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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Port of Long Beach to study electric power for ships at berth
Wednesday April 16, 2003
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) A Harbor Commission committee has
authorized a feasibility study on powering ships berthed at the
Port of Long Beach with electricity instead of more polluting
internal combustion engines.
``Emissions from ships at berth are a major source of air
pollution, and using electricity to power those ships holds great
potential as a way to reduce those emissions,'' said Richard D.
Steinke, port executive director.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District reports that
about one-third of all vessel emission in the region occur while
the vessels are at berth. Ships at port use auxiliary diesel and
steam engines to produce power for refrigeration, lighting, pumping
and other functions.
On Monday, the commission's Development Committee selected
Environ International Corp. Inc., which has an office in Los
Angeles, to conduct the yearlong $350,000 study. Results will be
made public.
``This study is consistent with our ongoing practice of
operating the port in an environmentally friendly manner,'' Steinke
said.
Shoreside electrification of ships, called ``cold-ironing,'' is
part of the city's Healthy Harbor program to improve air and water
quality and wildlife habitat. The program was launched last month
urging all port-owned or port tenant-operated land vehicles to cut
back on diesel emissions.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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