DIESEL EMISSION STANDARDS FUEL WATERFRONT CONFERENCE IN LONG BEACH

By Alison Bate

• "The oldest and dirtiest trucks service the Port of Los Angeles."
  
  This wry comment by T.L. Garrett, the port's environmental specialist, illustrates a key stumbling block in tackling air pollution on the waterfront.
  The big trucks nearly all use diesel fuel, and engines more than 10 years old cause much more pollution than newer diesel engines.
  Garrett's claim might well apply equally at any of the major ports, where truck drivers are typically one-person owner operators making low incomes in a highly competitive industry.
  
  They don't have the money to invest in fancy new rigs or to retrofit their engines to produce fewer emissions. Additionally, they are often forced to line up for hours with engines idling while waiting to pick up containers. Diesel fumes irritate the eyes, nose and throat, increase allergic responses and are linked to lung problems and cancer.
  
  These difficulties were discussed at the Waterfront Diesel Emissions Conference held in Long Beach. About 160 delegates attended the October conference, organized by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).
  
  U.S. ports face a daunting challenge, delegates heard. Many alternative fuels for diesel are not fully advanced; it is complex work retrofitting many old engines; and federal and state agencies have different standards and timelines for tackling air emissions. "The new regulations are complicated and intertwined," PMA vice president Mark McDonald pointed out.
  
  In the last 20 years, huge strides have been made in reducing air pollution in gas used by cars. Pollution caused by diesel has taken a back burner until recently, however. The three main air pollutants from diesel are smog-causing nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and soot-forming particulate matter - known colloquially as Nox, Sox and PM. While diesel emissions from ships also effect air quality, the conference focused on land-based pollution. Road trucks cause most emissions.
  
  The terminal operators' point of view was aired by Capt. John McNeill, vice president of San Francisco-based Marine Terminals Corp.
  He said a study last year showed that 71 percent of air emissions inside one of the company's Californian terminals were caused by over-the-road truckers. The remainder was caused by terminal-owned, or off-road, equipment. The study excluded ship emissions.
  
  "The solution must involve over-the-road trucks, and this may not be as easy as it sounds," said McNeill. "They're in a highly competitive business and margins are small. They're going to need some help. Otherwise we won't be able to fix the problem."
  
  MTC is currently testing new propane-fueled yard tractors. McNeill said operating costs are at least 70 percent higher than a similar diesel unit, and they appear to have a shorter working life. He added that no one really knows yet which of the various new technologies and fuels will turn out to be most effective.
  
  Stephanie Williams, vice president of regulatory affairs for the California Trucking Association, gave a hard-hitting speech about the problems facing California truckers. Diesel costs more in California than anywhere else in the country, typically $1.60 per gallon, compared with the national average of $1.30 per gallon. The state also charges a truck $1,800 to register, Williams said.
  
  As a result, all the large interstate companies have moved outside California. Williams said that of the 1.2 million trucks operating into the state, only 400,000 are registered there.