Ship emissions have long been a concern in port communities.

The article credits Long Beach as a global leader in reducing air emissions.

A United Nations body overseeing international shipping adopted rules Friday requiring freight ships to burn low-sulfur fuels within 200 nautical miles of much of North America’s coastline. Beginning in 2015, ships calling at most U.S. and Canadian ports will be required to use cleaner fuels or adopt technology to dramatically cut diesel exhaust when traveling in the emission “buffer zone.”

The International Maritime Organization adopted the rules Friday in London, nearly three years after California implemented a similar plan extending 24 miles from the state’s coast. … The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates the rule will cut deadly particulate exhaust 85 percent while also slashing nitrogen oxides 80 percent.

From the Long Beach Post-Telegram, March 26, 2010