Advocates for Los Angeles Clean Truck Program Tout Success at Congressional Highways & Transit Hearing

Supporters Echo Call for Law to Empower America's Ports to Clean Air, Create Green Jobs

WASHINGTON, May 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) conducted a hearing today focused on the EPA award-winning Los Angeles Clean Truck Program (CTP) developed under the leadership of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The CTP has been widely hailed as a green-growth model for ports nationwide, reducing harmful diesel truck emissions by over 70% since the program began in October 2008.  

An estimated 87 million Americans now live and work in port regions that violate federal air quality standards. Aging diesel port trucks that move goods in and out of major ports on both coasts are a major source of pollution resulting in severe environmental and public health consequences leading to high rates of asthma, cancer and other respiratory illnesses in adjacent communities.

"Local governments, such as ports, need to be part of a layered approach to reduce air pollution in our cities and across the nation," said Dave Foster, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance, one of 113 organizations that recently sent a letter to Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN), Rep. John Mica (R-FL) urging federal lawmakers to take action to protect the most effective emissions-reduction program in the nation. "Our coalition of environmental, labor, public health, community, and faith-based organizations look forward to working with Congress to advance legislation, which will reduce pollution, make our ports healthier communities and create green jobs." 

Although hundreds of motor carriers have benefited from the CTP, the American Trucking Associations, which represents a tiny fraction of Southern California trucking firms, has cited arcane law to legally challenge the landmark program and stall its full implementation, jeopardizing its sustainability. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and another 78 House Members recently sent a letter to key transportation lawmakers to support proposed legislation that would ensure ports have the authority to enact innovative local solutions to create green jobs and meet and sustain federal air quality standards.

At the heart of the issue are more than 70,000 U.S. port drivers who breathe toxic diesel exhaust on the job. The deregulated port trucking market has devolved into a system in which drivers are mislabeled "independent" by their employers to force these everyday workers to assume the business costs and liabilities of truck operation. Port drivers only earn $10-11/hr, a recent Rutgers study found, while truck payments and maintenance cost thousands of dollars each month. These economics boil down to terminals, highways and transportation corridors filled with old, poorly maintained vehicles that pump deadly diesel toxins into the driver's lungs and the air.

"Thank you for the opportunity to tell you about the working conditions that effect thousands and thousands of drivers at U.S. ports," said Jose Covarrubias, the first port driver to ever appear as a Congressional witness. "Without this hearing, we would not be able to tell the real story about what we endure to keep our economy running. We want to feel proud of our work again, but we need good wages to have green jobs."

Teamsters Vice President At-Large Fred Potter of New Jersey who also testified added: "Truck drivers work long hours for little pay and breathe toxic fumes each day to keep our nation's economy moving. We support the Port of Los Angeles' Clean Truck Program and consider it a national model for how to clean up dirty diesel trucks while creating good green jobs and a safer, more economically prosperous and efficient system. We appreciate New York Congressman Nadler for taking a good look at why ports around the country should copy LA's success." 

Also appearing before the Subcommittee, Natural Resources Defense Council attorney Melissa Lin Perrella stated, "People living near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have suffered health problems for too long due to dirty trucks. We need to give ports the authority to readily address local threats to public health and safety that occur on port property. Amending the Federal Aviation Authorization Administration Act will do that. Such legislation would safeguard the Southern California Clean Truck Programs and the other innovative clean truck programs being adopted across the nation, as well as encourage other ports to improve the quality of their operations to reduce harmful air pollution for their local communities."

In addition to clearing environmental hurdles and public health impacts that previously froze job-creating port infrastructure projects, the LA model is also recognized by economists as a sound approach to streamline port operations and increase efficiency of goods movement to allow business to grow and compete in the green economy.

Captain John Holmes, representing the Port of Los Angeles in his testimony stated: "The Port of Los Angeles is tasked with handling the shipment of billions of dollars in goods that reach consumers nationwide.  The gains of the Clean Truck Program have made it possible for us to modernize our facilities. The program incentives help all of our trucking companies – small, medium and large – and in turn will contribute to the region's economic rebound."

In April 2010, President Obama's newly appointed Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr. named the CTP as the first recipient of the agency's first-ever Earth Day award.  In January 2010, the EPA recognized the CTP as one of five recipients of its prestigious Environmental Justice Award.   

The Coalition for Clean & Safe Ports is a partnership of environmental, public health, community, labor and faith organizations that promote sustainable economic development at West Coast ports. We are working to make the port trucking system a less polluting, more competitive generator of good quality jobs for harbor-area residents. The Coalition for Healthy Ports is the sister alliance working to create cleaner, greener ports in New York and New Jersey. We are over 100 organizations strong nationwide.

Background

Despite praise and positive recognition from government agencies, environmental organizations and labor unions, the Virginia-based American Trucking Associations (ATA), which represents less than five percent of Southern California port trucking companies, launched a multi-million dollar legal assault on the Los Angeles Clean Truck Program. The special interest, which also opposes climate-change legislation, was granted a temporary court order a year ago that again placed the financial responsibilities of operating and maintaining publicly subsidized EPA-compliant vehicles onto the backs of individual drivers.

Given the trucking industry's numerous legal attacks on clean air and environment protection efforts over the years, three major American port complexes have formally urged Congress to update the arcane statutes of federal transportation law to address 21st century public health and air pollution crisis that threaten vital job-creating expansion projects at our nation's ports.

The industry's vigorous opposition has compelled a nationwide coalition of over 100 environmental, public health, labor, community, and faith groups to join the mayors of Los Angeles, New York, Newark, Seattle, Oakland and Broward County in Florida to urge Congress to ensure local governments can fully implement market-based solutions that will sustainably clean up port trucking, ending the industry's race to the bottom.

TESTIMONY AVAILABLE BY REQUEST AND WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT:
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetail.aspx?NewsID=1161

• Capt. John Holmes, Dep. Exec. Director of Operations at the Port of Los Angeles
• Jose Covarrubias, a 20-year port truck driver from Southern California
• Melissa Lin Perrella, Staff Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
• Fred Potter, Teamsters At-Large Vice President, Port Division Director, New Jersey

SOURCE Coalition for Clean & Safe Ports