7 comments

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  D. Kelson

  1 year ago

  Yeah, G-d forbid anything slows down cargo flow. If that crap from China doesn't get to my house quickly enough, heads are gonna roll. Bring it on, baby! Bring it on!
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  Mike Ruehle

  1 year ago

  Tell me how this will actually reduce pollution. This rule forces a small percentage of high polluting, pre-1989 trucks (20 years old) to be removed from the pool of trucks moving containers from the port over the next 5-years. Meanwhile, the number of containers and trucks moving them doubles and triples. So let me get this straight. We reduce pollution by 25% in 5-years, but increase truck movements by 200%. How does that reduce overall pollution? This is just spin on the part of our city leaders who portray themselves as tough on pollution.
  
  The cilia in human’s lungs remove dust in the air. Unfortunately, combusted diesel particulates are much smaller than normal dust and actually become trapped and imbedded in the lungs between the hair like cilia, resulting in reduced lung capacity, asthma and cancer.
  
  The port needs to take serious action. Until all diesel trucks at the port are equipped with particulate traps on their diesel exhaust, all residents downstream in the prevailing wind pattern will suffer increased cancer risk. That includes pretty much all of the residents in the city of Long Beach. If you think that our city leaders have pushed for pollution improvements, you are woefully mistaken. It is political spin meant to appease the uninformed. Meanwhile, an increasing number of Long Beach inhabitants will die from cancer because Home Depot and Costco need their merchandise.
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  Dave

  1 year ago

  In addition to the dangers of pollution, there are the dangers on the road -- and the increased use of non-union, de-regulated trucking companies drastically increases that danger. How? James Ota of the non-union truckin company explains it perfectly -- there is intense pressure on the private owner-operator to go as fast as he/she can because his low, hourly, non-benefitted wage depends on it. Also, to work as many hours as he/she can, for the same reason. Also, to keep truck maintainence to a minimum, for the same reason. So we end up with our roadways clogged with exhausted, hurried drivers at the helm of unsafe trucks. Considering the size and contents of these things, that ain't pretty. Think about it the next time you see or hear about some jackknifed wiping out. Unionized truckers and their contracts -- with their guaranteed hourly wages, good benefits and proscribed vehicle standards -- give us drivers whose attention can be devoted to their job, rather than their survival. They give us safer trucks. And they give us a way to get rid of drivers and trucks that don't meet standards. That should make us all a little breathe easier, even if the air is cancerous.
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  Theo Douglas

  1 year ago

  You guys are all right--except Dave (sorry!).
  Actually Dave's right too, but I just have to wonder: if we have safer-driving, better-paid, unionized truckers, will it dampen the spirit of innovation and networking that Mr. Ota says are part of the scene at the Harbor now?
  I grew up union, so I'm not necessarily opposed to unionizing.
  But part of what most of us think is great about America is that spirit of innovation and moving forward and doing things better that seems to follow along with our right to live and worship free.
  Believe me--I know from listening to my father, who painted cars on the line for GM, that being union doesn't always yield the highest quality of work.
  I wonder if that spirit of innovation rides with the drivers who are guaranteed an hourly wage, and can wait as long as it takes--in line with their diesel engines idling--to pick up a container?
  Or is it there in the cab with the independents--the guys Mr. Ota employs, who are always in a hurry to make a better living?
  I don't think it's always a good thing that the independent drivers have to rush around in order to make a better living.
  But sometimes it's our own hurry that leads us to think of great inventions and ways to do things--like moving product--better.
  I agree with Mike that we don't NEED our goods any faster, but shouldn't the Port and its truck drivers work as efficiently as possible? And I wonder what kind of system the Port has for taking comments from from its truck drivers.
  Is there a big comment box on the median as you drive out of the harbor?
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  Andy

  1 year ago

  Port buys, leases, maintains CNG trucks. Drivers have to be screened and tested and retested. They still get paid for delivering cargo. Chinese novelty lighters still get to 7--11 on time. Problem solved. Yes, it costs the port more, but judging by the giant paving projects going on, it seems like they can afford it.
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  Bill McLaughlin

  1 year ago

  Why wait 5 ( or more ) years for cleaner trucks? We could cut pollution in half almost overnight by mandating that ships burn low sulphur fuel. If mandating doesn't work, pay the shippers to clean up their act...probably cheaper than replacing trucks ( which we should also do ) and certainly a lot quicker.
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  Mike Ruehle

  1 year ago

  Mandating ships to burn low sulfur bunker fuel or low sulfur diesel will certainly help to clean the skies by reducing the visible sulfur oxides (SOX) in the air. However, doing so will have minimal effect on the increased cancer risk to Long Beach residents according to the California Air Resource Board (CARB) and the South Coast Air Quality Management (AQMD) state agency.
  
  Diesel particulate matter and other diesel combustion products have been identified as the primary culprit of our increased cancer risk. It is not new news. The AQMD has been working on this issue for over 10 years ago. However, our political representatives at both the City and the Port have been very effective in stalling truly effective regulations for fear of the political outfall. Moreover, city officials spin how tough they are on pollution by advertising pre-1986 truck will be removed from the fleet over the next 5-years. By that time, those trucks will be 30-years old and most will be out of the fleet anyways.
  
  While our political representatives pat themselves on the back, we will continue to see increasingly higher cancer risk to Long Beach residents. I can only hope that the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sues the Port and the City for their failure to implement truly effective air quality regulations. It appears to be the only way that the city will respond to issues important to residents.
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