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Can the Ports Clean the Air Without Choking the Economy?

953 views · Published 28 August 2007 · 56:33 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: New America · 2007 · News & Politics

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Moderated by Rick Wartzman, Director of The Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University and Irvine Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach—which together make up the nation's busiest harbor complex and one of the key engines of the Southern California economy—are poised for an 18-Wheel Revolution. In April, they unveiled a plan to slash diesel pollution from the 16,000 trucks that haul goods to nearby rail yards and warehouses by 80%. And that's only the beginning. The plan—which still needs final approval--also seeks to upgrade conditions for truck drivers, who some say work in virtual "sweatshops on wheels." But is the plan practical? Will it undermine the ports competitiveness' and drive trade elsewhere? Is it just a backdoor way for the Teamsters union to organize drivers? Key players from both sides of this battle along the waterfront--S. David Freeman, president of the L.A. board of Harbor Commissioners, Patricia Castellanos, co-director of the Clean and Safe Ports Campaign, transportation policy consultant Nancy Pfeffer, and Michael Lightman, president of Great Freight Inc.--visit Zócalo to hash it out.

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