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  - Health costs to Californians, so far this year, of port related pollution in California.
The Ports of LA  Long Beach Clean Air Action Plan passed in November 2006, and 1500 clean trucks service the ports.
Port Pollution Facts
  • In Long Beach, 20% of children under 17 have been diagnosed with asthma - nearly twice the national average.
  • $67 million: The cost of respiratory problems associated with ports in CA.
  • Diesel Exhaust is responsible for 84% of the cancer risk from air pollution in the Southern California Air Basin.
  • $19 BILLION: Cost on health system due to port pollution. average.
  • Each day the Port of LA emits over 30 tons of NOx, while a half a million cars emits less than 24 tons and the average power plant emits less than 5 tons.
  • 2,400 - Estimated number of premature deaths caused by diesel emissions.
  • 800,000: Number of children that pollution reduction could save from lung disease.
  • Each day the Port of Los Angeles emits over 30 tons of NOx, while a half a million cars emits less than 24 tons and the average power plant emits less than 5 tons.

CA Transportation Commission
 

California Transportation CommissionThe California Transportation Commission (CTC) is responsible for the programming and allocating of funds for the construction of highway, passenger rail and transit improvements throughout California. The Commission, also advises and assists the Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing Agency and the Legislature in formulating and evaluating state policies and plans for California’s transportation programs.

TRADE CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT FUND:

On April 10, 2008, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) approved a $3 billion program of projects for the Trade Corridor Improvement Fund (TCIF). The slate of highway, rail and seaport improvements approved for funding included $825 million for 14 projects in Northern California. Six of the 14 Northern California goods-movement projects approved by the CTC are in the Bay Area. These include improvements at the Port of Oakland, relocation of the Interstate 80 Cordelia truck scales and the addition of an eastbound truck-climbing lane on Interstate 580 over the Altamont Pass. (A complete list of TCIF projects is available on the CTC Web site at: http://www.catc.ca.gov.)

WHAT CCP IS WATCHING FOR AT CTC:

At CCP, we’re working with other environmental and CBO organization on an adhoc working group at the invitation of the CTC to provide input on environmental and goods movement systemic criteria for their project programming and implementation. The challenge is that the current bond financing under Proposition 1B is slated for business as usual projects with little or no real emphasis on new system infrastructure investments. However, the bond was approved by California voters prior to the momentum behind a sea change approach to looking at more aggressive green and clean alternative infrastructure solutions. CCP intends on keeping the CTC to the task of opening their doors to community voices, helping educate the community about transportation planning and programming in a way that gives power to communities and their engagement in policy and investment debate, and to the possibility that even a staid financing bureaucracy whose board is known as conservative can become a paradigm shifter by being inclusive and leading the transportation planning discussion  toward a new 2050 vision that isn’t business as usual, that looks to exciting new alternatives such as electrified rail, high speed mass rail, adoption of criteria for funding competitiveness based on sustainable and greenhouse gas reduction competitiveness, and also working with public private partnerships that incentivize zero-carbon and sustainable solutions. 

Background

Proposition 1B directed $2.0 billion of the state's roughly $20 billion bond toward goods movement infrastructure improvements. The CTC and Caltrans also approved adding approximately $500 million from the State Highway Account to fund state-level priorities that are critical to goods movement, bringing the total funding available to $2.5 billion. In addition, the CTC will program roughly 20% more than currently available funding, assuming future new revenue and changes in project delivery.

Unlike other transportation programs, the TCIF legislation included no mandated funding allocation between Southern and Northern California. In order to compete effectively with Southern California, MTC partnered with the Central Valley and Sacramento regions to develop a comprehensive Northern California trade strategy and program. The following programming ranges were approved by the CTC in December, 2007.

Low High
Los Angeles/Inland Empire $1,500 $1,700
Bay Area/Central Valley $640 $840
San Diego/border $250 $400
Other corridors $60 $80
Administrative fees (Department of Finance) $40 $40
TOTAL $2,490 $3,060

There are two high-priority interregional goods movement corridors serving the Bay Area: 1) Interstate 80 — known as the Central Corridor; and 2) Interstate 880/238/580 — known as the Altamont Corridor. Investment in these corridors ensures the future viability and growth of the Port of Oakland as a trade gateway for both imports and exports, and strengthens the economic interconnections of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley regions with the Bay Area. MTC and its partners focused their efforts on developing a comprehensive program of rail and highway projects along these corridors.

For more information on the goods movement element of Proposition 1B, contact Carolyn Clevenger by telephone at 510.817.5736 or by email at cclevenger [at] mtc [dot] ca [dot] gov.