Diesel emissions at the Port of Oakland have declined dramatically since 2005, the result of a concerted effort by the port to improve air quality in neighboring communities, port officials said Friday.
From 2005 to 2015, diesel emissions from trucks, ships, tugboats, trains and cargo handling equipment declined 76 percent, from 261 tons to 63 tons annually, according to the port’s 2015 Emissions Inventory report released Friday.
The key factors that led to the improved air quality include a program to upgrade and replace old trucks that pick up and drop off cargo at the port, a ban on trucks that don’t meet California emissions standards, a requirement that ships switch to cleaner burning fuel within 200 nautical miles of the port, a switch from diesel generators to electric power for refrigerated shipping containers inside the port and a requirement that berthed ships plug into dockside electrical power instead of running their diesel engines.
