World Trade - September 2008 - (Page 42) OCEAN TRANSPORTATION U.S. Ports Clean Up Their Act Undoing the ‘perfect storm’ of maritime transport and air pollution. BY JAMES S. CANNON O 42 WORLD TRADE ceangoing container ships make more than 10,000 visits to ports in the United States from around the world each year. Delivery of goods to ports and from there to U.S. consumers is powered by diesel fuel each step of the way. Diesel fuel quality ranges from notoriously filthy bunker fuel that powers ships, to lower quality grades for off-road vehicles, to lower sulfur grades recently required for on-road trucks. Burning diesel fuel releases health threatening toxic air contaminants, smog forming air pollutants, and climate changing greenhouse gases. Air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping are bad and getting worse. The combination of growing port activity, the densely populated regions where most ports are located, and the prevailing onshore wind patterns that accumulate, rather than disperse, port air pollution creates a ‘perfect storm’ of threats to public health. Most U.S. ports are now among the largest sources of air pollution in their cities and progress toward reducing that pollution has been slow. Public concern is rising, however, and efforts to grapple with the complex challenge of reducing air pollution from ports are finally gathering momentum. 2008 Climate and human health impacts from port air pollution do not have to occur—a wide range of pollution control strategies are now available, and many squelch the thirst for imported oil in the process. These strategies include switching to cleaner alternative fuels and changing operating procedures to improve efficiency. Ports around the country, particularly at the adjacent ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, are beginning to grapple with air pollution problems and working to develop clean air programs that include use of alternative fuels. The backbone of air pollution control efforts at U.S. container ports today is efforts to reduce emissions from diesel-powered equipment through the following steps: • the use of newer diesel engines that pollute less; • the installation of pollution control equipment; • and switching to grades of diesel fuel containing lower sulfur content. Introducing cleaner diesel equipment in new equipment purchases will soon be required by public law, however, as it already is for vehicles in other economic sectors. Moreover, continuing to run diesel equipment does nothing to diversify fuel supply away from oil. SEPTEMBER
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