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OPINION * USA - U.S. Ports Clean Up Their Act
Undoing the 'perfect storm' of maritime transport and air pollution
USA -World Trade, by James S. Cannon (*) -September 1, 2008: -- Oceangoing container ships make more than 10,000 visits to ports in the United States from around the world each year. Delivery of goods to ports and from there to U.S. consumers is powered by diesel fuel each step of the way. Diesel fuel quality ranges from notoriously filthy bunker fuel that powers ships, to lower quality grades for off-road vehicles, to lower sulfur grades recently required for on-road trucks. Burning diesel fuel releases health threatening toxic air contaminants, smog forming air pollutants, and climate changing greenhouse gases... The backbone of air pollution control efforts at U.S. container ports today is efforts to reduce emissions from diesel-powered equipment through the following steps:
• the use of newer diesel engines that pollute less;
• the installation of pollution control equipment;
• and switching to grades of diesel fuel containing lower sulfur content.
Create a Clearinghouse of Public Information about Port Clean-Up Efforts... There is a lot of information in the public domain and more attention is being focused on ports as decision makers are becoming more aware of the adverse consequences of port air pollution. Nonetheless, there remains an urgent need for a national clearinghouse of information about environmental issues at ports. This role is already being played in part by the AAPA, but its information is primarily for use by its members. Some individual ports and regulatory agencies also have excellent websites, but the information they post is mostly limited to local programs... (*) James S. Cannon is President of Energy futures, Inc., a Colorado-based consultancy in energy and related environmental issues in the transportation sector.
Labels: clean air opinion
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