SAN PEDRO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 15, 2006--Approximately 150 participants from more than 25 ports and related entities worldwide traveled to Los Angeles this week to attend the inaugural Pacific Ports Clean Air Collaborative Conference. The event was held to discuss challenges and solutions to air pollution created by port operations.

Addressing the standing-room-only crowd for the conference opening address on Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa stated, "We are all linked by a common global, economic, and environmental future. Never have we been so connected. Our economies must grow, and they must grow green. We are here to stand together, not act independently, for the sake of the air we all breathe."

The three-day conference wrapped up today with a ceremonial "commitment" among conference participants, signaling their willingness to attend future conferences in order to continue dialogue about common challenges, emerging technologies and viable initiatives for reducing air emissions at ports all over the Pacific Rim.

"The Port of Los Angeles really felt that so much could be gained by having representatives from the many Pacific Rim ports in the same room, sharing information and getting all the issues out on the table," said Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles. "It is my hope that as we continue to build our relationships with other Pacific Rim ports partners, and we can expand our discussions to include other ports that I know have interest in attending future meetings of our Pacific Rim Ports Collaborative. We were happy to get the ball rolling on these international issues by creating this conference, and look forward to benefiting from all the hard work done by these participants in the years to come."

The conference, held at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, featured three days of information sharing, including a presentation on Alternative Maritime Power(TM) (AMP(TM))/cold ironing, whereby container ships shut off their diesel engines while at dock and instead plug in to clean electrical power. AMP(TM) is presently used at the Port of Los Angeles - currently the only port in the world to use this technology for container ships.

Additional Conference topics included sessions that focused on the need for green ports and international collaboration; air emissions inventories; new technologies in engine, shipbuilding and emission testing - discussions surrounding the pressures on ports for air quality improvement; and overviews of programs to reduce port related emissions.

Keynote speakers included Jerry Clifford, Deputy Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Barry Wallerstein, Ph.D., Executive Officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Other welcoming ceremony speakers included: Consul General Ruben Beltran of Mexico; Consul Guangming Gu of China; Wayne Nastri of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Sean Connaughton of the U.S. Maritime Administration; Xiao Feng of the Shanghai Port Administration Center; Fu Quingyan of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau; Tonia Reyes Uranga of the South Coast Air Quality Management District Board; Kaylynn Kim of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners; and emceeing the ceremony was Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles.

The conference was created and hosted by the Port of Los Angeles, and sponsors of the conference include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the U.S. Maritime Administration and the Shanghai Municipal Port Administration Bureau. For more information on the Pacific Ports Clean Air Collaborative Conference, please visit the website at www.ppaqc.org.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach recently completed a "Clean Air Action Plan" which puts forward a blueprint for reducing air emissions from port operations by 45% over the next five years - a landmark plan in the maritime industry. For more information on the Clean Air Action Plan, please visit www.portoflosangeles.org
or www.polb.com.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

Port of Los Angeles

Port of Los Angeles

Celebrating its Centennial in 2007, the Port of Los Angeles is America's premier port. As the leading seaport in the nation in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 259,000 regional jobs and $8.4 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars. At the Port of Los Angeles, high priority is placed on responsible growth initiatives, combined with high security, environmental stewardship and community outreach. For its industry leading environmental initiatives, the Port received two Environmental Protection Agency awards in 2006. The Port of Los Angeles - A Cleaner Port. A Brighter Future.

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