Harris County, Texas (which encircles the Houston/Sugar Land/Baytown metropolitan area) recently edged out Los Angeles County as the top carbon producing county in the U.S. This extreme carbon hotspot is largely the result of large-scale petroleum refineries and chemical processing. The Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) is also in federal clean air non attainment status for 8-hour ground-level ozone. The Port of Houston—which ranks first in the United States in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in the U.S. in total tonnage, and tenth in the world in total tonnage—and the area’s petroleum refineries, contribute to region’s environmental and health ills. Unlike the Ports of Oakland, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, which are governed by port commissioners appointed by the respective city mayors, the Port of Houston is made up of the public Port of Houston Authority and more than 150 private companies along the Houston Ship Channel. In 2006, roughly 3500 ships called at the Port of Houston Authority relative to the close to 9300 ship calls at the entire Houston Ship Channel. (Port of Houston Authority, 2006 Annual Report) Whereas the governance structures of these ports is different, they share the same status as a nexus for goods movement enormous pollution and carbon-output, as well as for significant potential for shifts to cleaner fuels, technology and infrastructure. Additional Items
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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.
Houston
