People finally seem to have had it up to here with the Port of Long Beach, which has been excreting toxins into the local environment with ever-more-tragic consequences for decades. Lately, they are counterattacking from every direction that the pollution spews.

Today it’s from the air. Two environmental groups have written a 12-page letter [to read it, click here] to port officials and Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster that threatens to file a federal lawsuit unless dangerous air pollutants emitted by the port are considerably reduced. To read accounts in Bill Pearl’s LBReport.com click here and in the Long Beach Press-Telegram click here.

But recent environmental retaliations have also come by land and water. Under considerable local pressure, a fee on containers has been applied to help replace aging trucks with newer, cleaner-burning models. And this week’s edition of The District reports that support is growing for a proposal recently expressed by Foster and Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal: to bend the Los Angeles River so that its trash and toxins would flow through the port rather than onto the city’s recreational beaches. While this seems like passing the buck, it’s more like passing back the buck, inasmuch as the river was bent toward the city to accomodate the port’s expansion.

Tags: air pollution, Bill Pearl, container fee, Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal, Dave Wielenga, lbreport.com, Los Angeles River, Mayor Bob Foster, Port of Long Beach, press telegram, The District Weekly

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Andy 8 months ago 1 point
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I loved this quote from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., "Pollution Means Jobs" spokestool--(who, no doubt, lives nowhere near the ports):

(LA TIMES) Jack Kyser, chief economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., expressed dismay over the legal tactic, which he warned "could choke off a lot of international trade" and result in price hikes of imported goods.

"Sometimes, people don't understand the ultimate consequences of what they do," he said. "Start stocking up on your tennis shoes and other necessities."

So, all you winers out there who think public health is more important than ultra-cheap novelty lighters and lead-lipstick Barbies, think again!

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