Residents, families, and children throughout the greater Southern California region are breathing dirty air that has the potential to create a lifetime of health problems.  In 2020, across the basin that includes the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino, there were 157 bad air days for ozone pollution – the most days above the federal health standard since 1997. In order to make a significant impact on improving air quality and air pollution, we must meaningfully address the issue of diesel.

Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM) is composed primarily of soot, ash, and elemental Carbon, along with over 40 known carcinogens that can cause significant respiratory health issues, including asthma, COPD, and lung disease.

Diesel vehicles contribute significantly towards greenhouse gas emissions and the overall climate crisis.  Transportation is 40 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, and of those transportation sector emissions, as much as 70 percent of smog-causing pollution and 80 percent of particulate matter are from diesel trucks, even though they make up just 7 percent of the 30 million vehicles registered in California.

So how can we meaningfully address the diesel pollution issue?  I write to you with five asksto help improve our region’s air quality.

1. Implement the Container Truck Fee – The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners should work with the Long Beach Harbor Commission to immediately implement the $10/TEU CTF Rate and begin collecting the funds that will replace diesel trucks with clean trucks.
    
2. Consider Raising the $10/TEU Container Fee – The Harbor Commissions should consider raising the fee to address the failure to implement the fee for nearly a year during one of the biggest booms at the Ports.  The economic study commissioned by the Ports projected 56 percent growth from 2021 through 2035 even if the CTF Rate were set to $70/TEU, which would raise substantially more money for clean trucks than the $10/TEU.
    
3. Change the Truck Registry Date – The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners should work with the Long Beach Harbor Commission to move up the date prohibiting any more diesel trucks from being added to the Truck Registry to align with the implementation date of the $10/TEU CTF Rate.  This way truck and fleet owners will not be able to replace their pre-2010 diesel trucks with a newer diesel truck and will instead have to pivot to a cleaner trucker.
    
4. Consider a Commitment to Public Health when Naming Harbor Commissioners – Mayor Garcetti has the authority to appoint individuals to the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners while Mayor Garcia of Long Beach has the authority for the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.  They should make public health more of a priority when naming individuals to that board.  Public health is often ignored or glossed over, just as it was in the Ports’ economic study regarding a potential fee on cargo containers.
    
5. Emission Reduction Implementation Plan – The Ports should create and adopt a comprehensive zero-emission port implementation plan by the end of 2022 that will guide it toward becoming a zero-emissions port by 2035.  Benchmarks, which are not included in the CAAP or CAAP Update, are important to ensuring the end goals are met.

Among the port officials and staff, the Harbor Commission of both Los Angeles and Long Beach, all elected officials, NGOs, and stakeholders, everyone has a role to play in cleaning our air, improving lung health, and making our region a better place to live and work.  I hope you'll join us on that path forward.