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Long Beach ready for clean truck fee
2009/2/13
With all systems ready to go, the Port of Long Beach will begin collecting a Clean Truck Fee on February 18 to finance the replacement of thousands of polluting cargo trucks.
On the same day, the port will kick off an electronic gate access system for the fee collection and to improve security at shipping terminals.
"It is imperative that we begin collecting the fees so we can move forward and achieve our clean-air goals," said Dick Steinke, executive director of the Port of Long Beach.
"The truck financing fee is a critical, long-planned part of our Clean Trucks Programme to protect public health and improve air quality and security."
The Clean Truck Fee is expected to raise nearly US$1 million a day or about $1 billion over the next few years at both San Pedro Bay ports to help finance the replacement of thousands of trucks that are a leading source of air pollution in Southern California.
The port took the unprecedented step on October 1 of banning the most polluting trucks – the 1988 and older vehicles – the initial ban in a series planned under the Clean Trucks Programme.
On January 1, 2010, the port will ban 1993 and older trucks, and un-retrofitted model years 1994 to 2003 trucks. By January 2012, all vehicles 2006 and older will be banned.
The West Coast Marine Terminal Operator Agreement (WCMTOA) created the not-for-profit company PortCheck to collect the Clean Trucks Fee for the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
The money collected will be transferred to the ports to provide financial assistance for truck replacement.
Under the programme, the cargo owner is responsible for paying the Clean Truck Fee, $35 for a smaller cargo container and $70 for the typical, 40-foot-long cargo container. The fee will be payable by credit card or electronic funds transfer, and must be paid before a container can enter or leave the terminals.
Cargo owners can register and make payments at the PierPASS web page at http://www.pierpass-tmf.org/. Cargo owners who are already registered in PierPASS offpeak terminal access system will automatically be uploaded into PortCheck. Cargo owners will first have to accept the terms and conditions of PortCheck before their account will be extended into PortCheck.
Under the Clean Trucks Programme, only trucks equipped with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and working for port-approved "concession" trucking firms will be allowed regular entry into shipping terminals.
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2009/2/13