Harbor Update
A comment and a story for everyone to read....Commissioner finds price for a waterfront attraction scary
Daily Breeze
Tue, 22 Nov 2005 1:55 AM PST
Harbor chief thinks $100 million to $150 million for a centerpiece for the Bridge to Breakwater project isn't an affordable proposal.
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The Harbor Commission did something really important at its meeting yesterday.
They directed staff ro revise the proposed Environmental Impact Report and leases for the Berth 206-209 propeerty and a new cruise line at the cruise terminal to require that ships calling there use 1.5% sulfur fuel while traveling within the boundaries of the South Coast Air Basin.
While 1.5% fuel - 15,000 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur - is almost 50% cleaner than the 27-28,000 ppm fuel currently in use, it is 1000 times dirtier than the upcoming 15 ppm requirement for California on road diesel fuel. So this is only a waystation on the road to safe air, but it is an important waystation.
If this requirement was implemented throughout the two ports, it would be the one biggest immediate step which could be taken to reduce, or at least slow the rate of increase, of toxic, carcinogenic, diesel pollution.
We have been told, over and over, by the Port staff, the previous Harbor Commission, and the industry, that this cannot be done. Yesterday, the Harbor Commission ordered it to be done as a condition of these new leases.
This is a brave and responsible step. Those who have followed this issue on the Sister City blog know that I have been extremely critical of the ports, and their historically irresponsible neglect of the public health and safety. However, credit where credit is due.
Well done Harbor Commission. We can only hope that this brave initiative spreads throughout both ports, as a condition of any new leases. It would be a good first step in making our Air Basin a safe place to live.
Posted by noel park to at 11/22/2005 11:32:25 AM
Posted by Anonymous @ 11/23/2005 07:40:00 AM
6 Comments:
Spend the $150 million on anti-pollution measures and port security, not on a bloated "piece de resistance".
Thank you.
Yesterday afternoon, Mayor Villaraigosa (MAV) was interviewed on KPPC FM.
He said that he knows that the people of the City want more parks and open green space, and that he is commited to provide them. He said that he wanted to "green up" the City, and make it one of the greenest major cities in the world. He said that he supports the goal of planting 1,000,000 trees.
Hooray for MAV.
He needs to communicate this vision to his Port staff. The San Pedro and Wilmington waterfronts include large open dirt areas which are prime candidates to be "greened up". The good citizens of California have provided $100,000,000 to buy land for parks along the LA River at the Taylor Yard and the Cornfield. All credit to them. This land is already owned by the people of California. It wouldn't cost a dime.
Please MAV, direct your troops to create green space and parks, with a reasonable and proportionate amount of supporting commercial development. Mr. Freeman is right, nay charitable, to characterize the Port's plan as "grandiose". We don't need a Gehryesqe "icon" - we need open space to serve the citizens of one of the most open space challenged cities in the country.
Hey noel,
The Port of Los Angeles is going to try and make their buildings LEED compliant, I heard.
What do you think/know about that?
Noel is a gadfly and blowhard. I wish he would move out of the state and give some other community an ass ache.
Bravo to Mr. Freeman on both counts - Improving air quality by linking leases to clean air; and, by killing the idiotic notion of a Huge/Grand icon welcoming container ships to the Harbor. Now, if he would just jettison the rest of the "grandiose" Bridge to Breakwater boondoggle....
The Port wants to make its new buildings LEED compliant while its industrial operations are one of the biggest environmental disasters in the state. Does anybody see a little irony there? PR spin opportunities?
We sat at the Harbor Commission meeting in Wilmington while this was discussed. There were many pious comments about saving energy while thousands of obsolete, glaring, energy wasting 1000 watt light fixtures glared away outside the window.
Maybe they can find a way to make the Port LEED compliant. that would be something to shout about.
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