Ports of LA, Long Beach set to collect clean truck fees starting April 1

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, successful abstracted actions, agreed to statesman collecting the Clean Truck Fund Rate interest connected April 1, 2022.

Los Angeles approved its question connected Thursday, Nov. 4 portion the Port of Long Beach passed a question connected Monday, Nov. 8, to acceptable the interest collections successful motion.

The ambitious extremity of transitioning to each zero-emissions trucks by 2035 grew retired of the Clean Air Action Plan passed by some ports successful 2005. The programme volition cod a $10 interest per loaded Twenty-Foot Equivalent instrumentality units — TEUs — leaving the ports connected drayage trucks to assistance money the changeover. Average fees per afloat mean instrumentality loads volition beryllium astir $20 with the outgo to beryllium paid by cargo owners.

The collections are expected to bring successful astir $45 cardinal per port, oregon $90 cardinal combined, successful the archetypal year, but wide that cannot beryllium expected to afloat money what volition beryllium an estimated $10 cardinal transition.

And complications person included an ongoing disagreement among environmentalists implicit the $10 fee, with galore saying it should person been overmuch higher.

The duplicate ports besides had nuanced differences successful whether low-emission trucks should beryllium viewed arsenic an immediate, interim alternate until zero-emissions trucks go much commercially available.

While the Port of Long Beach has focused its quest for a afloat zero-emissions motortruck fleet, said larboard Executive Director Mario Cordero, until much zero-emissions trucks go disposable connected the marketplace it makes consciousness to judge near-zero vehicles that are much disposable close present for the interim.

“The prime contiguous is not betwixt low-NOx, LNG trucks and zero-emissions, electrical trucks,” Cordero said. “The prime is betwixt low-NOx and (newer but inactive higher polluting) diesel engines. We’re being forthright and candid astir what that prime is and we’ve chosen the (interim) low-box enactment successful the involvement of reducing emissions today.”

While fees collected successful Long Beach volition assistance money immoderate low-emissions trucks successful the interval, the Port of Los Angeles has designated each of its fees to spell to backing zero-emissions trucks only.

At the Port of Los Angeles, exemptions to the interest volition beryllium provided for low-NOx trucks that are registered successful the Port Drayage Truck Registry and successful work by the extremity of 2022.

For the Port of Long Beach, exemptions volition beryllium provided for low-NOx trucks purchased earlier Nov. 8, 2021 (and done Dec. 31, 2034).

Grants and different backing volition beryllium needed to marque the power to a afloat zero-emissions fleet, said Port of Los Angeles Director of Environmental Management Christopher Cannon astatine the Nov. 3 meeting.

The programme includes a request for each participating trucks to beryllium registered successful the larboard drayage pool, which present has astir 20,000 trucks picking up and dropping disconnected cargo.

Only 30 trucks successful the drayage fleet presently are zero-emission models, Cordero said, adding that the commercialized availability of specified trucks isn’t expected connected a wider standard successful the short-term.

“The bully quality is that zero-emissions is coming,” Cordero said, “but not today.”

Concerns besides stay astir whether the fees mightiness extremity up being passed connected to motortruck drivers successful usurpation of the programme rules.

“That’s thing we volition person to monitor,” said Heather Tomley, managing manager of Planning and Environmental Affairs for the Port of Long Beach during Monday’s meeting. “Cargo owners are the ones that are held responsible.”

Commissioners and unit for some ports, however, person openly acknowledged that making definite those fees are not passed connected to drivers volition beryllium hard to enforce.

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