Ports Up Ante on Environment with $46M Investment

LOS ANGELES—The Port of Long Beach has approved guidelines for a $46 million plan to fund local health projects that will reduce environmental impacts. The program will specifically seek to bring health programs and new air filters to those most affected by the environmental impacts of the port. The $46 million is the most funding voluntarily committed by a US port authority and will be distributed over the next 12 to 15 years.

“Under our Green Port Policy, we are committed to protect the community from environmental impacts of Port operations and to promote sustainability,” Lee Peterson of the Port of Long Beach, tells GlobeSt.com. “The grants program is an excellent means to partner with the schools, clinics, health groups and others to find effective means to reducing the Port’s impacts on the health of our neighbors. We always work aggressively to minimize emissions, noise and other byproducts of the Port, with our Clean Air Action Plan, Water Resources Action Plan and other measures. And we will continue to do that. The grants allow us to seek out those proposals in the community that can to reduce our impacts.”