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CLEAN PORTS * USA - New Report Says Port Trucking Causing Public Health Crisis
Study claims “lax regulation in the national port trucking system has triggered a broad public health crisis” in North Jersey and Hudson County
Jersey City,NJ,USA -The Jersey City Independent, by Jon Whiten -Dec 9, 2009: ... The Coalition for Healthy Ports has released a report, “Hazardous to Our Health,” is based on a number of environmental and public health studies, and it reveals these alarming findings:* Among counties, Hudson ranks Number 1 in the state when it comes to health risks associated with diesel soot — and Number 9 among counties nationwide.
* Among states, New Jersey ranks Number 2 in the country when it comes to cancer risk associated with diesel soot.
* Premature deaths attributed to diesel pollution in New York and New Jersey are predicted to reach more than 3,100 in 2010. That’s 5.5 times the number of homicides in the cities of Newark and New York City combined in 2008, and more than 2.5 times more than the murder rate across both states that same year.
* North Jersey’s asthma rates are disproportionately high, with 1 out of 4 children suffering from the illness — compared to 1 out of 12 in areas further removed from the polluting ports.
So what now? The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns and operates the area ports, is moving forward with programs to replace the oldest trucks that service the ports as part of a broader clean air plan... And who pays? The companies want the truckers to pay, but the advocates argue that as independent contractors, the truckers cannot afford to do so... Advocates are pushing for the agency to essentially require that the companies invest in new trucks, as the Port of Los Angeles has done. But as a Port Authority spokesman told us this summer, the agency has “no intention of doing something similar here.” Instead, it is thus far relying on a combination of government grants and low-interest loans to create programs that help bring down the costs borne by the truckers who want new rigs...
* California - Smog rules will cost 1,000 truckers’ jobs at Oakland's port
San Francisco,CAL,USA -The San Francisco Business Times, by Eric Young -December 11, 2009: -- Oakland’s port will see a significant culling from its trucking ranks next month... An estimated 1,000 truckers — roughly one-third of the trucks that operate at the port — won’t be allowed to haul loads at the port starting Jan. 1 due to stepped-up clean air rules that ban older, more polluting rigs... The drivers of these trucks — most of whom are independent contractors — said that while they support clean air initiatives, they will be unemployed as a result of the rules. Some also used their predicament to highlight the need for drivers to become employees of trucking companies so that drivers don’t have to be responsible for costs of vehicle maintenance... (Photo by Spencer Brown - “As independent truckers, we carry all the responsibility,” says Lorenzo Fernandez)Labels: clean ports
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