5,000-Plus Cargo-Hauling Natural Gas Trucks Envisioned for L.A. Area Ports

Landmark Plan Approved to Reduce
Diesel Truck Pollution by Nearly 50
Percent in Five Years

The two busiest seaports in the U.S., the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, have approved a landmark Clean Air Action Plan that calls for the replacement of older, ‘dirty’ diesel-powered trucks with more than 5,000 heavy-duty natural gas (LNG) models.

Responding to concerns from environmental activists and neighborhood groups, the ports aim to reduce harmful air emissions in the area by nearly 50 percent.  By 2012, port officials expect to eliminate all high-polluting diesel trucks from cargo-hauling service – either by retrofitting trucks currently in use, or replacing older vehicles with new clean fuel-burning trucks.

Studies have shown that diesel exhaust causes cancer and is responsible for 70 percent of pollution-related health problems and hundreds of deaths annually in the Los Angeles region. According to regulators, the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports together are the largest contributors to smog from diesel engines in the area.  

The ports will allocate $200 million in public assistance to help truckers acquire the new vehicles. In addition, they hope to tap additional state funds to underwrite the clean air plan’s costs. California voters have approved a new $20 billion bond measure for transportation projects, which includes a $1 billion allotment for clean up efforts at the State’s ports.