel PM emissions decreased by 42%, while the Port of Los Angeles documented a 39% PM decline over the same period, according to the two new studies made public earlier this month.

Port officials mostly attributed the declines to the ports’ clean trucks plans that caused a massive turnover to newer, cleaner trucks by the drayage companies servicing the two ports. Because many of the drayage operators service both ports with the same trucks, the emissions reductions were similar.

“Truck emissions decreased significantly in 2010 because of the reduced total TEU throughput, implementation of the port’s clean trucks program resulting in younger fleet of trucks, lower overall idling times, and decreased total vehicle miles travelled,” the Long Beach study said.

The port-funded studies also showed that from 2005 to 2010, all of the key air pollutants from port-related sources were reduced.