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Council approves side letter with China Shipping; critics say agreement lacks enforceable emissions mandates
Summary
The council approved a voluntary side letter between the Port of Los Angeles and China Shipping that includes mitigation commitments; environmental groups urged stronger, enforceable measures and councilmember Hahn pushed for an independent task force and 90-day compliance reporting after the terminal opens.
The Los Angeles City Council approved a side letter with China Shipping on Wednesday that obliges the company and terminal operators to adopt a range of voluntary mitigation measures for a new terminal, prompting praise from the councilmember who sponsored the side letter and criticism from environmental groups that the measures are not mandatory.
Kavita Paul of the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Coalition for Clean Air urged the council to reject the proposed side letter, saying voluntary language such as "encourage, participate, consider" is too weak to protect communities that already face high diesel pollution exposure. "Voluntary measures are not gonna protect the public from toxic emissions," Paul said, citing the scale…
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