KPCC Story on Children's Health in Long Beach with a Focus on Port Pollution

Today, Pat Morrison on KPCC aired a program examining children’s health issues in Long Beach.  I participated in the panel to talk about port pollution and its impacts on public health.  The panel took place at Cesar Chavez Middle School, which is located in the shadows of the I-710, one of the nation’s most heavily trafficked diesel truck highways.  Highways, in particular highways with lots of diesel trucks, pose particular problems for the respiratory health of those living next to these highways. 

Dr. Bob Kanter, Managing Director of Environmental Affairs and Planning for the Port of Long Beach, Alicia Carrera, a parent of three children with asthma, Dr. Elisa Nicholas, CEO of the Children’s Health Clinic, and Dr. Helene Calvet from the Long Beach City Department of Health & Human Services also participated in the panel.    

The discussion was quite robust and interesting ranging from childhood obesity to freight pollution and its immense toll on the health of children.  With approximately double the rate of childhood asthma compared to LA County, Long Beach is facing big issues for children’s respiratory health.  Even after much effort by the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, pollution rates and asthma rates remain unacceptably high in the harbor area.  With that said, years of advocacy by community, environmental justice, and environmental groups has pushed these ports to be leaders in advocating for cleaner technology. 

This effort manifested itself during the program where it appears Dr. Kanter from the Port of Long Beach and I had the same talking points.  Simply stated, we both agreed that we need to promote technology to clean the air.  Seven or eight years ago, I would have been fighting with the Port of Long Beach on this topic.  However, we at least have the same goals—minimizing pollution from the ports and freight movement system.

Near the end of the show, Pat asked what grade I would give the ports.  I noted that this isn’t the final exam, but their midterm grade would be a B.  After the show, some people questioned whether I was too lenient on the ports.  However, I stand by my grade.  When NRDC and the Coalition for Clean Air released their report The Dirty Truth About Ports in March of 2004, the Ports of LA and Long Beach each received a C+ grade. 

The improvement in this grade stems from the work the ports have done on clean air to date.  As a result of years of struggle by groups who were advocating to clean the air when the ports met these demands with stiff attack and opposition, we have seen great changes in the harbor.  However, there is still a lot more work to be done.  Since I have been tasked with providing a grade for the Ports, I want to provide a few issues that they need to address to gain progress towards an A on their final exam.

• First, the Ports need to act on their Board’s unanimous direction to figure out a way to electrify the movement of containers from the docks to railyards and other freight facilities.  In 2006, the Boards of both Ports articulately stated: “It may take 20 years to complete such a system but it will always be 20 years away unless in the next five years we build and test a demonstration prototype and perfect a detailed plan for widespread construction.”  Here we are five years later, and we have no prototype or a detailed plan for widespread construction. 

• Second, the Ports’ grade will depend on how they address the two near-dock railyards that the railroads want to build in the region.  These facilities are literally a stone’s throw from neighborhoods and schools.  While concurrently the Long Beach region is pushing kids to spend more time outside exercising to fight obesity, they are also adding pollution in these neighborhoods through increased rail operations.  We cannot continue to expand using old technologies that continue to make children sick.   

• Third, the Ports will need to enforce the clean air programs they have adopted to date.  This means ensuring strict compliance with their respective clean trucks program. In addition, the Ports need to ensure accountability for the public subsidies that companies received to clean the air.

• Fourth, the Ports need to be better neighbors to the community.  Air pollution is not the only impact from port operations: there are also impacts from noise, blight, and land use.  The Ports need to ensure these harbor-adjacent communities remain vibrant and not choked out by freight operations. 

I hope the Ports are up to the challenge.  While some may claim I am lenient with grades now, the issues mentioned above are critical.  And, I want all of you to know that I will not grade on a curve. 

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