Americas News
Port of L.A. Takes Another Step Towards Zero Emissions
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has announced that Los Angeles' mayor Eric Garcetti has appointed a new advisory board, known as the Sustainable Freight Advisory Committee, to support the reduction of carbon emissions at the Port of Los Angeles (Port of L.A.).
The 10-member committee's work is said to be intended to support Garcetti's Sustainable City pLAn, which sets out a goal of boosting goods-movement trips that utilise zero-emission technologies to at least 15 percent by the year 2025.
"The Port of Los Angeles is the beating heart of our economy - it should also be a model for how we can balance growth with environmental stewardship to build a sustainable future," Garcetti said at a media event help last month.
"The Sustainable Freight Advisory Committee will guide the investments we're making to green our Port, and help us cut our emissions to zero."
The committee is noted to be basing its work on the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan, which outlines steps to make the U.S. state's freight system more efficient and competitive.
"Through the Port's Clean Air Action Plan and other successful initiatives, we've made great progress in partnership with our stakeholders, resulting in unprecedented emissions reductions," said Gene Seroka, Executive Director at the port.
"With this new advisory committee and its high level of expertise, we are raising the bar even higher for cleaner goods movement and efficiency."
News of the newly appointed committee follows the port's June announcement of the Green Omni Terminal Project, a $26 million terminal set to be operated by Pasha Stevedoring & Terminals LP (Pasha), which will pilot a number of zero and near-zero emissions goods-movement technologies.
The terminal, which is partly funded by a $14.5 million ARB California Climate Investments grant, is expected to be the world's first to generate its own renewable energy for emergency use, and will test the technology intended to capture emissions from ships that are unable to plug into shore power.
In March, Ship & Bunker reported that, following a $5 million investment by Port of L.A. to upgrade 17 of China Shipping Container Lines Co. Ltd.'s (CSCL's) vessels in order to utilise shore power while docking at the port in 2005, data showed that most of those vessels stopped traveling to Los Angeles in 2010.
