Caving in from political demands and pressures, stating "time is of the essence," it turns out the Long Beach Harbor Commission has unanimously approved a clean-air plan Tuesday Feb. 19 that has been highly criticized by both parties. It would force contracted drivers to be responsible for updating their trucks, instead of the shipping companies that hire them, according to the LA Times.
Many of the labor groups and employees opposed the deal saying that they can't afford to buy or maintain new trucks while environmentalists say the deal is letting shippers slide on a plan that would have been mad the Long Beach port one of the greenest in the country. Also, the Los Angeles Port, was possibly left out of the plans and could decide to forget about the whole thing.
Guitarist and now solo artist Tom Morello of "Rage Against the Machine" even showed up in protest against the plan that could over-ride the unprecedented agreement to reduce air pollution from trucks coming from the Port of Long Beach. The port agreed to pass a concession plan that would phase out gas guzzling diesel engines to be replaced with engines with lower emissions, making Long Beach and Los Angeles one of the greenest harbors in the country.
But Tuesday's decision could mean that the port could hire contractors and/or truck drivers that would keep things the way they are, only requiring them to pass a smog check.
Many environmental agencies and groups were upset about this plan and then threatened to file a lawsuit against the city's mayor and board members of the commission.
In contrast, many trucker protested the plan aswell, saying that it would exploit employees, because contract drivers are exempt.
To view a Fact Sheet, the board documents and the live webcast, go to the Port’s web site at www.polb.com.
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