Environmental groups are suing the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Associations, claiming a settlement involving the port’s clean trucks program is illegal and should be thrown out. The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club said in announcing the suit Monday that Long Beach violated city and state law when it reached a settlement with ATA without first seeking public comment and an environmental review. Long Beach announced the settlement on Oct. 19, sharply diverging from the approach taking by the neighboring Port of Los Angeles, which has stood firm in a lawsuit filed last year by the ATA despite rulings by judges saying aspects of port plans requiring truck drivers work through companies holding port concessions violate federal law.
