Notification of Document Release – Port of LA China Shipping Notice of Preparation

The City of Los Angeles Harbor Department or Harbor Department has prepared a Notice of Preparation or NOP of a Draft Revised Supplemental Environmental Impact Report or SEIR for Port of Los Angeles Berths 97-109 [China Shipping] Container Terminal Project

The Harbor Department has prepared this NOP for the Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA of 1970, Article I; the State CEQA Guidelines, Article 7, Sections 15086-15087; and the California Public Resources Code Section 21153. 

As background, the Final SEIR previously certified by the City of Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners or Board Oct. 8, 2019, was challenged in court, and after a period of litigation, on May 24, 2024, the court ordered that the Board’s certification of the Final SEIR and related actions and approvals be set aside.

The court also directed the Harbor Department and China Shipping to agree, through an amendment of China Shipping’s permit, to implement and make enforceable the mitigation measures and lease measures upheld by the court.

The court ordered the Harbor Department to prepare a Revised SEIR that includes re-evaluation and revision of the following issues from the 2019 Final SEIR: 

1. Lease Measure (LM) GHG-1, GHG Credit Fund;
2. Mitigation Measure (MM) AQ-9, Alternative Maritime Power; and
3. The 2019 SEIR Emissions Impact Analysis.

The Revised SEIR will re-evaluate certain resource areas: air quality, public health, and greenhouse gas impacts, along with an evaluation of energy use. The Revised SEIR will be limited to addressing only the court-ordered items necessary to bring the Final SEIR into compliance with CEQA. Reviewers of this NOP should, therefore, limit their comments to the additional information and new analysis to be provided. Analyses in the 2019 Final SEIR that are not being revised will not be recirculated for public review and comment.

This NOP is available for public review and comment for a period of 30 days starting Aug. 22, and ending Sept. 20, and has been posted on the port’s web site at https://www.portoflosangeles.org/environment/environmental-documents. 

Written comments on the NOP should be submitted in writing prior to the end of the 30- day public review period and must be postmarked by Sept. 20. 

Submit written comments to: Lisa Wunder Environmental Management Division City of Los Angeles Harbor Department 425 S. Palos Verdes Street San Pedro, CA 90731 Written comments may also be sent via email to ceqacomments@portla.org. Comments should include the project’s title (Berths 97-109 [China Shipping] Container Terminal Project) in the e-mail’s subject line and a valid mailing address within the email. 

Details: Contact Lisa Ochsner, Environmental Manager, at 310-732-3412 or via email at lochsner@portla.org.