We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » clean air plans draw yeas and nays
newsworthy

clean air plans draw yeas and nays

July 1, 2007
DC Velocity Staff
No Comments

Everyone wants to reduce pollution, but not everyone agrees on how to go about it.

The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) says it strongly opposes a proposal to place restrictions on trucks operating at ports along the California coast. That proposal is part of the San Pedro Ports Clean Air Action Plan, introduced by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The plan's objective is to reduce vehicle and other emissions affecting air quality in the San Pedro Bay area. By imposing fees and restrictions on operators of "dirty" diesel trucks, port officials and local political leaders hope to eliminate those vehicles from cargo terminals within five years.

NITL Executive Vice President Peter J. Gatti says that while his group encourages efforts to "go green," there are problems with the proposal. In particular, NITL objects to a provision that would require all drivers operating at the port to be motor carrier employees rather than independent contract drivers. According to Gatti, that requirement would have absolutely no impact on the environment. Instead, he says, it could drive a number of the small and mediumsized truckers that currently serve the ports out of business.

The group also charges that the plan could have unintended negative consequences. "While the league is in support of the plan's stated goals … of fostering a clean environment, we believe that it will unnecessarily increase costs, reduce competition, threaten vital operating capacity, and most importantly, have a minimal effect toward improving the environment," NITL said in a statement. Rather than imposing fees and restrictions, NITL suggested that economic incentives would lead the private sector to introduce cleaner trucks in a similar—if not shorter—time period.

Meanwhile, shipping giant APL is hoping its efforts to curb exhaust emissions will not only prove successful but will also serve as a model for other ocean carriers. This summer, APL will test a new method of "cold-ironing" aboard its 863-foot container vessel APL China. With cold-ironing, ships obtain electricity by plugging into a clean, shoreside power source while docked. That allows them to shut down their onboard diesel-powered generators, potentially eliminating 1,000 pounds of exhaust pollutants per day.

Because of its environmental benefits, port authorities and air quality regulators want to promote cold-ironing. But carriers have been less enthusiastic, citing cost and safety concerns.

The new procedure developed by APL's engineers should substantially reduce those concerns, says APL Americas President John Bowe. Instead of the 10 cumbersome cable connections required under conventional methods, APL's procedure connects a single high-voltage cable from a shoreside power source to a redesigned circuit in the vessel's bow.

The cost to retrofit a ship for cold-ironing under APL's method would be about $225,000, far less than industry projections of $1.5 million for the current procedure. The method would also improve safety because the connection would require only one relatively small cable, and the vessel could switch over to the shoreside source without temporarily cutting power.

Transportation Maritime & Ocean Green Logistics
  • Related Articles

    Port of Oakland hails shipping lines, terminal for clean air work

    Port of Oakland says yard cranes going hybrid to help clean air

    CARB launches clean off-road equipment voucher program

  • Related Events

    DigiMarCon East 2021 - Digital Marketing, Media and Advertising Conference & Exhibition

Recent Articles by DC Velocity Staff

ATA cheers court ruling upholding looser hours of service caps

Carry (or at least measure) that weight

December cargo volume up in Houston, Oakland

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • For container lines and ports, what a difference a year makes

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Capacity challenges will continue in 2021

  • Shippers brace for tight capacity trend to continue in 2021

Now Playing on DCV-TV

Jlt procure rugged devices thumb

What it takes to procure the right rugged devices for your warehouse

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
Procuring new rugged devices for your warehouse is often a big decision and a significant investment. It needs careful planning and consideration. It involves more than ticking boxes on a spec sheet. It includes testing and getting employee buy in. And it's about finding a partner that can work with you to deploy...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing