Post by dockside on Oct 23, 2008 19:28:50 GMT -5
Air Quality Delays Cause Fumes at the Port Commissioners Meeting
October 22, 2008
by plehman
Each presentation during the open forum portion of Tuesday’s Port of Oakland Commissioners meeting was painted with raised “Good Jobs & Clean Air” posters and followed by applause. Commissioners listened to community members demand, plead and sometimes threaten the committee to take action.
The completion of a comprehensive plan to solve issues related to the trucking industry has been delayed for nearly two years. Currently the plan’s lifeline depends on the final results of an economic impact study. The study, conducted by Beacon Economics in Los Angeles, is investigating some of the inefficiencies and oversights within the port’s operations.
The commission intends to address issues of air quality by establishing traffic restrictions and reducing the amount of toxic gases emitted by the port. The plan will also work on developing industry within the port to provide jobs for citizens in the area and address efficiency in port operations.
“We’re all concerned about air quality,” said Marilyn Sandifur, spokesperson for the Port of Oakland. “We need the results from the study to go forward with a comprehensive truck management program.”
Committee members Victor Uno and Margaret Gordon sympathized with frustrated community members who protested, with Sharpie-marked signs that read “626”—the number of days the community has been waiting for a comprehensive plan— that the process was taking far too long.
“It’s frustrating waiting this long for truck management plan,” said Andy Katz of Breathe California in the open forum portion of the meeting. “This is a huge health risk for residents in and around the port area.”
The presentations by the commissioners included commercial real estate development projects happening in the Oakland Army Base and maritime facilities. They also discussed the reduction of waste by declaring specific cranes in surplus and for some to be destroyed.
According to research by Breathe California, a program designed by the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the air quality in the area showed health risks of three to four times higher than the rest of the bay area. He urged the committee implement a container fee which would tax incoming and outgoing shipments. “These residents are uncertain about their future,” Katz said.
Another sore spot for community members came from truckers themselves who protested they couldn’t afford to retrofit their trucks, especially considering the hard times they are already having with the high price of gas.
Sandifur noted that some of these concerns were already being addressed by the committee. There is $15 million available for helping truckers retrofit their vehicles with filters verified by the California Air Resources Board. The Port expects to retrofit as many as 1,000 trucks with air quality filters, which will cost the Port between $12,000 and $17,000 a truck. According to the board, the filters result in an 85% reduction in toxic emissions.
According to Sandifur, a container fee will be put into action by summer 2009. The program would place a tax $12.50 for a 20-foot container with a $25 maximum. The system, Sandifur said, which would both improve the infrastructure of the port and help fund air quality projects.
But there is an even greater sense of urgency now that the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach have issued concession plans that will limit the number of trucks that will be allowed in the area.
“We’re not asking for something crazy,” said Doug Bloch, the Port of Oakland campaign coordinator of Change to Win. “The Port of LA has already done it. So can we.”
October 22, 2008
by plehman
Each presentation during the open forum portion of Tuesday’s Port of Oakland Commissioners meeting was painted with raised “Good Jobs & Clean Air” posters and followed by applause. Commissioners listened to community members demand, plead and sometimes threaten the committee to take action.
The completion of a comprehensive plan to solve issues related to the trucking industry has been delayed for nearly two years. Currently the plan’s lifeline depends on the final results of an economic impact study. The study, conducted by Beacon Economics in Los Angeles, is investigating some of the inefficiencies and oversights within the port’s operations.
The commission intends to address issues of air quality by establishing traffic restrictions and reducing the amount of toxic gases emitted by the port. The plan will also work on developing industry within the port to provide jobs for citizens in the area and address efficiency in port operations.
“We’re all concerned about air quality,” said Marilyn Sandifur, spokesperson for the Port of Oakland. “We need the results from the study to go forward with a comprehensive truck management program.”
Committee members Victor Uno and Margaret Gordon sympathized with frustrated community members who protested, with Sharpie-marked signs that read “626”—the number of days the community has been waiting for a comprehensive plan— that the process was taking far too long.
“It’s frustrating waiting this long for truck management plan,” said Andy Katz of Breathe California in the open forum portion of the meeting. “This is a huge health risk for residents in and around the port area.”
The presentations by the commissioners included commercial real estate development projects happening in the Oakland Army Base and maritime facilities. They also discussed the reduction of waste by declaring specific cranes in surplus and for some to be destroyed.
According to research by Breathe California, a program designed by the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the air quality in the area showed health risks of three to four times higher than the rest of the bay area. He urged the committee implement a container fee which would tax incoming and outgoing shipments. “These residents are uncertain about their future,” Katz said.
Another sore spot for community members came from truckers themselves who protested they couldn’t afford to retrofit their trucks, especially considering the hard times they are already having with the high price of gas.
Sandifur noted that some of these concerns were already being addressed by the committee. There is $15 million available for helping truckers retrofit their vehicles with filters verified by the California Air Resources Board. The Port expects to retrofit as many as 1,000 trucks with air quality filters, which will cost the Port between $12,000 and $17,000 a truck. According to the board, the filters result in an 85% reduction in toxic emissions.
According to Sandifur, a container fee will be put into action by summer 2009. The program would place a tax $12.50 for a 20-foot container with a $25 maximum. The system, Sandifur said, which would both improve the infrastructure of the port and help fund air quality projects.
But there is an even greater sense of urgency now that the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach have issued concession plans that will limit the number of trucks that will be allowed in the area.
“We’re not asking for something crazy,” said Doug Bloch, the Port of Oakland campaign coordinator of Change to Win. “The Port of LA has already done it. So can we.”