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Tougher smog rules could have sweeping impact on the way goods move around the state
Author: News at Noon
Date: 08-08-2016 - 10:11
[www.sgvtribune.com]
The men and women who make Los Angeles and Long Beach ports hum are keeping close watch on proposed legislation that would further tighten the state’s already restrictive greenhouse gas-emissions rules.
The sweeping legislation, which would set aggressive goals to cut climate-warming pollution by 2030, faces an uphill battle and a tight deadline in Sacramento. But Gov. Jerry Brown made it clear last week the fight wouldn’t end should the bill stumble in the Legislature: He aims to put it on the statewide ballot in 2017.
Senate Bill 32 by Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, has the potential to have a deep impact on the ports and the way goods move around the state. Although neither hub has endorsed the bill, both ports have invested billions of dollars in zero-to-low-emission technology. Nonetheless, the complex remains the single largest source of pollution in Southern California, according to air regulators.
“We have been monitoring this (legislation) for years,” said Samara Ashley, director of government relations at the Port of Long Beach.
She said the bill generally falls in line with Long Beach’s goal of a greener port.
The measure, however, is opposed by the oil industry and some freight operators who move products to and from ports. They fear higher costs and placing more power in the hands of the California Air Resources Board.
“If we are going to talk about climate-change programs and how we reach certain goals, we need to keep in mind jobs and how we are going to keep our businesses competitive,” said Weston LaBar, executive director of the Harbor Trucking Association, which represents a coalition of Los Angeles and Long Beach trucking companies.
“To give an appointed body a blank check to do what they want is not good for the California business community,” LaBar said.
Environmentalists and green-energy distributors worry the effort’s failure could set back new, burgeoning green markets.
“It’s going to take massive market investment to make it happen,” said Harrison Clay, president of Clean Energy Renewable Fuels Corp., which sells cleaner-burning natural gas for fleet vehicles, including the Santa Monica Big Bus and some UPS delivery trucks.
In 2015, the company doubled their production of biomethane fuel. Continuing such growth, Clay said, relies on support from the legislature.
Pavley concurs. “Passage of SB 32 this year would send a strong signal to developers of clean fuels that there will be an enduring market in California for their products,” she said.
The men and women who make Los Angeles and Long Beach ports hum are keeping close watch on proposed legislation that would further tighten the state’s already restrictive greenhouse gas-emissions rules.
The sweeping legislation, which would set aggressive goals to cut climate-warming pollution by 2030, faces an uphill battle and a tight deadline in Sacramento. But Gov. Jerry Brown made it clear last week the fight wouldn’t end should the bill stumble in the Legislature: He aims to put it on the statewide ballot in 2017.
Senate Bill 32 by Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, has the potential to have a deep impact on the ports and the way goods move around the state. Although neither hub has endorsed the bill, both ports have invested billions of dollars in zero-to-low-emission technology. Nonetheless, the complex remains the single largest source of pollution in Southern California, according to air regulators.
“We have been monitoring this (legislation) for years,” said Samara Ashley, director of government relations at the Port of Long Beach.
She said the bill generally falls in line with Long Beach’s goal of a greener port.
The measure, however, is opposed by the oil industry and some freight operators who move products to and from ports. They fear higher costs and placing more power in the hands of the California Air Resources Board.
“If we are going to talk about climate-change programs and how we reach certain goals, we need to keep in mind jobs and how we are going to keep our businesses competitive,” said Weston LaBar, executive director of the Harbor Trucking Association, which represents a coalition of Los Angeles and Long Beach trucking companies.
“To give an appointed body a blank check to do what they want is not good for the California business community,” LaBar said.
Environmentalists and green-energy distributors worry the effort’s failure could set back new, burgeoning green markets.
“It’s going to take massive market investment to make it happen,” said Harrison Clay, president of Clean Energy Renewable Fuels Corp., which sells cleaner-burning natural gas for fleet vehicles, including the Santa Monica Big Bus and some UPS delivery trucks.
In 2015, the company doubled their production of biomethane fuel. Continuing such growth, Clay said, relies on support from the legislature.
Pavley concurs. “Passage of SB 32 this year would send a strong signal to developers of clean fuels that there will be an enduring market in California for their products,” she said.
Tougher smog rules could have sweeping impact on the way goods move around the state