Thanks for joining us for sustaining us here on Chaos Yes PBS I'm David Nasar the Port of Los Angeles Springs more goods into the US than any other port in the country A colossal economic engine for Southern California and Beyond Yet for all the business and industry the Port of L.A. has brought Here over the decades the port has also brought something else Years worth of smog and particulate matter and greenhouse Gases and other toxins that threaten public health In the neighboring Communities So just how is the Port of L.A. trying to rewrite Its controversial environmental history You're About to find out The port of Los Angeles has a storied history A history that helped build the economy of Los Angeles and helped Put Southern California on the map in the early 20th century The city of L.A. and surrounding area had an unparalleled population Boom never witnessed before That coincided with the Official founding of the port Back in 1987 were the cities Of San Pedro and Wilmington annexed to the city of L.A. a couple of years Later making the port an official department of the city of Los Angeles During the early nineteen hundreds industries of all Kinds began taking root in and around the board businesses like Fishing canneries oil drilling and shipbuilding That generated tens of thousands of jobs and commerce to End its thriving population However it wasn't until the nineteen Fifties at the port of L.A. really reached a metamorphic Milestone in the way this iconic waterway conducted business That's when that containerized cargo revolution modernized The port Now giant containers filled with goods could easily Be loaded sealed and shipped on boats trains and trucks Almost every manufactured product was and is shipped In a container Fast forward to today the port Los Angeles is the largest container port in North America We're responsible for about three hundred billion dollars Worth of cargo each year and we have about 40 Percent of the containerized cargo that comes into the United States Comes through this port complex The port of Los Angeles is Responsible for one in nine jobs either directly Or indirectly in Southern California And cargo Coming through the Port of Los Angeles touches every single congressional District in the United States So this port Is a large source of revenue and It's a great service to everyone in the United States In terms of bringing cargo into the United States Chris Cannon is the chief sustainable Guilty officer and the director of environmental management for the Port of L.A. And there is a reason why the port has a CSO Dedicated to the environment and things like clean air and water Because for all the success the port has achieved over the decades and The accomplishments of creating jobs and building the economy the port Has also had its share of critics over the years Many Environmentalists residents and the media were constantly Sounding the alarm warning the Port of Los Angeles was the single Largest source of air pollution in Southern California emitting smog And particulate matter as well as other toxins that threaten public health And neighboring communities They said these greenhouse gases were Also contributing to climate change and global warming Well Instead of keeping with the status quo the port realized That in order to remain an economic success leadership there How to embrace environmental stewardship and become a good sustain Ability citizen particularly because in the late 1990s The state of California identified diesel particulate matter As a carcinogen And during the 90s the port was also Experiencing a significant increase in cargo volume With a diesel engine cargo ships and diesel engine freight trucks working At a frenzied pace The port knew it had to be a good neighbor And work with the community and the environmental groups and also the business Community in a way that was green and environmentally friendly And in a way that allowed the port to still be an economic engine But none of the expensive Its neighbors or future generations In other words not Having an adverse environmental impact So in the early To thousands the port of L.A. began to develop innovative environmental Programs and in 2006 port officials approved a first Of its kind clean air action plan The Purpose of the Clean Air Action Plan was and remains Finding ways to reduce emissions from the major sources Of pollution at the port And that includes ships trains Trucks cargo handling equipment and the harbor Craft which are tugboats essentially and work boats Each of those Categories of emissions are sources of pollution in the Region and we've looked for ways to find programs To reduce emissions from each of those categories Since 2006 We've reduced sulfur dioxide pollution by 90 8 percent We've reduced diesel particulate matter pollution By 87 percent and we've reduced oxides of nitrogen By 60 percent as cannon points Out the port is trying to lead the way as a good sustainability citizen And officials there must keep striving for ways to find new Solutions to keep our air and water as clean as possible We work closely with ports around the world to try to implement environmental Programs are Cleaner Action Plan and some of the programs that we've Developed from it our first of their time But it doesn't mean That we don't learn things from other ports and we don't find other ways to reduce Emissions even from our partner ports around the world We have To keep looking for ways to continue to reduce pollution and now We face maybe the worst environmental crisis the world has seen And that's climate change Climate change is no joke And the port Los Angeles has got to do its part as does everyone on planet Earth To begin to reduce our carbon footprint and reduce greenhouse Gas emissions So we've set targets for ourselves to have zero emissions Operations at our terminals and zero emissions Drage truck operations by 2030 and 2030 5 respectively And this is important because trucks Are one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions In our emissions inventory and cargo handling equipment is a significant Source as well So these are two areas that we must work to Reduce but we can't stop even there Shannon gives us a Tour of the harbor and explains some of the ways the Port of L.A. is Working to reduce emissions some of which begin with the inventive Shore to store project This is a project basically trying To use zero emissions to get cargo from a ship at the port To a distribution center and then eventually to a store near you You can get zero emissions all the way from a ship To a distribution center and eventually To a store and we call that sure to store Project You've got the ship a crane which are electric You've got the yard tractors which are Electric You've got the top handlers which Are electric and then they will load them on to truck Which are fuel cell electric hydrogen Fuel cell trucks that are developed by Toyota And Kenworth and then they would take the Cargo to a distribution center Where it would once again be handled by electric Equipment and eventually loaded either back Onto electric trucks or prepared for Distribution centers The shortest store project costs just over 80 Million dollars The program was funded in part with a 42 million dollar Grant from the California Air Resources Board leased a wonder joined On our harbor tour of the Port of L.A. Wonder is a Marine Environmental manager with the Environmental Management Division at th pt She works with Chris Cannon to help find solutions so the port can reduce Their pollution In 2004 the first Container ship in the world plugged in to Shore power here at the Port of Los Angeles Since then We've added additional store power berths In and around the port of Los Angeles We currently have 24 Berths which is more berth equipped with shore power than any other port In the world Our early actions in the early 2000s Led the California Air Resources Board to determine the Feasibility of this technology and as a result in 24 In the California Air Resources Board promulgated the state of California Law which requires now that 80 percent of all Container and cruise ships plug into shore power while they're at This significantly reduces emissions of diesel particulate Matter nitrogen oxides and also greenhouse gases It takes approximately three to four days for one of these container ships to unload And when it's plugged into shore power it reduces Emissions by approximately 12 tons Of carbon dioxide While it is wonder Explains when just one ship plugs in per day this process Eliminates the equivalent of that 12 metric tons of carbon Dioxide from being admitted into the atmosphere This amount Of CO2 is normally admitted into the air if the ship is running On its auxiliary engines while docked in the port say for example While cargo is being unloaded for several days back at the terminal wonder Explains some of the other measures the board is taking to help preserve the environment As part of a demonstration project ever Port is demonstrating These electric yard tractors that you see behind me They're manufactured By BYU There are zero missions run on electricity Charged by these chargers right here The zero mission yard tractors have Greatly reduced greenhouse gas emissions and also Reduce pollutants Some of the pollutants wonder is referring to Contaminants such as NOx known as oxides Nitrogen and socks known as oxides of Sulfur and certainly the reduction of diesel particulate matter Similar To charging an electric car the Taylor top handlers also Charge overnight via a plug in battery This One's a little bit bigger since the battery of a Taylor topic is 1 megawatt so there are actually two hurdles That need to be connected for the top handler to fully charge On a fully charged battery The top handler is expected And currently being demonstrated for an explanation Of up to 18 hours of use under this demonstration project Each of these top handlers is equipped with a data logger which is capturing Energy usage and other parameters over the one year demonstration period While before the delay it still emits pollution and smog The environmentally friendly approach that Chris Cannon Lisa Wonder and their sustainability team is taking is Gradually advancing the port's ambitious goal of eventually being A zero emissions port Being a sustainability change Is a difficult task Ask any environmentalists Report employee and as officials there take responsibility For environmental stewardship Their moniker as America's port could ultimately be well-deserved Where the environment is concerned Joining me now To discuss this further is Jean Sorokin Jean Sorokin is the Executive director of the Port of Los Angeles and I should point out Some months ago L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti named Jean As chief logistics officer for the city of L.A. Jean has been tasked with leading the logistics victory Los Angeles campaign Simply put this is an effort to help get Critical health care and emergency supplies to our area Especially during this Corona virus pandemic so we're gonna be talking All about that as well Thanks for being here Jean and of course we have A lot to talk about don't we Yes we do Good to see You David Thank you so much for being here Now for those who don't Know possibly don't live near the port or even here in SoCal Really describe the enormity of the port because It's sort of like a city unto itself It really is And with seven thousand five Hundred acres and forty three miles of waterway there's Just so much to see here in our San Pedro Wilmington And Harbor City Harbor Gateway communities Today we have twenty seven terminals and two hundred Seventy births And we've been in business now for more Than a hundred and fourteen years And it really has evolved Over those one hundred fourteen years hasn't it all This engineering marvel that you see today started With the vision of Phineas banding so long ago talking About how this Southern California area could be a trade gateway And it was a toss up between Santa Monica and San Pedro for this great port complex and weren't we lucky Today we're known as America's port with a vision To be a global model for security sustainability and social Sponsor ability even more so we're the largest container port The Western Hemisphere and known for this moniker because Of the traffic that moves through this port The jobs it creates The reach that it has to all of us consumers throughout the Country We have more than 100 trains a day and moved More than nine point three million container units we call them 20 Foot equivalent units to set the record Once Again we've been the number one port in the country for twenty one Consecutive years That is a city as I said Now getting Back to the field report June that we began the program with We did just hear from your colleagues Chris Cannon and we wonder about some of The environmental measures you folks are working on out of the port Could you talk Some more about these efforts because there is so much going on there Related specifically to the environment and as you just mentioned Sustainability Well before my time David The group here harbor commissioners mayor and Really led by the community tried to Create an effort where we could reduce emissions and still Do great business And weren't they right since Two thousand five and six when the world's first clean air Action plan was put into place We have reduced emissions Across the board while still growing cargo here At the port of L.A. And just to give you a flavor We've reduced sulfur Oxide by 98 percent diesel particulate matter The exhaust that comes out of the tailpipe on trucks by 87 Percent and nitrogen oxide That's smog forming Pollution by 60 percent And we believe There's so much more work to do in this area But what a great Start over the last decade and a half the clean air Action Plan has ambitious goals or moon shots but We're going to try to get to a zero emissions port complex By the year 2035 and have only 0 Emissions heavy duty trucks to haul all of our containers by the 2035 So it's going to be very interesting We're currently A really good test bed for private sector companies We're testing right now 16 different demonstration projects Cleaner equipment 90 zero emissions trucks are Under that protocol So the work that's being done here is just Really tremendous and as Chris and Lisa mentioned The early success of what we're seeing as the first electric Top handlers in the world over at ever port container terminal Really exemplify the efforts that we're making here That no port in the world can claim except us at the port Of Los Angeles and anyone who knows me or knows my Reporting and particularly on this program Jane I do tell it like it is I am going to give you a shout out because it is amazing what you're doing there is no question I've been out there It's pretty amazing however To be fair I must say that you still have A lot of critics particularly angry environmentalists angry Residents in your neighborhood and certainly the media they say you're not Doing nearly enough to clean The air around the port and the water now There Are also those I guess we should term them air monitoring stations Another measure kind of pollution and particulate matter in The air all over the port I have read where often These monitors are registering a lot of pollution Being emitted from the port So just to be fair how do you answer That criticism given all you are doing I'm with you and we want to do more I've lived in Port Cities all my life and there is nothing I would like to see More than a zero emissions port complex Even in the Los Angeles base an area That has the heaviest pollution of any metropolitan area in our Country So we know we have a role to play We take that responsible Willingly We have a very astute community Here and our eco system brings to us talent from All sectors of science and transportation Air quality plus advocacy So we're with everybody we Want to do more We've got to advance technology faster Must become more affordable And that's why I've taken a very different Approach I want to bring all these people together not just set regulations But we're going to be holding workshops and summits With the original equipment manufacturers the people Who will buy that equipment and those heavy duty trucks We need policy Makers and legislators to get us into a competitive state At the same time we've lost 20 percent Of our market share since we began this discussion and 2002 about how we can better balance this High wire act of creating jobs Economic value drive and our environmental Stewardship here in California it's in our DNA But that balancing Act is what is so so difficult to bring forward But having folks at the table that can show you what's Important show what's needed and get to the ground truth Is really where I'd like to approach and I want our public To push us I want our board our mayor our councilman And women that sit and govern us as well as the county And state leaders but also as a veteran of 32 years In this industry I worked overseas for eleven in Asia and the Middle East and I've been on the ground doing business in 50 countries I can attest to you there is no other port complex in the world doing What we're doing but we still want more It's interesting Because anyone who has been to the port or has lived in this Area for decades knows there's still a lot of pollution out there However You cannot discount all the efforts you are taking Do you sometimes believe the port of L.A. gets a bad Rap or an unfair rap Are you disappointed with Some of what people are telling you as the high volume Of pollution that's out there or you're not doing enough No I can't say we get a bad rap and I can't blame anybody that wants To make this a better place to live and work What I will tell You is you got folks with a lot of good ideas that want to be Heard and that that's part of our makeup too So we're going to keep pushing Forward I'm really proud of what we've been able to do and it started Well before I came here to the port We've got some great legacy Some institutional knowledge that is almost irreplaceable here But let's keep moving forward and if folks want to challenge us I think that's great Speaking of the legacy it's interesting I can Remember as a kid you know 70s and 80s I don't want How old I am You know the sky around the poor It was black soot I mean you couldn't see anything and I Know you know that What was the catalyst What was the event That had you folks at the port saying wow this is bad We need To take personal responsibility we have to do something we are going to Do something There were discussions dating back Years and years and you can hear from folks like Mike Deaver Nardo and Tony GOP yellow folks who grew up here that Would regularly be sent home from school because it was a bad air day They'll tell you they couldn't even see the mountains from this port on Clave when they were young kids and going through school But today you can you have better opportunities I Think realistically a couple of things mayor wanted to talk about No new net zero concept move More cargo but don't raise the emissions levels then suddenly On the face of developing a new Marine terminal for China Shipping a lot of folks in the community said hey if you're going Build even more space for cargo we need to Be more aggressive on the environmental side And I think that was one Real fulcrum as a jumping off point that got us into The movement of this Clean Air Action Plan Clean Truck program And in this particular area when I came to the port We had met or exceeded all of our commitments in the first clean Air Action Plan some six years ahead Of when they were promised to be delivered to this community So In September of 2015 I called on the public to renew the Clean Air Action Plan and bring us a second chapter of both that And the Clean Truck program because we had done it We needed to raise the bar The technology was coming and we wanted to be at the forefront Too You mentioned international trade China earlier We have to talk about this controversial subject I mean The trade imbalance it's almost a joke it seems To me we bring in so much more cargo from China Than we export to them I mean I've reported on several stories I've Out there to the port it's almost comical There are acres of cargo Gene from China Korea You know you see these crates Saying China Airlines a hundred in shipping whatever from these countries Where all the cargo containers of our goods In China and Korea I mean that imbalance is insane Well it is and it's a topic of discussion For those who have lived and breathed in our industry Dating back to when you and I were young kids we started To see more and more outsourcing of manufacturing Because our parents didn't want to spend the money on goods at the stores and We're pretty much the same way today We want a deal at the retail level We want to be able to buy online and have the next day delivery And unfortunately we don't have the economic structure to Be able to do that here in the U.S.

But the ability For global trade to expand create jobs in other areas Has been a real unique opportunity not only to Those developing nations to improve their Economic offering an opportunity for their citizenry But it's given us a chance to have a little bit different look at what That trade is going to mean for us and our jobs Population Today we're about 3 imports for every Export And what this particular economic And health crisis has shown is that we all need to chip In to see if we can find a way to help the American economy Reemerge And that's why I've done two things I've Put together a group of West Coast business interests to Answer the question of port competitiveness how we can drive More cargo through our facilities and create more Jobs while being that good environmental steward that we must big Second I believe that by focusing On exports we can drive better value for the American farmer The manufacturing sector broadly our automotive manufacture Years and tiered suppliers And if I'm right And we can bring more export cargo through this port We can help better balance the trade that moves through this gateway And for the logistics decision maker we may Make a better offering price service and certainty For those folks as well So there's a strong play here and I do Think as you correctly say it's a great wakeup call to Focus on the American exporter on that segment The department Of Labor in Washington states that export jobs pay 17 percent more than jobs in other segments So all This seems to keep be converging even in a time of crisis Where I think we can add some value chain In closing I mentioned Earlier some months ago Mayor said he named you As chief logistics officer for the city of Los Angeles Exactly what does that mean What are you folks doing over there The idea was to get the personal protective equipment To our frontline hospitals and medical workers as quickly as possible We had all seen and witnessed the stories on the news Where hospitals were sending out staff to go to grocery stores And buy hefty bags cut the arms out because they could not Get specific products for their doctors nurses and technician So the mayor thought with our background in logistics Supply chain having many deep relationships With customers here at the port in the great L.A. airport that the City of Los Angeles could add some value So speeding those Products to market using information technology was one Aspect working with manufacturers or customers of the port To try to drive those direct relationships was another one we wanted To try to capitalize on And then thirdly working With people like the California Manufacturing and Technology Association To see what California companies wanted to convert their Manufacturing facilities and get into the PPE Marketplace Well the mayor had lofty goals but He sure did have a lot of confidence in us And today Love L.A. now has more than two dozen volunteers Mostly port workers We've sifted through over 11 Hundred leads trying to find people who need product and those who want To supply it And we just crossed the million unit Mark in passing out PPE at cost with No markup and no margin to more than 30 hospitals In and around the Los Angeles area All of that Was really started by our relationship with The iconic American company the Honeywell Corporation Where we signed a 24 month contract for 24 million in ninety five masks At a price point of seventy nine cents And while Others were looking to far reaching markets with unproven partners Middle men and women were selling these masks for five dollars A unit We found that relationships really do count And the leadership of Mayor Garza said he was really really Appropriate at that time to get us to drive And now we've got much More opportunity ahead of us There still is a lot of work but creating An L.A. stockpile being able to assist our hospitals Fill holes and plug gaps We're never going to be their sole source Of manufactured product but I sure do think that the city Of Los Angeles with its great buying power and the folks at the general Services Department like Tony Royster and Melissa use a lot John Tripp go to who are professional Buyers in their own right have added so much value that we're going to keep Going to help those hospitals and medical workers We are a great city We do great things Thank you so much James Stroke executive director Of the Port of L.A. for being here for what is certainly a very Comprehensive interview Greatly appreciate it Thank You David Good to see you and stay well Thank you And for more information about our program just click on KLC s dot Org and then click contact us to send us your questions and comments Or story ideas so we can hear from you Thank you so much For joining us for this edition of Sustaining US here on KLC PBS I'm Devin Huizar