Environmental Groups Sue Long Beach Over Port Agreement
Two environmental groups have filed suit against the Port of Long Beach, Calif., over its decision to settle a federal lawsuit challenging its authority to regulate trucking at the port, the Associated Press reported.
The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit in state court last week, claiming port and city officials violated state law requiring public involvement and an environmental review before agreeing to a deal with American Trucking Associations.
The agreement involves settling certain aspects of the port’s clean trucks program, aimed at reducing diesel emissions.
Long Beach City Attorney Robert Shannon told AP that a federal judge approved the October settlement with ATA and that the new lawsuit does not belong in state court.
ATA said last month it will ask a federal judge next week to forgo a trial in its clean trucks lawsuit against the neighboring Port of Los Angeles and instead to issue a summary judgment in the group’s favor. (Click here for previous coverage.)
The October settlement between ATA and the Port of Long Beach has caused Los Angeles to “underscore even more why we feel that the concession program is the way to go for the long term,” a Port of Los Angeles official said.
Meanwhile, both ports, faced with declining container traffic, have launched a new campaign to compete aggressively with smaller U.S. ports and other competitors in Canada and Mexico, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Trade at the two sister ports hit a high of 15.8 million containers in 2006 — more than double that of 1998 — then slipped in 2007 to 15.7 million containers. Last year, it fell to about 11.7 million containers, the Times said.
