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Reaffirming their commitment to slash air pollution, harbor commissioners from Los Angeles and Long Beach came together for a special joint session on Monday, November 22, and unanimously approved a new, improved version of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP).

The 2010 CAAP Update builds upon the successes of the original which since being enacted in 2006 has initiated a wide range of air pollution-reducing measures for the ships, trains, trucks, and other heavy machinery used to move approximately $300 billion worth of freight through the port complex each year.

The 2010 CAAP Update is part of the original pledge to ensure that the CAAP is a "living document" which will be adapted as needed to add new pollution-control measures. The 2010 CAAP Update sets even more aggressive goals for reducing air pollution and health risks from port operations.

“Through successful collaboration and substantial investments by the ports and the industries we serve, air emissions related to port-facilitated goods movement have declined 33 percent to 56 percent since 2005,” said Cindy Miscikowski, President of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners. “Today’s action builds on the CAAP’s success, with updated goals for further curbing port-related pollution in the decade ahead.”

“These two ports are making good on their pledge to improve air quality, even as we modernize and redevelop facilities to accommodate business and job growth. The reason we can do that is the CAAP,” said Nick Sramek, President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners. “The CAAP Update now will take us to the next level, showing that we remain committed to finding the best ways to clean the air.”

New air quality-improvement measures in the 2010 CAAP Update include working with shipping lines on a “preferential deployment” system to always bring their newest ships – which emit less air pollution - to the San Pedro Bay port complex, and to determine what air quality technology retrofits can be made to engines on existing ships.

The joint meeting of the two ports’ boards of harbor commissioners was held at Banning’s Landing Community Center in Wilmington. An archived webcast of the meeting will be available at www.polb.com/webcast.

The 2010 CAAP Update, Fact Sheet, Synopsis of Significant Changes, Response to Comments and Supplemental Response to Comments documents are available at www.cleanairactionplan.org or www.polb.com/caap.

The original CAAP and the 2010 CAAP Update were developed with significant input and collaboration among the ports, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board and South Coast Air Quality Management District.