In The News

SoCal ports to start collecting environmental fee

LOS ANGELES — The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach plan to begin collecting cargo container fees on Wednesday to help finance an ambitious clean-air initiative after a three-month delay and despite opposition from the federal agency that regulates the ports.

The so-called environmental fee would be used to help finance the Clean Trucks Program, which aims to reduce air pollution from trucks that haul cargo through the nation’s busiest port complex by 80 percent within five years.

The program was launched last October by banning trucks built before 1989 from entering the ports. The ports offered truckers financial assistance to encourage them to phase out their 1989 and later models and replacing them with newer, cleaner-running models that will meet tougher federal emission standards by 2012.

A fee charging up to $70 per container would help pay for the new vehicles. To accelerate compliance, the Port of Los Angeles offered a $20,000 incentive for every truck that meets the 2007 federal standard for heavy-duty trucks.

But collection was delayed after the Federal Maritime Commission filed a lawsuit claiming that parts of the plan interfere with interstate commerce, increase cost to shippers and hamper competition.

The commission’s review of a fee collection agreement with terminal operators took 90 days and decided not to halt the plan. During that period, the ports were blocked from charging the fees, losing roughly $15 million a month in fees.

Additional funding from the state was also put on hold as California lawmakers wrestled over a budget proposal to close a $42 billion deficit.

Meanwhile, dozens of trucking companies counting on the subsidies had placed orders for new trucks.

Mike Fox, owner of a 450-fleet truck company based in Rancho Cucamonga, said the port of Los Angeles’ incentive program prompted him to spend $6 million on 40 new diesel trucks last year. He said he’d like to order 80 more this year, but that plan has been stalled because the fee collection has not begun.

“The last couple of months were horrible in the financial market, so the incentive made it possible for us to buy those trucks,” Fox said. “Without the fees, there’s no financial reason to go out and buy new trucks. It doesn’t make sense.”

Port officials said the fees are needed to help truck companies willing to participate in the program.

“These guys have gone out and bought new trucks. In this difficult economic climate, if we didn’t help them out, some of them would be put in jeopardy,” said Capt. John Holmes, director of operations at the port of Los Angeles.

Dorothy Cox of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at [email protected].