Port of LA Wins Earth Day Award

The Federal Maritime Commission chose the Port of Los Angeles to receive its inaugural Earth Day award in recognition of the innovation and environmental stewardship the port displayed in developing its clean-truck plan.

The award is not without political implications as the regulatory agency under the Bush administration had challenged certain provisions in the clean-truck plan as adversely affecting the competitive position of some motor carriers in the harbor. The FMC later dropped its legal challenge.

The political drama is even further intensified because on Tuesday the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles began hearing testimony in a legal challenge to certain concession requirements in the Los Angeles clean-truck plan. The American Trucking Associations is challenging some provisions, such as a requirement that harbor trucking companies phase out the use of independent contractor drivers in favor of direct employees.

In announcing the award, FMC Chairman Richard A. Lidinsky said the Los Angeles clean-truck plan "combines incentives with accountability to make our nation's busiest liner shipping port complex more sustainable."

He noted that since the plan was launched on Oct. 1, 2008, truck emissions in the