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Lowenthal Gets AQMD Laurels

Posted on: Friday, 21 October 2005, 03:00 CDT

By Nedra Lindsey, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.

Oct. 20--LONG BEACH -- State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, is among nine people to be honored as "Clean Air Heroes" by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The award is intended to acknowledge the work of individuals or organizations that attempt to improve air quality in Southern California.

Lowenthal will receive the Leadership in Government award for his work to raise awareness of air quality issues at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Convention Center today. He chairs the Senate's Environmental Quality Committee.

"He's been a lead sponsor on many seminal bills," said Sam Atwood, a spokesman for AQMD. "The cleanup at the ports is really at the top of everyone's agenda in terms of air quality and health."

Lowenthal first became aware of the area's environmental issues while campaigning for a Long Beach City Council seat in 1992.

"As I'm walking through the district I'm talking about why I'm running, but people are asking, 'What is this black soot on my window?"' Lowenthal said, referring to petroleum coke dust.

In 1998, in his first term as an assemblyman, Lowenthal was a primary sponsor of bill that forced every business with open petroleum coke piles to enclose them.

To reduce the time trucks spent idling, he sponsored legislation that created an appointment system allowing trucks to pick up merchandise at specific times.

"It could not go to a more worthy person," said Don May, president of California Earth Corps. "He's been fearless in going after the port and getting them to reduce emissions, preventing needless deaths. He has been the go-to guy on those issues that affect Long Beach."

More recently, Lowenthal introduced legislation that called for "no net increase" in pollution even as the port grows. The measure included a mandatory $30 fee imposed on containers at the port.

The bill was vetoed by the Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger because it was not considered implementable, Lowenthal said.

But since, the ports have implemented their own policies and efforts to rebuild their images.

Long Beach has recast itself as a "Green Port," and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is attempting to institute a no-net-increase plan at that port.

Undeterred, Lowenthal said he will continue to pursue clean air legislation, even if it may be vetoed by the governor.

"If we're going to grow the goods-movement industry here, we're going to have to think of innovative ways to make the industry clean," Lowenthal said. "If not, kids are not going to go to school and people are going to die."

OTHER HONOREES INCLUDE:

--Associate Professor Ralph Delfino in the Epidemiology Division of Medicine at UC Irvine

--FuelMaker Corp.

--RadTech International

--Interstate Clean Transportation Corridor

--The John T. Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly Pomona

--9-year-old Jonah Ramirez of San Bernardino

--Sysco Food Service of Los Angeles

--Daniel and Courtney Dickerson and Gigante USA Supermarkets.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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SYY,

Source: Press-Telegram

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