Oakland promotes clean equipment

The port is meeting with trucking company owners and harbour drivers to inform them about the clean equipment grants available from the state of California.

“We’ve made significant progress in Oakland in partnership with air quality regulators and harbor truckers,” said Diane Heinze, the port’s environmental supervisor. “Now it’s time to ramp up the effort as new clean-air technology becomes available.”

The opportunities include US$48m from a 2006 state ballot measure for purchasing rigs that range from natural gas-powered to electric; more than US$16m from California’s Carl Moyer air quality programme for uses including new trucks to marine terminal cargo handling equipment; and up to US$150,000 per unit in vouchers through the state’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Project.

Timing is critical, the port said, because the air district’s deadline for goods movement grants is 26 January.

Previous clean-truck programmes carried out by the port have cut diesel particulate matter emissions onsite 98% since 2005.

An updated clean air plan will be introduced by the port this year to tackle air emissions. The plan will include working with industry, public sector and community partners to bring grant funding to Oakland.