Port to Begin Clean Truck Fee Feb. 18
Funding will provide financial assistance for greener trucks
The Port of Long Beach will begin collecting a
Clean Trucks Fee on February 18, 2009 to accelerate
the replacement of thousands of polluting cargo
trucks. At the same time the Port will kick off an
electronic gate access system that will enable the
fee collection and improve security at shipping
terminals.
"It is imperative that we
begin collecting the fees so we can move forward and
achieve our clean-air goals," said Richard D.
Steinke. 'The truck financing fee is a critical,
long-planned part of our Clean Trucks Program to
protect public health and improve air quality and
security."
The Clean Trucks Fee is expected to raise
about $1 million a day or about $1 billion over the
next few years at both San Pedro Bay ports to help
finance the replacement of many of the 17,000 trucks
that are a leading source of air pollution in
Southern California.
"With the current credit crisis, it will be
impossible for most truckers to replace all their
trucks without our financial assistance program,"
Steinke said.
Collection of the fee was scheduled to begin
in November, but was delayed twice due to Federal
Maritime Commission (I:MC) review.
'The Clean Trucks Program continues to serve
us well, though the fee collection is essential to
fully realize the environmental benefits of the
program," Steinke said.
Beginning October 1,
2008, the Port took the unprecedented step of
banning the most polluting trucks -- the 1988 and
older vehicles -- the initial ban in a series
planned under the Clean Trucks Program. On January
1, 2010, the Port will ban 1993 and older trucks,
and un-retrofitted model year 1994 to 2003 trucks.
By January 2012 all vehicles 2006 and older will be banned.