Trend Setting Environmental Initiatives

The ports of Long Beach and LA Boards of Harbor Commissioners will vote Mar. 24, just four days after getting public input on other environmental programs, on an incentive program to pay vessel operators to use cleaner-burning, low-sulfur fuel in their main engines.

Cargo ships generally use highly-polluting bunker fuel. The Ports propose to pay the difference between the price of bunker fuel and the selected low-sulfur distillate fuel.

Even though the Washington State Department of Ecology has recommended to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the port-industrial area be included in a proposed designation for a Wapato Hills-Puyallup River Valley non-attainment area, the marine related contribution is thought to be only about 10% of the PM2.5 contamination as measured by the Alexander Avenue sampling station. And, that's of an area that continued monitoring through 2007 is demonstrated to be below the new, lower allowable limit as set by EPA.