It pays to drive green

One hundred thirty-two natural-gas-fueled big rigs rumbled into service at the nation's largest port complex Monday as part of a landmark clean-truck program that aims to clear local skies by overhauling the region's fleet of 16,800 old and dirty diesel trucks.

An additional 100 of the near-zero-emission LNG trucks are earmarked for deployment to the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in the coming months.

The largest delivery of LNG trucks in the nation's history was made by Daimler Trucks North America under a partnership involving the Environmental Protection Agency, the California Air Resources Board, the Southern California Air Quality Management District and California Cartage Co.

"Each tractor will reduce the use of imported oil by 500 barrels per year," Daimler Trucks President and CEO Chris Patterson said in a statement. "At 132 Cal Cartage tractors plus 100 additional natural gas trucks to be operated by the ports, that reduces our dependency on foreign by more than 116,000 barrels annually."

Diesel pollution is responsible for an estimated 4,500 premature deaths, 71,000 cases of asthma and lower-respiratory symptoms and more than 600 hospitalizations for heart disease annually, according to state health officials. About half of all Californians live within one mile of a diesel hot spot with elevated cancer risk.

Arrival of the clean rigs will help the ports meet stricter California emissions standards expected in 2010.

They also come after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon's refusal to rule until 2009 on the Federal Maritime Commission's challenge to the clean-truck program. By that time, President-elect Barack Obama may well have appointed new commissioners to the agency, which has the right to intervene when it believes unfair competitive restrictions or unduly expensive mandates have been placed on international commerce.

-- Louis Sahagun

Photo credit: Daimler Trucks North America

Comments

[J_R_S]

This is a distressing mistake for an editor of a green blog to make: Burning natural gas may help reduce dependence on foreign oil, but it is NOT GREEN. Do the research:

The drilling of, processing of and burning of natural gas contributes substantially to global warming emissions, and this contribution is projected to grow. According to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (Working Group III Report, Chapter 4), in 2004 natural gas produced about 5,300 Mt/yr of CO2 emissions, while coal and oil produced 10,600 and 10,200 respectively (Figure 4.4); but by 2030, according to an updated version of the SRES B2 emissions scenario, natural gas would be the source of 11,000 Mt/yr, with coal and oil now 8,400 and 17,200 respectively.[18] (Total global emissions for 2004 were estimated at over 27,200 Mt.)

In addition,at least in the US, when they drill for it initially, the CO2 pumped out with the natural gas from the wells is released directly into the atmosphere. This amount of CO2 is not counted in the statistics above for the burning of natural gas.

There is a massive attempt going on right now to re-label *everything* -- even SUVs -- as "green". It is vital that editors of columns such as this know what is and is not really green and not help perpetuate "green-washing" fraud on the public.

-- JRS