LONG BEACH, Calif. and LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The following is a statement by Teachers Association of Long Beach President Michael Day:

"The Teachers Association of Long Beach is a proud partner with over 80 organizations in our community committed to making the Clean Truck Program a success. Together we celebrate The Clean Truck Program which was adopted by the Port and City of Los Angeles one year ago. The continued progress of this program is important to make our affected communities safe and healthy for our citizens.

"Long Beach has over a dozen schools along the I-710 corridor and adjacent to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, an area commonly referred to as a 'diesel death zone.' We applaud the Clean Truck Program for what it has done already by removing almost 2000 pre-1989 diesel trucks from our neighborhoods with trucks that produce more than 90% fewer emissions. TALB is also working with our community partners to ensure the future success of the Clean Truck Program so the Ports will be able to meet their 2012 goal of 80% emissions reductions in overall drayage operations.

"The success of this program and the health of our neighborhoods are being threatened by business interests such as the American Trucking Association by attempting to block this program in the courts. While the supporters of the Clean Truck Program have worked to find sensible and sustainable solutions to our pollution problems business interests have been unwilling to make accommodations in the name of a safer and healthier environment.

"We are grateful for the success the Los Angeles Clean Truck Program has had this year. We hope the future will bring further success for the millions of people near the Ports whose health and livelihoods are being threatened with pollution and hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary medical costs related to port trucking operations."

SOURCE Teachers Association of Long Beach