You Can Choose Where You Live, but Can You Choose to Breathe Clean Air?

Is it really a choice to breathe clean air? A recent study announces that in addition to exercise and diet, clean air gains since the 1980s can add about two and a half years to the average American's life expectancy. The study concludes that clean air tacks about five months to your life (or 15% of the 2.5 years figure). It's certainly good news that our country's air has improved overall during the past 30 years, however, in LA, we persist with unhealthy air that cuts short thousands of lives.

Dr. Douglas Dockery, head of the Environmental Health Department at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston authored the study and reflects on the inequities of air pollution. "Clean or dirty air is something that is being imposed on you. You do have a choice on whether you smoke, drink, exercise or what type of food you eat. But you do not have a choice on what air you breathe." The article goes on to quote a local Boston scientist saying that "the damage caused by regularly breathing such air as like living with someone who smokes."

Yesterday, the Port of Long Beach unanimously approved the Middle Harbor expansion project, which they expect will cost $750 million and 10 years to build. The size of the expansion is likened to that of the Port of Vancouver and the level of cargo containers (throughput) to a third more of what the fourth-largest port in the nation, the Port of Oakland, handles. That's a massive project that will employ thousands of local workers, but will increase air pollution in an area that has some of the most toxic air in the region. 

There is no doubt that both ports are trying hard to reverse the tide of their filthy pasts, but the question is, are they doing enough to quickly help harbor area residents?  Based on our review of the project, the answer is no.  While the Middle Harbor Project includes some good air quality mitigation (e.g. use of cleaner fuels in ships and shore side power), it fails to include several critical technologies like cleaner trucks or provide sufficient resources to protect the community from port operations.

Currently, the ports of LA and Long Beach generate roughly 2,000 tons of particulate pollution annually. This area is also home to some of the highest rates of cancer, asthma and premature death figures in the nation. Roughly 2,400 deaths are attributed to pollution from the Ports of LA and Long Beach every year. Because of these levels of pollution and the impacts to public health and the environment, NRDC is part of a coalition that's working with the ports to ensure local residents are represented when either port plans to expand.

The Port of LA has included community mitigation funds for recent expansion projects, going back to the $50 million it set aside for the $200 million China Shipping terminal expansion and more recently, $50 million for the 5-year TraPac terminal expansion project. The money goes toward installing air filters in schools, nursing homes and residences in addition to building more health clinics in what is considered a medically underserved area. These efforts go toward limiting diesel particulate pollution, one of the main culprits for respiratory disease.

After looking at the environmental impact report for the Middle Harbor project, the Port of Long Beach expects 2% of the total budget ($15 million out of $750 million) to go to community mitigation. That includes $5 million for greenhouse gas reduction, $5 million to install air filters, and $5 million for health clinics. Roughly 500,000 people live in the City of Long Beach, so that means that $15 million in community mitigation over the 10-year project works out to $30 a person in mitigation for the entire project, or $3 a year. About the cost of a small latte.

This is the first time the Port of Long Beach has offered community mitigation funding within an expansion project proposal.  I look forward to the day when residents of LA can say they are breathing air that will help them live longer, but as long as the Port of Long Beach only allots 2% of a $750 million, 10-year project budget to protecting residents from its filthy operations, we'll need to breathe carefully.