PORT OF LOS ANGELES IS FIRST PORT IN THE STATE TO ACHIEVE “CLIMATE ACTION LEADER” STATUS FROM THE CALIFORNIA CLIMATE ACTION REGISTRY

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - January 30, 2008 - The Port of Los Angeles has earned the designation “Climate Action Leader” from the California Climate Action Registry, becoming the first port in the state with this distinction.  The Leader status was granted the Port of Los Angeles upon acceptance of its 2006 baseline greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventory by the California Climate Action Registry, a non-profit public/private partnership that serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas registry to protect, encourage and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions.

"This is just one more step to show the region, state and country how serious we are about greening and growing the Port of Los Angeles,” said Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D., Port of Los Angels Executive Director.  “The Port of Los Angeles voluntarily tracked greenhouse gas emissions and created a baseline from which we are able to gauge changes in the gases going forward.  We are proud to be the first port in California to be included in the Registry and to hold the ‘Climate Action Leader’ designation.”

The Port of Los Angeles is taken a proactive position to recognize and reduce the impacts of greenhouse gases in the Port area.  The Port included the impacts of greenhouse gases in its recently-approved Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for its Tra Pac Terminal Project – the first Port in the country to include GHG emissions in an EIR document.  The Port’s 2006 GHG emission inventory may be viewed at
http://www.climateregistry.org/CARROT/public/reports.aspx. 

The Port of Los Angeles has embarked upon an unprecedented array of environmental initiatives aimed at reducing the effects of Port operations on the environment.  Chief among these is the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), created in concert with its neighbor, the Port of Long Beach.  This comprehensive Plan addresses emissions created by the trucks, oceangoing vessels, trains, terminal equipment and harbor craft that serve the Port and outline measures that will decrease those emissions by nearly 50 percent by 2011.

For more information about the California Climate Registry, please see their website at www.climateregistry.org.

The Port of Los Angeles, also known as “America’s Port,” has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy and the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. A recipient of numerous environmental awards, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2007 Clean Air Excellence Award, the Port of Los Angeles is committed to innovating cleaner, greener ways of doing business. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 919,000 regional jobs and $39.1 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars. The Port of Los Angeles - A cleaner port. A brighter future.