Pollution-plagued port communities have been left out of the talks

By Theral Golden and Paola Vargas, especially for CalMatters

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The South Coast Air Quality Management District’s board of governors must vote against a so-called cooperative agreement to limit emissions at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach because affected community members are not meaningfully involved, it weakens the district’s ability to reduce emissions and sets a dangerous precedent.

The toxic pollution that nearby community members are subjected to on a daily basis is nothing new. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the busiest in the country. We have known for decades that port emissions reduce life expectancy and quality of life in the South Coast air basin, which covers parts of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and all of Orange County.

These pollution-laden areas are called “diesel death zones” because of the adverse health effects. In places like West Long Beach, the average life expectancy is up to eight years less than the county average. There are rated throughout the pool 2,400 pollution-related deaths per year.

Both ports have improved air quality, but the complex is still the largest fixed source of emissions in Southern California.

And the toxins will only increase. The cargo activity of the ports is expected to grow by 57% from 2021 to 2032. We can expect the number of human deaths to rise with it.

A process is underway with the South Coast Air Quality Management District – the governing body charged with regulating port pollution – that has the potential to address these severe health impacts.

Communities harmed by the contamination have consistently asked the county to include their feedback in identifying solutions, but the county has not meaningfully engaged them. Instead, it sides with industry time and time again, allowing it to dictate the flow and outcomes of the process.

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently refused to sign Senate Bill 34citing concerns that it would limit the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s authority to regulate port emissions and prevent joint action with ports.

We agree with Newsom’s assessment that regulation and cooperation can avoid the worst health impacts—except the collaboration he calls “locally managed and collaborative” is anything but

The cooperation agreement includes a five-year rulemaking ban. That handcuffs the South Coast Air Quality Management District, effectively blocking the agency’s authority to deal with port pollution when the South Coast air basin can least afford a delay.

This rulemaking ban affects not only the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, but every port in the District. It also sets a dangerous precedent that could spur other air districts to eliminate public participation in rulemaking processes and prioritize industry priorities over public health.

Rather than moving forward with the cooperative agreement, the South Coast Air Quality Management District board should allow more time to meaningfully and collaboratively engage local communities and address public health implications.

This should not be a zero sum game. We can chart a path that addresses port pollution, improves quality of life and recognizes the role ports play in our global supply chains.

But that won’t happen without communities having a meaningful seat at the table.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.