Air pollution at Port of Los Angeles at its lowest level since 2005

Emissions in 2023 were at the lowest levels at the Port of Los Angeles since 2005, the port announced on Friday.

The decrease in air pollution, the port says, is in part due to increase in use of newer model trucks and locomotives. The newer vehicles produce cleaner emissions than their previous counterparts.

The port also credited higher use of renewable power and previously integrated efficiency measures.

“We continue to build on our longstanding strategies to improve the health and welfare of all who live and work in our Port community,” said Los Angeles Harbor Commission President Lucille Roybal-Allard. “Keep in mind, the benefits of what we accomplish here extend to our state, our nation and communities around the globe.”

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said that the progress at the port is a key part in making the city “greener.”

“This news is a step in the right direction as we continue our momentum toward building a greener Los Angeles, which is possible by locking arms with industry and those who work at the Port each and every day,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “The Port is cutting pollution while driving the economy forward — forty percent of all US imports come in through the Port and tens of millions of people depend on the Port’s success everyday. The communities around the Port and every person in Los Angeles deserves clean air and we will continue building on this progress.”

According to the latest report, most emissions have been cut nearly in half since 2005, when the port increased emission tracking. Diesel particulate matter is down 91% since then, while nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are down 74% and 98%, respectively.

The 2023 report showed that it was the best year for cutting greenhouse gasses in the port’s history.

Future progress will continue, the port says, as a focus on a transition to zero-emissions trucks is a plan for the near future.

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