The ports of LA and Long Beach continue making progress on multiple fronts, they announced in the latest Clean Air Action Plan update meeting. But persistent problems remain, activists pointed out.
A highlighted list of joint accomplishments included the commencement of collecting the clean truck fund (CTF) rate last April, the initiation of green shipping corridor negotiations with the ports of Shanghai and Singapore, and the completion of the 2021 cargo handling equipment (CHE) feasibility assessment. But the CTF is vastly underfunded and NRDC attorney Heather Kryczka called for a rate hike to “$50 to $70” per TEU from the current $10 fee. The ports’ green shipping plans include LNG vessels and aren’t yet aligned with their city council’s 2030 zero-emissions goal, Pacific Environment’s Dawny’all Heydari pointed out. And CHE zero-emissions goal of 2030 wasn’t supported by a target timeline, homeowner activist Peter Warren warned. “You think we got to the moon in 10 years by not having targets along the way?” he asked.
What’s clear is that the ports’ efforts are increasingly integrated into a deepening network of institutional actors, as was evident in the first presentation involving new technology development and deployment, delivered by Rose Szoke from the Port of Long Beach and Jacob Goldberg from the Port of Los Angeles. This began with the technology advancement program (TAP), whose guidelines are being updated for the first time since January 2020, with the completed documentation expected within about a month. The TAP advisory committee has representatives from the EPA, California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, and the South Coast AQMD.
Five eligible proposals were received in 2022, with 4 recommended for funding and one still under review. New projects approved included the South Coast AQMD Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative (JETSI) demonstration (100 battery-electric trucks), the Toyota Tsusho hydrogen fuel cell top handler and hydrogen mobile demonstration, and the SSA Hydrogen fuel cell top handlers demonstration. Upcoming projects for 2023—pending board approval—include the PHL battery charging system demonstration, the South Coast AQMD low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation retrofit and multi-fuel injection for two container vessels, and the Crowley hybrid battery-electric tug demonstration.
Highlights of the larger grant-funded demonstration and deployment projects include:
- Securing a combined ~$185 million in grant funds to support the advancement of technology.
- Helping to deploy a total of 122 grant-funded ZE vehicles and equipment.
- Securing funding to support deploying an additional 71 grant-funded ZE vehicles and equipment over the next 3 years.
- POLB received $30.1M from the Marine Administration for the Middle Harbor Terminal Zero Emission Conversion Project (60 ZE yard tractors and infrastructure).
The ports’ work in supporting new technology demonstrations represents its most clear-cut success in the eyes of many. Still, there are concerns. Szoke also mentioned previously approved funding for LNG demonstration ships, which drew attention from Heydari.
“Liquefied natural gas is composed of methane, which is a harmful greenhouse gas, that also causes air pollution,” Heydari said. “So I’m wondering, as part of the port’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 40% by 2030, does that include methane? Because methane is 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in a shorter time scale in terms of warming our climate.”
This led to a process-oriented explanation of the decision by Heather Tomley, POLB’s head of planning and environmental affairs, who called LNG “a cleaner technology today,” compared to diesel, but then said, “We see LNG as a transitional fuel. We are continuing with our efforts with the green shipping corridors and our discussion with the shipping lines, looking at even cleaner technologies into the future and hoping to try to support the demonstration and development of those technologies.”
It was also noted there was no construction of a permanent LNG fueling facility. “This is a temporary bunkering system that’s being used for this demonstration and testing,” Goldberg said.
The second presentation was a big-picture look at 2022 accomplishments and 2023 plans. Launching the clean truck fund was the most significant milestone of 2022, with spending plans established, including a significant infrastructure push by the Port of Long Beach resulting in opening the first two public chargers for drayage trucks in the U.S. Developing a year two spending plan will have significant impacts in 2023, too.
Establishing the green shipping corridors with Shanghai and Singapore will be a major priority for oceangoing vessels in 2023. Cargo-handling equipment demonstrations and deployments will continue in 2023, as noted above, along with infrastructure master planning efforts. Demonstration projects, grant-seeking, and rule-development will dominate both locomotive and harbor craft developments in 2023.
In comments, Peter Warren raised the issue of goals. “For more than a decade, the community has consistently asked you to set up interim goals, and targets along the way. You have never done that. We’re now 10 years later, we still don’t have any targets,” he said. “We’re less than 10 years out from yard equipment, there’s still no target…. Are you going to continue until the goal with no targets?”
“The critical work that needs to be done to establish targets for each terminal is the infrastructure master planning,” said Morgan Caswell, POLB’s air quality manager. “What we’ve been experiencing with our grant program is the challenge of equipment arriving in advance of the infrastructure.” This certainly makes sense in terms of near-term targeting, but that’s what Warren was talking about.
“When it comes to the ocean-going vessels, it’s very challenging at this time to set a goal for zero-emission shipping, here at the ports of LA and Long Beach,” Caswell said.
“What is even more challenging is the enormous and growing levels of ship pollution that port communities are experiencing,” Heydari said later, near the meeting’s end. “In 2021 we saw the equivalent in particulate matter emissions, carcinogenic particular matter emissions from ships emitted into the South Coast air basin as 100,000 big rig trucks per day.”
“It is certainly a priority for us,” Caswell continued. “The port of Long Beach has initiated a clean fuels white paper so that we can better understand the state of fueling, the emissions benefits associated with each fuel type, as well as what is our best understanding of when we see these ships coming available and coming online, and what can we do to facilitate bringing those zero-carbon ships here.”
While reasonable-sounding in the short term, this ignores the pro-active leadership potential of the largest port complex in the Western Hemisphere. The first key takeaway for ports and policymakers in the just-released Ship It Zero report, “All Brands on Deck” [see story, “Ship It Zero Campaign Report Released”] is that, “The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have a unique responsibility to end ship pollution and should lead the United States toward achieving 100% zero-emission shipping by 2040.” It goes on to say, “We urge the San Pedro Ports to lead on clean shipping in 2023 by working with the California Air Resources Board to develop new emissions regulations for ocean-going vessels, supporting the U.S. Congress to advance and pass the Clean Shipping Act and ending all new fossil fuel expansion at their ports, including liquefied natural gas (LNG).” Both LA and Long Beach city councils have unanimously passed resolutions calling for 100% zero-emission shipping by 2030, so a similar proactive posture from the ports is eminently reasonable.
“You’re unlikely, if not unable, to meet your nitrogen oxide reduction commitment by 2023 of 59% compared to 2005,” said Heydari, who led organizing efforts to get those resolutions passed. “This should all be a wake-up call to set all those targets that were talked about earlier, and to set a zero-emission ship standard to send a strong market signal from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the largest port complex in the Western hemisphere, that the market needs to evolve, and rapidly accelerate zero emission solutions.”
“Policymakers have power in shaping the market, Heydari pointed out. “We shouldn’t just wait for corporations to do the right thing, we should force them to do the right thing with policies, including a zero-emission ship standard to complement the cargo handling equipment and drainage truck requirements by 2030 and 2035.”
“You have goals that are fantasies,” Warren said. “Do you think we got to the moon in 10 years by not having targets along the way? You are not operating in a realistic fashion.”
“We’re trying to be realistic,” POLA environmental affairs officer Tim DeMoss responded. But, “The problem is the port only has so much control over reaching these goals. We can put money toward towards this, we can demonstrate technologies, we can push industry and the manufacturers to do what they’re going to do, trying to get equipment to us, and in a manner that fits with our operations. But there are certain things we just don’t have control over.”
Again, this is surely true in the short run for POLA acting alone. But that’s not what any of the activists are talking about.
Eventually, there was a change in tone.
“Peter, first of all, you’re right about targets,” Chris Cannon, POLA’s Director of Environmental Managemen said. “Both ports are working with the terminals to set up a plan for infrastructure to support the transition to zero emissions” for cargo handling, he went on to say. “They don’t see it as a goal, they see it as a requirement to get to zero emissions by 2030, they all see it that way.” This appeared to imply that terminal-specific timelines and targets were called for, though he didn’t specifically say so.
“But for trucks you’re right,” Cannon said. When they report to the Harbor Commission on their future Clean Truck Program spending, We’ll bring to their attention that you and others have asked for targets and goals, and targets—interim metrics—we’ll talk about it then and see what they think.”
The third presentation was on the Clean Truck Program, and it was easily the most concretely data-informed—both for good and for ill. There are now 63 zero-emission trucks in the Port Drayage Truck Registry (PDTR)—60 battery-electric, 3 hydrogen fuel cell—just .3% of the total 20,827 trucks, compared to 2% remaining that are the engine year 2007-2009, while 98% meet 2010 EPA standards and 62% are 2014+, making 82% of moves. This includes 904 LNG/CNG trucks (4.3%) making 6% of moves.
The Clean Truck Fund is generating $2.5-4 million monthly at each port, for approximately $67.2 million through January 2023. Approximately $14 million has been allocated to ZE trucks and infrastructure so far.
In comments, NRDC’s Heather Kryczka urged the ports to “increase the rate to at least $50 to $70 per TEU.” Building on earlier comments, she said, “You heard earlier about the need for additional incentive funds for the purchase price of the battery electric trucks and also the need to install the charging infrastructure now, to support a turnover of the fleet to meet the 2035 goal of 100% zero emissions, and also to plan for the shift that’s happening in the state, with the upcoming smog rules that will be requiring this turnover.”
In addition, she said, “I’d also urge the ports to focus the investments for the next year of the clean truck rate fund in battery electric truck and charging infrastructure. The ports’ feasibility assessment that was recently completed found that battery electric trucks are commercially available, they can perform drayage operations today, while other technologies, like the hydrogen trucks, are further behind, and they’re not available on the market now. So, I would urge the ports to not delay, and increase the investment in these better electric trucks that are available now to clean up the air.”
All in all, this points to some crucial decisions in the next few months that will impact the port clean air policy for years to come.